Reading guide
A recognizable canonical list
This project's own reading ahead: SN 56.81-90 restate, in a similar though not necessarily identical order, items this project recognizes from the wider canon's own catalogue of a virtuous mendicant's own restraints — entertainment, luxurious beds, money, raw food, and the receiving of women, servants, and livestock — this project offers the cross-reference without claiming word-for-word identity, since it has not verified an exact textual match.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye naccagītavāditavisūkadassanā paṭiviratā — “the sentient beings who refrain from seeing shows of dancing, singing, and music are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
naccagītavāditavisūkadassana — “shows of dancing, singing, and music” — the compound term giving this discourse its own title
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 seeing shows of dancing, singing, and music 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 watching shows of dancing, singing, and music?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — matching this vagga's own recurring formula.
Question 2 of 3
What does this project's own reading ahead note about SN 56.81-90 as a group?
Correct: A. This project's own cautious cross-reference, offered without overclaiming an exact textual match.
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").