Reading guide
A wider, less exclusive category than "brahmin"
This project's own reading: “samaṇa” (“ascetic”) is a broader term than “brahmin,” already this project's own familiar pairing throughout this saṃyutta (“samaṇā vā brāhmaṇā vā”) — here split into its own two component terms across two adjacent discourses, this one and SN 56.69.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye sāmaññā — “the sentient beings who respect ascetics are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
sāmañña — “respecting ascetics” — the term giving this discourse its own title, derived from “samaṇa” (ascetic)
asāmaññā — “those who don't [respect ascetics]” — 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
aṭṭhamaṁ — “the eighth” — 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 ascetics are few, while those who don’t are many. …”
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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 turn does this discourse mark within this vagga's own four-discourse respect sequence, per this project's own reading?
Correct: A. This project's own reading of a deliberate progression from family to religious community.
Question 2 of 3
What does this project's own reading note about "samaṇa" as a category?
Correct: A. This project's own cross-reference to a familiar pairing, now split across two adjacent discourses.
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 "Aṭṭhamaṁ" ("eighth").