Reading guide
A shift to property and commerce
This project's own reading ahead: this vagga's own opening items concern land, trade, and financial conduct (SN 56.91-95) before the block's own closing discourse merges six further prohibited acts — mutilation, murder, abduction, banditry, plunder, and violence — into a single bilara-data file at SN 56.96-101, confirmed by direct listing of the directory rather than assumed.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye khettavatthupaṭiggahaṇā paṭiviratā — “the sentient beings who refrain from receiving fields and land are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
khettavatthu — “fields and land” — the compound term giving this discourse its own title
paṭiggahaṇā — “receiving, accepting” — the same verb governing this and the following several items
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
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 receiving fields and land 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 receiving fields and land?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — matching this saṃyutta's own recurring formula.
Question 2 of 3
What confirms this vagga's own closing structure, per this project's own direct check?
Correct: A. This project's own standing practice of confirming merged files by direct directory listing.
Question 3 of 3
What position does this discourse occupy, and what vagga does it open?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of the vagga field in the root text.