Kulūpakasutta — Andhakavindavagga — the twelfth chapter of the Fives
Setting
None stated; the discourse continues from AN 5.1, whose setting at Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove is understood to hold
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
two paired five-item lists, matching this nipāta's recurring unlikable/beloved skeleton
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, practical, about everyday boundaries
Why this discourse
A new chapter opens with a familiar structure, applied to a specific role: the mendicant who regularly visits lay families for alms (kulūpaka). Five behaviors are named, each a different way of overstepping a relationship not actually earned.
Reading guide
A specific, recurring role
Kulūpaka names a mendicant who regularly visits particular families for alms — a relationship of ongoing familiarity that this discourse treats as carrying its own specific temptations to overstep.
Five kinds of presumption
Acting familiar with people barely known; giving away things not actually one's own to give; over-associating specifically with existing close friends (favoritism); whispering privately, creating an appearance of secrecy; and asking for too much.
A shared thread
Read together, the five describe different ways a visiting mendicant can assume an intimacy, an ownership, or an entitlement he hasn't actually established with a lay family — presumption in five different shapes.
The mirrored positive
As throughout this nipāta's paired discourses, the beloved kulūpaka is described purely by the negation of the same five behaviors.
What comes next
AN 5.112 turns to a related but distinct concern: what makes a good or bad ‘second monk’, a companion on almsround.
Key terms
kulūpaka — “one who visits families” for alms — this discourse's subject.
asanthavavissāsī — acting familiar or close with those one hardly knows.
anissaravikappī — giving away things one doesn't own.
upakaṇṇakajappī — whispering in the ear.
atiyācanako — asking for too much.
The text
The discourse in full: five ways of overstepping with a lay family, then their absence. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Unlikable
§1“Mendicants, a mendicant with five qualities who visits families is unlikable and disagreeable, not respected or admired. What five? They act as though they’re close to people they hardly know. They give away things they don’t own. They over-associate with close friends. They whisper in the ear. And they ask for too much. A mendicant with these five qualities who visits families is unlikable and disagreeable, not respected or admired.
Dear and beloved
§2A mendicant with five qualities who visits families is dear and beloved, respected and admired. What five? They don’t act as though they’re close to people they hardly know. They don’t give away things they don’t own. They don’t over-associate with close friends. They don’t whisper in the ear. And they don’t ask for too much. A mendicant with these five qualities who visits families is dear and beloved, respected and admired.”
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Self-check quiz
Ten questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 10
What does 'kulūpaka' mean?
Correct: B. This discourse's specific subject.
Question 2 of 10
Name one of the five unlikable behaviors.
Correct: A. One of five overstepping behaviors.
Question 3 of 10
What does 'anissaravikappī' mean?
Correct: A. Presuming ownership not actually held.
Question 4 of 10
What shared thread runs through all five behaviors?
Correct: B. Five different shapes of overstepping.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'upakaṇṇakajappī' mean?
Correct: A. Creating an appearance of secrecy.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'atiyācanako' mean?
Correct: A. Overreaching hospitality.
Question 7 of 10
How is the 'beloved' list constructed relative to the 'unlikable' list?
Correct: B. Matching this nipāta's recurring pattern.
Question 8 of 10
What chapter does this discourse open?
Correct: B. The twelfth chapter of the Fives.
Question 9 of 10
What structural pattern does this discourse follow, familiar from an earlier chapter?
Correct: B. The paired skeleton from Theravagga, chapter 9.
