Reading guide
Independence from worldly entanglement
This project's own reading: “dūteyya” (“running errands, going as a messenger”) concerns a mendicant's own involvement in others' worldly business rather than property or trade directly, extending this vagga's own catalogue of restraint into the realm of social entanglement.
Key terms
appakā te sattā ye dūteyyā paṭiviratā — “the sentient beings who refrain from running errands and messages are few” — the rare category, matching the tiny pinch of dirt
dūteyya — “errand-running, message-carrying, serving as a messenger or go-between” — the 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
tatiyaṁ — “the third” — this discourse's own position, 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 running errands and messages 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 running errands and messages?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading — matching this saṃyutta's own recurring formula.
Question 2 of 3
What kind of restraint does this project's own reading identify "dūteyya" as concerning?
Correct: A. This project's own reading of a social, not merely material, restraint.
Question 3 of 3
What position does this discourse occupy in this vagga's own sequence?
Correct: A. Confirmed by direct reading of the sequence's own order, following SN 56.92.