Dear fellow agama lovers

> > Would you please look for the Chinese equivalent of another

sutta from

> > Satipatthana Samyutta, Satisutta.m (SN 5.180)
> Sorry to disappoint, but this sutta has no SA equivalent

Indeed. SN 47.2 is also a 'Sato Sutta'. This also has 'sato,
sampajano', but defines 'sampajano' in the more normal pericope of
awareness of daily activities. Akanuma gives SA 610 as the cognate,
but this is wrong. The actual cognate is SA 622. This sutta is also
found in the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, where it is given, somewhat
amusingly, as an exhortaion to the monks when the couresan Ambapali
is approaching. The Sanskrit brings out the relevance a little more
clearly. Also, the Skt MPS has three terms, ardent (=4 right
efforts), clearly comprehending, mindful. This thus correlates
exactly with the first three terms describibg satipatthana in the
normal satipatthana formula - atapi, sampajano, satima

A further Sato Sutta is found at SN 47.44. This too has no Chinese
cognate. A little examination reveals that this sutta is just SN
47.2 cut neatly in half: it has 'sato', but not 'sampajano'.
Interestingly, the very next sutta, Kusalarasi, is also likewise
just SN 47.5/SA 611 cut in half. Again, this has no Chinese cognate.


-- in fact only two

> suttas in the Anusutta-vaggo have any SA parallels (Viraago &

Bhaavanaa II).

And in the current Amata Vagga, there are also only about two suttas
that have cognates. Akanuma gives SA 608 as cognate for SN 47.41,
but this is extremely tenuous. SN 47.42/SA 609 Samudaya we have
discussed earlier; SN 47.46/SA 637 Patimokkha is the other listed
cognate. SN 47.43 Magga is really the same as SN 47.18 Brahma. This
has cognates at SA 607, SA2 102, SA3 4; but these are all in the
Sagathavagga. As the text does feature a verse this is appropriate.
Akanuma also gives SA 1189 as cognate, but again this is wrong; this
sutta is a straight 'ekayana magga' sutta, whose cognate is SN47.1.

Having tried to straighten out a little bit what the satipatthana
samyutta does and does not contain, i might briefly return to
Dmitri's original question. The passage on realizing feelings,
perceptions, and thoughts as they arise, remain, and end, is not
found in SA, as far as i know. It is found, however, elsewhere
occasionally in both the Pali and Chinese. It occurs as one of
4 'samadhibhavanas', where it is said to lead to satisampajanna.
This list is found in the Anguttara, Digha, and various Abhidhammas
(i don't have the references to hand). Perhaps the connection with
satisampajanna inspired the Pali redactors to include it in the
Satipatthana Samyutta.

It is interesting that some of the latter vaggas are composed almost
entirely of suttas that could have been generated artificially. For
a description of this process, see the intro to Bhikkhu Bodhi's
Connected Discourses. Of course, this does not mean that they were
generated artificially; but it does invite inspection. There is a
strong correlation, as we have seen, between those suttas that seem
possibly artificial, and those that are not found in common with SA.
This rather tends to support the thesis. Many of these suttas are
also omitted from Buddhaghosa's commentary. In fact, they are
often 'virtual suttas', little more than a wisp of text to justify a
catalogue number.

Such considerations, of course, have nothing to do with the content
of the collection. By their very nature, artificial suttas do not
say anything that has not been said before. But they are distinctly
relevant when one comes to consider the structure of the collection,
and start to investgate what was the rationale that lay behind the
organization of the scriptures in the form we find them in today.

in Dhamma

Bhante Sujato