Parikuppasutta — Gilānavagga — the thirteenth 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
a single bare list, using the strongest language found anywhere in this nipāta
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — brief, but among the most serious material in the entire collection
Why this discourse
This discourse lists what tradition widely calls the five ‘acts of immediate consequence’ (ānantarika-kamma) — though that term itself doesn't appear here — described in language stronger than almost anywhere else in this collection: irrevocable, incurable, leading directly to hell.
Reading guide
A traditional category, though not named as such here
The five items this discourse lists are exactly what later tradition calls the five acts of immediate karmic consequence, among the most serious categories in the entire early Buddhist textual tradition — even though this specific technical term doesn't appear in the discourse's own text.
What the five are, stated plainly
Killing one's mother, killing one's father, killing an arahant (a fully awakened one), maliciously drawing a Buddha's blood, and causing a schism in the monastic Saṅgha.
'Fatal wounds', and 'incurable'
The discourse's own vivid language: parikuppā (agitating, irrevocably disturbing) and atekicchā (incurable, beyond remedy) — stronger language than almost anywhere else in this collection, marking these five as categorically different from ordinary unwholesome actions.
Why these five specifically
Four concern violence against those owed the deepest debt or reverence — parents, an arahant, a Buddha. The fifth, causing schism, concerns damage to the institution that transmits the teaching itself — together spanning personal, spiritual, and institutional betrayal at the most extreme level.
Read plainly
This reading guide states the list as the text gives it, without further speculation about historical cases or theological implications beyond what is stated.
What comes next
AN 5.130 closes the chapter with a related but broader list: five kinds of loss, only two of which actually determine one's postmortem destination.
Key terms
āpāyikā nerayikā — “leading to a place of loss, to hell” — the verdict on all five acts.
parikuppā — “agitating, irrevocable” — describing the severity of these five acts.
atekicchā — “incurable, beyond remedy”.
saṅghabheda — schism in the Saṅgha, the fifth item, an institutional rather than personal offense.
arahaṁ — an arahant, a fully awakened one — killing one is the third of the five acts.
The text
The discourse in full: five acts described as fatal wounds, leading irrevocably to hell. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Five fatal wounds
§1“Mendicants, these five fatal wounds lead to a place of loss, to hell. What five? Murdering your mother or father or a perfected one; maliciously shedding the blood of a Realized One; and causing a schism in the Saṅgha. These five fatal wounds lead to a place of loss, to hell.”
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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 traditional category do the five items in this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. Among the most serious categories in the early Buddhist tradition.
Question 2 of 10
Does this discourse's text itself use the term 'ānantarika-kamma'?
Correct: B. A traditional label applied later, not used in the discourse itself.
Question 3 of 10
What are the five acts named?
Correct: A. The five 'fatal wounds' this discourse lists.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'parikuppā' mean?
Correct: A. The discourse's own strong descriptive language.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'atekicchā' mean?
Correct: A. Marking these five as categorically different from ordinary misconduct.
Question 6 of 10
What is the fifth item, distinct from the other four in kind?
Correct: A. Damage to the institution transmitting the teaching, not personal violence.
Question 7 of 10
What four of the five acts have in common?
Correct: A. Parents, an arahant, and a Buddha.
Question 8 of 10
What does this reading guide do regarding speculation about historical cases?
Correct: B. A deliberately restrained, text-grounded approach.
Question 9 of 10
What verdict does the discourse give for all five acts?
Correct: B. Āpāyikā nerayikā — among the strongest verdicts in this collection.
Question 10 of 10
What does AN 5.130 turn to next?
Correct: B. A related but broader closing discourse.
