Paṭhamaavaṇṇārahasutta — Āvāsikavagga — the twenty-fourth 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, hell then heaven
Length
~1.5 minutes to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the first of a three-part trio building toward this chapter's close
Why this discourse
This chapter's tone shifts sharply: from qualities that make a resident mendicant admirable or helpful to a stark warning about careless, unexamined judgment — praising the wrong people, criticizing the wrong people, and misdirecting others' faith — with hell as the stated consequence.
Reading guide
Careless judgment, examined item by item
Without examining or scrutinizing, praising those who deserve criticism; without examining, criticizing those who deserve praise; without examining, arousing faith in dubious things; without examining, failing to arouse faith in things genuinely inspiring; and wasting a gift given in faith.
The recurring failure: no examination at all
The Pali phrase ananuvicca apariyogāhetvā, ‘without examining or scrutinizing’, repeats across the first four items — the discourse's real target isn't wrong judgment as such, but judgment made carelessly, without the basic diligence of actually looking closely first.
Praise, criticism, and faith, all treated as public acts
Each of the four judgment-items concerns something said publicly — who gets praised, who gets criticized, what gets endorsed as trustworthy — recognizing that a resident mendicant's careless words genuinely shape how a lay community allocates its trust and support.
Five matching benefits, through actual examination
The positive mirror is simple: doing the same four assessments, but after genuine examination and scrutiny (anuvicca pariyogāhetvā) — not different conclusions necessarily, but conclusions actually earned through care.
Opening a three-part trio
AN 5.237 and AN 5.238, immediately following, share this discourse's opening two items but progressively add stinginess as an additional theme — a structure worth watching unfold across all three discourses.
Key terms
ananuvicca apariyogāhetvā — “without examining or scrutinizing” — the repeated diagnosis across this discourse's negative items.
anuvicca pariyogāhetvā — “after examining and scrutinizing” — the positive counterpart, the same assessments made with genuine care.
avaṇṇāraha, vaṇṇāraha — “deserving of criticism” and “deserving of praise” — this discourse's title concept.
appasādanīya, pasādanīya — “dubious, uninspiring” and “inspiring, trustworthy” — the objects of misplaced or well-placed faith.
yathābhataṁ nikkhitto — “placed as if delivered” — the same phrase for automatic, unavoidable consequence already seen at AN 5.173.
The text
The discourse in full: five qualities placing a resident mendicant in hell, and five placing them in heaven. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Five qualities placed in hell
§1“Mendicants, a resident mendicant with five qualities is placed in hell as if delivered there. What five? Without examining or scrutinizing, they praise those deserving of criticism, and they criticize those deserving of praise. Without examining or scrutinizing, they arouse faith in things that are dubious, and they don’t arouse faith in things that are inspiring. And they waste a gift given in faith. A resident mendicant with these five qualities is placed in hell as if delivered there.
Five qualities placed in heaven
§2A resident mendicant with five qualities is placed in heaven as if delivered there. What five? After examining and scrutinizing, they criticize those deserving of criticism, and they praise those deserving of praise. They don’t arouse faith in things that are dubious, and they do arouse faith in things that are inspiring. And they don’t waste a gift given in faith. A resident mendicant with these five qualities is placed in heaven as if delivered there.”
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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 phrase repeats across this discourse's four negative judgment-items?
Correct: A. The real target isn't wrong judgment, but careless judgment.
Question 2 of 10
What five qualities place a resident mendicant in hell, per this discourse?
Correct: A. A picture of unexamined public judgment.
Question 3 of 10
What do the four judgment-items have in common, according to this guide?
Correct: A. Careless words genuinely shape lay support and trust.
Question 4 of 10
What is the positive counterpart phrase for the discourse's negative diagnosis?
Correct: A. Not necessarily different conclusions, but conclusions actually earned.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'avaṇṇāraha' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's title concept.
Question 6 of 10
What discourses follow, sharing this one's opening two items?
Correct: A. A three-part trio, progressively building.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'appasādanīya' mean?
Correct: A. The object of misplaced faith in this discourse's negative list.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'yathābhataṁ nikkhitto' mean, and where else does it appear?
Correct: A. Automatic, unavoidable consequence.
Question 9 of 10
What is the fifth item, common to both the negative and positive lists?
Correct: A. Closing both the negative and positive lists.
Question 10 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. 'A Resident Mendicant', this session's twenty-fourth chapter.
