Sādhusutta — Sādhuvagga — the eighteenth chapter of the Tens, the third chapter of the Fourth Fifty, echoing chapter 14's own eleven word-pairs
Setting
None stated in the source
Speakers
The Buddha alone, addressing the mendicants
Form
A brief announcement, then the ten courses of action defined as good and not good
Length
under 1 minute to read
Chapter's namesake
This discourse gives its own name to the new chapter, again Sādhuvagga, the same name already used at chapter 14 — the second chapter in this nipāta to carry this exact title
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — as simple as this project's vocabulary gets
Why this discourse
This discourse reopens an entire eleven-word-pair sequence already run once before at chapter 14, but swaps out the underlying content: not the ten-factor path (wrong/right view through wrong/right freedom), but the ten courses of action (killing, stealing, and the rest of the familiar ethical list).
Reading guide
The teaching in one sentence
What is not good is the ten courses of unskillful action — killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, backbiting, harsh speech, talking nonsense, covetousness, ill will, and wrong view; what is good is avoiding all ten and cultivating their opposites.
The same eleven word-pairs, a new base list
This chapter reuses, discourse for discourse, the exact eleven-theme sequence already run at chapter 14 (good/not-good, teaching of the noble ones, skillful/unskillful, and so on through result); the crucial difference, confirmed by checking bilara-data before writing, is the content underneath: chapter 14 applied these eleven names to the ten-factor path (the eightfold path extended by right knowledge and right freedom), while this chapter applies the identical eleven names to the ten courses of action — the familiar body/speech/mind ethical list already met constantly throughout this project.
Two different "tens," one shared naming scheme
It would be easy to assume this chapter simply repeats chapter 14, but the ten items themselves are entirely different lists: chapter 14's ten factors are about view, purpose, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, immersion, knowledge, and freedom (a cultivation path), while this chapter's ten courses of action are about killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying, backbiting, harsh speech, talking nonsense, covetousness, ill will, and wrong view (concrete ethical conduct) — the same evaluative vocabulary, reapplied to a different underlying content.
A slightly different Pali title, same English rendering
This chapter's discourses use marginally different Pali word-forms for a few of the eleven pairs than chapter 14 did (for instance āsava here versus sāsava there, or vajja here versus sāvajja there) even where the English translation renders both identically — a detail worth flagging discourse by discourse rather than assuming the underlying Pali is always word-for-word identical just because the theme repeats.
Key terms
sādhu — “good” — this discourse's own title, identical to chapter 14's own opening discourse, AN 10.134.
asādhu — “not good” — the simple negation, applied here to the ten courses of unskillful action.
dasa kammapathā — “the ten courses of action” — the content underlying this entire chapter, distinct from chapter 14's ten-factor path even though both chapters share the same eleven naming themes.
pāṇātipātā, adinnādānā, kāmesumicchācārā — “killing living creatures, stealing, sexual misconduct” — the three bodily courses of action opening this discourse's list.
musāvādā, pisuṇāya vācāya, pharusāya vācāya, samphappalāpā — “false speech, backbiting, harsh speech, talking nonsense” — the four verbal courses of action, followed by the three mental ones (covetousness, ill will, wrong view) to complete the standard ten.
The text
The discourse in full: the ten courses of action defined as good and not good. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Not good, and good
§1“Mendicants, I will teach you what is good and what is not good. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.” “Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this: “And what, mendicants, is not good? Killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct; speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical; covetousness, ill will, and wrong view. This is called what is not good. And what is good? Avoiding killing living creatures, stealing, and sexual misconduct; avoiding speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical; contentment, good will, and right view. This is called what is good.”
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Self-check quiz
6 questions. Click an answer to see immediate feedback. No score is recorded — this is for your own checking.
Question 1 of 6
What pairing does this discourse apply to the ten courses of action?
Correct: A. The same opening pairing already used at chapter 14's AN 10.134, this time for a different underlying content.
Question 2 of 6
According to the guide, what is the crucial difference between this chapter and chapter 14?
Correct: B. Two different "tens" sharing one naming scheme, confirmed by checking bilara-data before writing.
Question 3 of 6
What are the ten courses of action, according to the guide?
Correct: B. The familiar body/speech/mind ethical list, distinct from chapter 14's ten-factor path.
Question 4 of 6
According to the guide, what subtle Pali difference should be checked discourse by discourse in this chapter?
Correct: B. A detail worth flagging rather than assuming exact word-for-word repetition.
Question 5 of 6
Where is this discourse set?
Correct: D. No location is given for this discourse.
Question 6 of 6
What chapter of AN10 does this discourse open?
Correct: B. The same chapter name reused, this time for a different underlying "ten."
