Sārajjasutta — Upāsakavagga — the eighteenth chapter of the Fives
Setting
Sāvatthī, in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery; stated at the head of AN 5.1 and understood to hold across the chapter
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
two paired five-item lists, opening a new chapter
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, opening a new chapter
Why this discourse
This chapter turns from monastic conduct to lay practice, and opens by reusing a familiar frame — timidity versus self-assurance, already applied to a trainee at AN 5.101 and to a mendicant generally at AN 5.158 — now applied to a lay follower, with the five precepts themselves as the measure.
Reading guide
A new chapter, a new setting
The Upāsakavagga (“A Lay Follower”) opens with a full narrative reintroduction at Sāvatthī, Jeta's Grove — signaling a genuine change of setting and subject from the previous chapter's monastic concerns.
A third Sārajja discourse
This is the third discourse in this nipāta framed through timidity (sārajja) versus self-assurance (visārada), after AN 5.101 (addressed to a trainee, via an elaborate contrast-formula) and AN 5.158 (addressed to a mendicant generally, via a bare pentad). Each uses a different content-list for a different audience; this one addresses lay followers specifically.
The five precepts as the measure
Unlike the previous two Sārajja discourses' abstract virtues (faith, ethics, learning, energy, wisdom), this one names the five precepts (pañcasīla) directly: killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants — the standard lay ethical foundation, now doing double duty as the measure of a lay follower's basic self-possession.
Timidity as a lay concern too
That the same sārajja/visārada framing applies equally to a trainee, a mendicant, and now an ordinary lay follower suggests the underlying concern — whether one's own conduct gives one grounds for confidence or unease — isn't specific to monastic life at all.
What follows
AN 5.172 and AN 5.173 restate this exact same five-precept structure twice more, each time with a different outcome-framing — opening this chapter with a deliberate triple statement of its foundational content.
Key terms
upāsaka — “lay follower” — this chapter's title concept, the audience for all ten of its discourses.
sārajjaṁ okkanto — “overcome by timidity” — the same phrase used at AN 5.158 for a mendicant, here applied to a lay follower.
visārado — “self-assured” — the positive counterpart.
pāṇātipātī, adinnādāyī, kāmesumicchācārī, musāvādī, surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhāyī — one who kills, steals, commits sexual misconduct, lies, and consumes intoxicants — the five precepts, stated in their broken form.
pañcasīla — “the five precepts” — the standard lay ethical foundation, this discourse's measure of timidity or self-assurance.
The text
The discourse in full: the five precepts broken, and the five precepts kept. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Overcome by timidity
§1“A lay follower with five qualities is overcome by timidity. What five? They kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, and consume beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants. A lay follower with these five qualities is overcome by timidity.
Self-assured
§2A lay follower with five qualities is self-assured. What five? They don’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or consume beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants. A lay follower with these five qualities is self-assured.”
· · ·
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 chapter does this discourse open?
Correct: A. This session's eighteenth chapter.
Question 2 of 10
What earlier discourses does this one share its 'Sārajja' framing with?
Correct: A. The third discourse in this nipāta using this timidity/self-assurance frame.
Question 3 of 10
What content-list does this discourse use as its measure, unlike the two earlier Sārajja discourses?
Correct: A. Killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'sārajjaṁ okkanto' mean?
Correct: A. The same phrase used at AN 5.158 for a mendicant.
Question 5 of 10
What does the positive list in this discourse consist of?
Correct: A. The clean negation of the broken-precepts list.
Question 6 of 10
What does this discourse's use of the sārajja/visārada frame suggest?
Correct: A. The same framing now applied to an ordinary lay follower.
Question 7 of 10
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: A. A full narrative reintroduction, marking a genuine change of setting.
Question 8 of 10
What do AN 5.172 and AN 5.173 do with this discourse's content?
Correct: A. A deliberate triple statement opening this chapter.
Question 9 of 10
What is 'pañcasīla'?
Correct: A. This discourse's measure of timidity or self-assurance.
Question 10 of 10
How many of the five precepts concern intoxicants?
Correct: A. The fifth item in the standard five-precept list.
