Ru-Yi Meditation Center
Aṅguttara Nikāya · Discourse 5.241

Bad Conduct (1st)

Paṭhamaduccaritasutta — Duccaritavagga — the twenty-fifth 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, drawbacks then benefits
Length
~1.5 minutes to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — short, opening a new chapter with a familiar formula

Why this discourse

This chapter opens with a discourse whose content this project has already encountered, word for word, at AN 5.217: the same five drawbacks of bad conduct, and five benefits of good conduct, now given under a new, more general title to open a chapter devoted entirely to conduct.

Reading guide

A new chapter on conduct in general

The Duccaritavagga (“Bad Conduct”) opens a chapter that will move from conduct in general to its three specific channels — bodily, verbal, and mental — before closing on two more distinctive discourses.

An identical formula to AN 5.217

Self-blame; criticism from sensible people after examination; a bad reputation; a confused death; and rebirth in hell — the exact five drawbacks already given at AN 5.217's ‘Unimpressive Conduct (1st)’, word for word, under this chapter's more general title.

Five matching benefits, also unchanged

The positive mirror is likewise identical: no self-blame, praise after examination, a good reputation, an unconfused death, and rebirth in heaven.

Why the same content, retitled

This isn't a copying error; it reflects how this collection treats a single well-established formula as applicable under more than one heading — here, ‘bad conduct’ in the most general sense, serving as this new chapter's foundational statement.

What follows

AN 5.242–244 immediately narrow this general formula down to conduct's three specific channels — body, speech, and mind — each treated as its own discourse.

Key terms

duccarita, sucarita — “bad conduct” and “good conduct” — this chapter's title concepts, in their most general form.
attāpi attānaṁ upavadati — “you blame yourself” — the first drawback, identical to AN 5.217's opening item.
anuvicca viññū garahanti / pasaṁsanti — “sensible people criticize / praise you, after examination” — the second item in each list.
sammūḷho kālaṁ karoti, asammūḷho kālaṁ karoti — “dies confused” and “dies without confusion” — the fourth item in each list.
kāyassa bhedā paraṁ maraṇā — “when the body breaks up, after death” — introducing the fifth and final item, rebirth.

The text

The discourse in full: five drawbacks of bad conduct, and five benefits of good conduct. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).

Five drawbacks of bad conduct

§1“Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks of bad conduct. What five? You blame yourself. After examination, sensible people criticize you. You get a bad reputation. You feel lost when you die. And when your body breaks up, after death, you’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These are the five drawbacks of bad conduct.

Five benefits of good conduct

§2There are these five benefits of good conduct. What five? You don’t blame yourself. After examination, sensible people praise you. You get a good reputation. You don’t feel lost when you die. When your body breaks up, after death, you’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. These are the five benefits of good conduct.”

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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 chapter does this discourse open?
Correct: A. This session's twenty-fifth chapter.
Question 2 of 10
Where else in this collection does this exact five-item formula already appear?
Correct: A. Identical content, restated under a new, more general title.
Question 3 of 10
What five drawbacks does this discourse name for bad conduct?
Correct: A. A progression from private conscience to public judgment to final consequence.
Question 4 of 10
Why might this collection reuse identical content under a new title?
Correct: A. Here, opening a chapter devoted entirely to conduct.
Question 5 of 10
What discourses follow, narrowing this general formula down?
Correct: A. The chapter's three specific channels of conduct.
Question 6 of 10
What does 'anuvicca viññū garahanti' mean?
Correct: A. The second drawback, considered judgment rather than casual reaction.
Question 7 of 10
What is the final drawback of bad conduct named in this discourse?
Correct: A. Closing the negative list.
Question 8 of 10
What structural pattern does this chapter follow overall?
Correct: A. Body, speech, and mind, treated systematically.
Question 9 of 10
What does 'sammūḷho kālaṁ karoti' mean?
Correct: A. The fourth drawback, before rebirth in hell.
Question 10 of 10
What is this discourse's structural form?
Correct: A. The same balanced structure as its earlier appearance at AN 5.217.
Answered 0 of 10 · Correct 0

Further reading

← PreviousAN 5.240 · Stinginess (2nd)