Reading guide
The ten courses of action, seven of ten given here
This project's own reading ahead: SN 56.71-77 restate, in order, the three bodily unwholesome actions (killing, stealing, sexual misconduct) and the four verbal ones (lying, divisive speech, harsh speech, idle chatter) — the classical list's own final three, mental actions (covetousness, ill will, wrong view), are notably absent from this vagga, since they cannot be framed as something one "refrains from" in quite the same behavioral sense.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye pāṇātipātā paṭiviratā — “the sentient beings who refrain from killing living creatures are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
pāṇātipāta — “killing living creatures” — the first of the ten courses of unwholesome action, and the first of the five precepts
appaṭiviratā — “those who don't refrain” — 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
paṭhamaṁ — “the first” — 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 refrain from killing living creatures are few, while those who don’t refrain 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 does this discourse claim about those who refrain from killing living creatures?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — matching the formula already established in Vagga 7.
Question 2 of 3
What does this project's own reading ahead confirm about SN 56.71-77 as a group?
Correct: A. This project's own reading ahead across this vagga's own opening seven 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 "Paṭhamaṁ" ("first").