Paṭhamavacīduccaritasutta — 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
a single abbreviated line, matching AN 5.242's compression
Length
under 1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — extremely short, compressed by the source itself
Why this discourse
The second of this chapter's conduct-channels, treated with the same extreme compression as AN 5.242: verbal conduct, reduced to a single line, presupposing AN 5.241's full five-item pattern without restating it.
Reading guide
Speech, the second channel of conduct
Vacīduccarita names conduct expressed specifically through speech — the second of the three classical channels this chapter addresses, following bodily conduct at AN 5.242.
The same single-line treatment
As with AN 5.242, this discourse's entire content is a single abbreviated line: ‘drawbacks in bad verbal conduct…benefits in good verbal conduct…’, with the specific five-item content left entirely unstated.
A connection to this collection's fuller speech-ethics teachings
Cross-ref AN 5.198's and AN 5.214's earlier, much fuller treatments of speech — the five factors of well-spoken words, and the drawbacks of talking too much. This discourse's compression relies on those earlier, richer discussions having already established the general concern with speech's ethical weight.
Why speech gets this same brief treatment
Speech might seem to deserve more detailed treatment than bodily conduct, given how much of this collection concerns careful, examined speech — yet this discourse treats it with identical brevity, suggesting the compilers saw no need to elaborate what the collection had already established elsewhere.
What follows
AN 5.244 completes this first trio of specific conduct-channels, and finally breaks the compression pattern by spelling out its positive half in full.
Key terms
vacīduccarita, vacīsucarita — “bad verbal conduct” and “good verbal conduct” — this discourse's title concepts.
pe — the standard abbreviation marker, compressing this discourse's entire content to a single line.
musā, pisuṇaṁ, pharusaṁ, samphappalāpaṁ — false, backbiting, harsh, and nonsensical speech — the classical fourfold content this discourse's compressed content presumably concerns, already spelled out at AN 5.214.
vacī — “speech, verbal” — the second of the three classical conduct-channels.
subhāsitā — “well spoken” — the standard this discourse's presupposed positive half concerns, already treated in full at AN 5.198.
The text
The discourse as it survives in the source: a single abbreviated line. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Bad and good verbal conduct
§1“Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks in bad verbal conduct … benefits in good verbal conduct …”
· · ·
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 does 'vacīduccarita' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's title concept, the second conduct-channel.
Question 2 of 10
How much of this discourse survives in the source text?
Correct: A. The same extreme compression as the previous discourse.
Question 3 of 10
What earlier discourses in this collection give speech ethics fuller treatment?
Correct: A. This discourse's brevity relies on those established discussions.
Question 4 of 10
What does this discourse's compression suggest, despite speech's importance elsewhere in this collection?
Correct: A. Identical brevity to bodily conduct, despite speech's prominence elsewhere.
Question 5 of 10
What is 'vacī' the term for?
Correct: A. The second of the three classical conduct-channels.
Question 6 of 10
What classical fourfold content does this discourse's compression presumably concern?
Correct: A. Already spelled out in full at AN 5.214.
Question 7 of 10
What discourse follows, finally breaking this compression pattern?
Correct: A. The third channel, mental conduct, given fuller treatment.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'subhāsitā' mean?
Correct: A. The standard this discourse's presupposed positive half concerns.
Question 9 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. 'Bad Conduct', this session's twenty-fifth chapter.
Question 10 of 10
What does this discourse's single line presuppose?
Correct: A. Trusting the reader to supply the earlier pattern.
