The Buddha alone, addressing the assembled mendicants
Form
The convergence formula applied to the five precepts, broken and kept
Length
~2 minutes to read
Northern parallel
A rough counterpart may exist in the Chinese Saṃyukta-āgama (T99), though this reading guide does not assert a specific matching sutra number
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — the most universally familiar content in this vagga, needing little background
Why this discourse
After two transitional discourses working with general character qualities, this discourse turns decisively to named, specific conduct: the five precepts every lay Buddhist takes on formally, and every mendicant is bound by as a floor beneath stricter monastic training — not killing living creatures, not stealing, not committing sexual misconduct, not lying, and not consuming intoxicants that cause carelessness. The convergence formula now sorts beings not by inner disposition but by actual behavior: those who break each precept converge with others who break it, and those who keep each precept converge with others who keep it.
Reading guide
From character to conduct, fully arrived
Where SN 14.23–24 still spoke in terms of faithlessness and lack of ethics generally, this discourse names five specific, concrete actions with no ambiguity about what counts as breaking or keeping each one.
The five precepts in their standard order
Killing living creatures, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and consuming intoxicants that lead to carelessness — the same five, in the same order, given in lay ethical instruction throughout the tradition.
A structural shift: two groups, not five plus five
Unlike the faithless-to-witless chains, this discourse doesn't link the five precepts into one sequence; each precept-breaker converges only with other breakers of that same precept, not with breakers of the other four — five separate, parallel convergences rather than one connected chain.
Refraining named directly, not just as an absence
The positive half doesn't simply say the opposite of killing; it uses paṭivirata, actively refraining — a deliberate abstention, not merely the passive absence of an action.
A foundation for the next two discourses
This five-item list becomes the base the next two discourses build outward from — SN 14.26 adds two more verbal misconducts to reach seven, and SN 14.27 adds three mental ones to reach the classic ten.
Key terms
pañca sikkhāpadāni — “the five precepts,” literally “five training rules” — this discourse's title subject, the foundational ethical undertaking for lay Buddhists.
pāṇātipāta — “killing living creatures” — the first precept, opening both the negative and positive halves of this discourse's list.
kāmesumicchācāra — “sexual misconduct” — the third precept, among the five most directly concerned with specific relational conduct.
surāmerayamajjappamādaṭṭhāna — “consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants that are a basis for carelessness” — the fifth precept, notably the only one framed around a substance rather than a direct action toward another being.
paṭivirata — “refraining,” actively abstaining — the term marking each positive counterpart as a deliberate choice, not merely an absence of wrongdoing.
The text
The discourse in full. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, sentient beings join together and converge because of an element: those who kill living creatures with those who kill living creatures, those who steal … commit sexual misconduct … lie … consume beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants …
§2Those who refrain from killing living creatures … who refrain from stealing … who refrain from sexual misconduct … who refrain from lying … those who refrain from consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants with those who refrain from consuming beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants.”
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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 five items does this discourse's convergence formula apply to?
Correct: A. The standard lay ethical undertaking, in its usual order.
Question 2 of 10
How does this discourse's structure differ from the faithless-to-witless chains?
Correct: A. Five parallel, independent convergences rather than a single sequential chain.
Question 3 of 10
What term marks the positive counterpart to each precept, and what does it emphasize?
Correct: A. A deliberate choice, not merely the passive absence of wrongdoing.
Question 4 of 10
Which precept is framed around a substance rather than a direct action toward another being?
Correct: A. Distinct in kind from the other four, which concern direct harm or dishonesty toward others.
Question 5 of 10
What role does this discourse's five-item list play for the two discourses following it?
Correct: A. SN 14.26 adds two verbal items to reach seven; SN 14.27 adds three more to reach ten.
Question 6 of 10
What is the first precept named in this discourse's list?
Correct: A. Pāṇātipāta, opening both halves of the list.
Question 7 of 10
How does this discourse's content compare to earlier discourses in familiarity to most readers?
Correct: A. The five precepts are foundational lay ethical instruction across the tradition.
Question 8 of 10
Who is the sole speaker in this discourse?
Correct: A. No interlocutor or visitor appears; the Buddha teaches directly.
Question 9 of 10
Where does the Buddha deliver this teaching?
Correct: A. The setting shared with most discourses in this collection.
Question 10 of 10
What numbering tag closes this discourse?
Correct: A. The third discourse of Kammapathavagga.
