Dutiyakulūpakasutta — 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
a four-step causal chain, then a threefold branching outcome
Length
~1.5 minutes to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★★☆☆☆ — a compact but genuinely serious psychological chain
Why this discourse
Where AN 5.225 named specific disciplinary offenses, this discourse maps the underlying psychological process those rules exist to interrupt: a compact, four-step chain from ordinary seeing to being genuinely swamped by lust, with three possible endings once that point is reached.
Reading guide
A causal chain, not a flat list
Unlike this chapter's usual five-item enumerations, this discourse is structured as a genuine sequence: frequent seeing leads to closeness; closeness, once established, leads to intimacy; intimacy, once established, leads to being overcome by lust — each stage explicitly building on the one before it.
The precise phrase: 'seeing them, you become close'
The chain's mechanism is stated almost clinically: dassane sati saṁsaggo, ‘given seeing, there is closeness’ — not condemning ordinary contact itself, but naming the specific progression by which repeated, unguarded contact tends to develop on its own.
Three possible outcomes, once the mind is swamped
Once lust has genuinely overcome the mind, the discourse names three things that can be expected: leading the spiritual life dissatisfied; committing one of the corrupt offenses (saṅkiliṭṭha āpatti, the same term from AN 5.211); or abandoning the training entirely and returning to lay life.
Prevention through interrupting the chain early
Read alongside AN 5.225's specific procedural rules, this discourse's real teaching is that those rules function as early interruptions of a process that, left unchecked, tends to escalate on its own — the value of the rules lies in where in the chain they intervene.
An honest acknowledgment, not a claim about certainty
The discourse's language throughout is one of expectation (pāṭikaṅkha, ‘can be expected’), not inevitability — describing a strong tendency this specific psychological chain produces, not an unavoidable outcome.
Key terms
abhiṇhadassana — “frequent seeing” — the chain's opening condition.
saṁsagga, vissāsa — “closeness, intimacy” — the second and third stages of the chain, each building on the one before.
otāra — “being overcome, swamped” — the chain's final stage, when lust genuinely takes hold of the mind.
saṅkiliṭṭha āpatti — “a corrupt offense” — one of three possible outcomes, the same term already seen at AN 5.211.
sikkhaṁ paccakkhāya hīnāyāvattati — “resigns the training and returns to a lesser life” — the most severe of the three possible outcomes named.
The text
The discourse in full: the causal chain from seeing to being swamped by lust, and what follows. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
From seeing to being overcome
§1“Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks for a mendicant who visits families for too long, mixing closely with them. What five? You often see members of the opposite sex. Seeing them, you become close. Being so close, you become intimate. Being intimate, lust overcomes you. When your mind is swamped by lust, you can expect that you will lead the spiritual life dissatisfied, or commit one of the corrupt offenses, or resign the training and return to a lesser life. These are the five drawbacks for a mendicant who visits families for too long, mixing closely with them.”
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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
How does this discourse's structure differ from most others in this chapter?
Correct: A. Seeing leads to closeness, closeness to intimacy, intimacy to being overcome.
Question 2 of 10
What does 'dassane sati saṁsaggo' mean?
Correct: A. The chain's mechanism, stated almost clinically.
Question 3 of 10
What three outcomes does this discourse name once lust has overcome the mind?
Correct: A. Three possible endings once the chain reaches its final stage.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'saṅkiliṭṭha āpatti' mean, and where else does it appear in this nipāta?
Correct: A. One of three possible outcomes named here.
Question 5 of 10
What does this discourse's real teaching suggest about AN 5.225's specific rules?
Correct: A. The value of the rules lies in where in the chain they intervene.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'pāṭikaṅkha' suggest about how this discourse frames its conclusions?
Correct: A. Describing a tendency, not a certainty.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'otāra' mean?
Correct: A. The chain's final stage, when lust genuinely takes hold.
Question 8 of 10
What is the most severe of the three outcomes this discourse names?
Correct: A. The full abandonment of monastic training.
Question 9 of 10
What does this discourse NOT condemn, according to the guide?
Correct: A. The concern is the specific unguarded progression, not contact as such.
Question 10 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. 'Long Wandering', this session's twenty-third chapter.
