The five precepts, closing on the identical outcome term used at SN 37.25
Length
~1 minute 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
★☆☆☆☆ — a short discourse whose significance lies in comparison with SN 37.25
Why this discourse
This discourse's title term — visārada, “self-assured” — is identical to SN 37.25's own closing term, opening this vagga. But where SN 37.25 reached that outcome through the five worldly powers (attractiveness, wealth, relatives, children, ethical behavior), this discourse reaches the identical outcome through the five precepts alone: abstaining from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, and intoxicants. The same word, the same outcome, two entirely different paths — and this discourse's own path uses only ethical training, the one power SN 37.30–31 already singled out as decisive on its own.
Reading guide
The same outcome word, a different path entirely
"Visārado agāraṁ ajjhāvasati" — word for word the outcome closing SN 37.25 — but reached here through the five precepts, not the five worldly powers that opened this vagga.
Consistent with the vagga's own running argument
SN 37.30 and SN 37.31 already named ethical behavior alone as decisive for family acceptance and rebirth respectively; this discourse extends the same logic to self-assurance itself, showing the worldly powers were never strictly necessary for any of the three outcomes Balavagga has now named.
The five precepts, not the five ethical behaviors of the earlier vagga
This is the same fivefold precept list that closed Paṭhamapeyyālavagga (SN 37.14) and Dutiyapeyyālavagga (SN 37.24) — killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, intoxicants — now appearing a third time, in a third vagga, applied to a third outcome.
Key terms
pāṇātipātā paṭivirato... surāmerayamajjappamādaṭṭhānā paṭivirato — the five precepts in full, identical in wording to SN 37.14's and SN 37.24's own lists
visārado agāraṁ ajjhāvasati — “lives at home self-assured” — identical wording to SN 37.25's own closing clause, reached here by an entirely different route
bhikkhave — “mendicants” — the Buddha's own address term, opening this discourse and every other discourse in this vagga
mātugāmo — “a lady” — this saṃyutta's own recurring subject term, already glossed at SN 37.25
navamaṁ — “ninth” — this discourse's own untranslated closing ordinal
The text
The complete discourse. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
§1“Mendicants, a lady living at home with five qualities is self-assured. What five? She doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or consume beer, wine, and liquor intoxicants. A lady living at home with these five qualities is self-assured.”
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Self-check quiz
3 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 3
What outcome term does this discourse share word for word with SN 37.25?
Correct: A. Identical closing clause, reached through a completely different fivefold list.
Question 2 of 3
What fivefold list does this discourse use to reach that outcome?
Correct: A. The same precept list that closed both Paṭhamapeyyālavagga and Dutiyapeyyālavagga, now appearing a third time.
Question 3 of 3
How does this discourse relate to SN 37.30 and SN 37.31's own claims?
Correct: A. A third outcome shown reachable without the vagga's own worldly-powers pentad.
