Visāradasutta — Upāsakavagga — the eighteenth 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, identical to AN 5.171
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, a direct restatement
Why this discourse
The exact same five-precept structure as AN 5.171, restated with one addition: the lay follower in question is explicitly described as ‘living at home’ (agāraṁ ajjhāvasati) — grounding the previous discourse's abstract timidity/assurance in ordinary household life.
Reading guide
An identical structure, one phrase added
The same five precepts, the same negative and positive framing as AN 5.171 — but now every clause specifies the lay follower as ‘living at home’, making explicit what was only implicit before: this is about household life specifically, not some other kind of lay practice.
An abbreviated middle
The source text itself marks the middle three precepts (stealing, sexual misconduct, lying) with an ellipsis (‘…pe…’), spelling out only the first and last in full — a signal that the compilers treated this as a close restatement of AN 5.171, not an independently composed discourse.
Not self-assured, versus self-assured at home
The negative framing shifts slightly from AN 5.171's ‘overcome by timidity’ to the more directly stated ‘not self-assured’ (avisārado) — a small wording change around an unchanged underlying concern.
Why repeat the same content twice
Read alongside AN 5.171 and the discourse that follows, this repetition isn't redundancy for its own sake: three near-identical statements of the same five-precept foundation, each with a different outcome-framing (timidity/assurance, then non-assurance/assurance-at-home, then hell/heaven at AN 5.173), together give this chapter's opening a cumulative, almost liturgical weight.
What follows
AN 5.173 completes this opening triad with its starkest framing yet: not timidity or assurance, but rebirth itself, in hell or heaven.
Key terms
agāraṁ ajjhāvasati — “living at home” — the phrase this discourse adds, specifying household life explicitly.
avisārado — “not self-assured” — this discourse's negative framing, a variant of AN 5.171's ‘overcome by timidity’.
pe — the standard abbreviation marker, here compressing the middle three precepts into an ellipsis.
pañcasīla — “the five precepts” — unchanged from AN 5.171, the shared content of this opening triad.
upāsako — “lay follower” — the subject of every discourse in this chapter.
The text
The discourse in full: the same five precepts, now framed for household life explicitly. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Not self-assured, living at home
§1“A lay follower living at home with five qualities is not self-assured. What five? They kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, and consume beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants. A lay follower living at home with these five qualities is not self-assured.
Self-assured, living at home
§2A lay follower living at home with these 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 living at home with these five qualities is self-assured.”
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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 structure does this discourse share with AN 5.171?
Correct: A. A close restatement of the previous discourse.
Question 2 of 10
What phrase does this discourse add that AN 5.171 didn't state explicitly?
Correct: A. Grounding the discourse in household life specifically.
Question 3 of 10
How does the source text mark the middle three precepts?
Correct: A. A signal treating this as a close restatement of AN 5.171.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'avisārado' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's negative framing, a variant of AN 5.171's phrasing.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'agāraṁ ajjhāvasati' mean?
Correct: A. The phrase this discourse adds to AN 5.171's structure.
Question 6 of 10
What outcome-framing does AN 5.173 add to complete this opening triad?
Correct: A. The starkest of the three framings in this opening sequence.
Question 7 of 10
Why might this chapter open with three near-identical restatements?
Correct: A. Three framings of the same content, in sequence.
Question 8 of 10
What are the five precepts named across this opening triad?
Correct: A. The standard lay ethical foundation, unchanged across all three discourses.
Question 9 of 10
Who speaks this discourse?
Correct: A. Continuing the standard Buddha-voiced pattern.
Question 10 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. 'A Lay Follower', this session's eighteenth chapter.
