Paṭhamakulūpakasutta — Dīghacārikavagga — the twenty-third 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
single five-item list, no positive mirror
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, grounded directly in specific monastic rules
Why this discourse
A discourse grounded directly in the disciplinary code: five specific offenses a mendicant genuinely risks committing when visiting lay households, four of them named with the precision of actual Vinaya rules rather than general moral exhortation.
Reading guide
Four offenses with real procedural specificity
Wandering without leave; sitting privately with someone of the opposite sex; sitting in a hidden place with someone of the opposite sex; and teaching more than five or six sentences to someone of the opposite sex — each named with the kind of procedural precision found in the monastic code itself, not general moral language.
A striking, specific numerical limit
The third rule's specificity is worth pausing on: not a vague caution against ‘too much’ teaching, but a concrete limit of five or six sentences — a genuinely precise boundary, reflecting how carefully this area of conduct was regulated.
A fifth item, more general
The list closes with something less procedural: simply having a lot of sensual thoughts — naming the underlying psychological risk that the four specific rules exist to guard against.
No positive mirror given
Unlike most of this chapter's paired lists, this discourse offers no counterpart benefits — only the bare enumeration of risks, without further elaboration or reassurance.
A companion discourse follows
AN 5.226, immediately following, moves from these specific procedural risks to a different kind of teaching entirely: a step-by-step causal chain showing how repeated, close contact leads toward exactly the outcome these rules are meant to prevent.
Key terms
kulūpaka — “one who visits families” — this discourse's title concept and central subject.
anāmantacāra — “wandering without leave” — the first named offense, a specific procedural violation.
raho nisajjā, paṭicchanne āsane — “sitting privately, sitting in a hidden place” — with someone of the opposite sex, the second and third named offenses.
uttari chappañcavācāhi dhammaṁ desento — “teaching more than five or six sentences” — a concrete, specific numerical limit.
kāmasaṅkappabahulo — “having a lot of sensual thoughts” — the fifth, more general drawback closing the list.
The text
The discourse in full: five specific drawbacks a mendicant risks when visiting families. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Five drawbacks of visiting families
§1“Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks of visiting families. What five? You fall into an offense for wandering without leave. You fall into an offense for sitting in a private place with someone of the opposite sex. You fall into an offense for sitting in a hidden place with someone of the opposite sex. You fall into an offense for teaching more than five or six sentences to someone of the opposite sex. You have a lot of sensual thoughts. These are the five drawbacks of visiting families.”
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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 kind of language does this discourse use for its first four items?
Correct: A. Grounded directly in the disciplinary code.
Question 2 of 10
What specific numerical limit does this discourse name?
Correct: A. A genuinely precise boundary, reflecting careful regulation.
Question 3 of 10
What does 'anāmantacāra' mean?
Correct: A. The first named offense, a procedural violation.
Question 4 of 10
What is the fifth and final item in this discourse's list?
Correct: A. The underlying psychological risk the specific rules guard against.
Question 5 of 10
How does this discourse differ structurally from most of this chapter's other discourses?
Correct: A. No counterpart benefits given, unlike most paired lists in this chapter.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'raho nisajjā' and 'paṭicchanne āsane' both concern?
Correct: A. The second and third named offenses.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'kāmasaṅkappabahulo' mean?
Correct: A. The fifth, more general drawback closing the list.
Question 8 of 10
What discourse follows, moving to a different kind of teaching?
Correct: A. Showing how repeated contact leads toward the outcome these rules prevent.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'kulūpaka' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's title concept.
Question 10 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. 'Long Wandering', this session's twenty-third chapter.
