Reading guide
A four-part sequence of respect
This project's own reading ahead, confirmed by this vagga's own closing uddāna at SN 56.70: SN 56.66-69 form a deliberate sequence moving outward — from the family (mother, then father) to the wider religious community (ascetics, then brahmins) — before SN 56.70 closes the vagga with respect for elders generally.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye matteyyā — “the sentient beings who respect their mothers are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
matteyya — “one who respects their mother, filial toward one's mother” — the term giving this discourse its own title
amatteyyā — “those who don't [respect their mothers]” — the vast majority category, matching the whole earth
… — the elision marking, standing in for the fingernail demonstration already given in full at SN 56.61-62
chaṭṭhaṁ — “the sixth” — this discourse's own root text confirming its own position directly, read rather than assumed
The text
Every genuinely translated fragment given in the consulted English source, which itself preserves the elision back to SN 56.61's own full statement. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“… the sentient beings who respect their mothers are few, while those who don’t are many. …”
· · ·
Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 3
What does this discourse claim about those who respect their mothers?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — matching this vagga's own recurring comparative structure.
Question 2 of 3
What four-part sequence does this discourse open, per this project's own reading ahead?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading ahead and by this vagga's own closing uddāna at SN 56.70.
Question 3 of 3
What position does this discourse occupy in this vagga's own ten-discourse sequence?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of the root text's own closing marker "Chaṭṭhaṁ" ("sixth").