Dutiyaduccaritasutta — 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, a genuinely distinct variant
Why this discourse
Unlike AN 5.242–244's mere compressions, this discourse is a genuine content variant: it opens this chapter's second full pass by keeping AN 5.241's first three items but replacing its closing death-and-rebirth consequence with something entirely different — drifting away from the true teaching itself.
Reading guide
Three items unchanged, from AN 5.241
Self-blame, criticism from sensible people after examination, and a bad reputation — the same opening three consequences of bad conduct already given in this chapter's opening discourse.
A genuinely different closing pair
In place of a confused death and rebirth in hell, this discourse names something doctrinal rather than cosmological: drifting away from the true teaching, and settling instead on untrue teachings — bad conduct's consequence framed as intellectual and spiritual drift, not only future rebirth.
Five matching benefits, with the same doctrinal ending
The positive mirror follows suit: no self-blame, praise, good reputation, and then drifting away from untrue teachings to settle instead on the true teaching.
Two consequences for the same conduct
Read alongside AN 5.241, this discourse suggests bad conduct carries at least two distinct kinds of cost: an eventual cosmic consequence (hell or heaven), and a more immediate intellectual one — a corrupted or purified relationship to the teaching itself, in this very life.
Opening a second full pass
AN 5.246–248 will now apply this new doctrinal-drift ending to the three specific conduct-channels in turn, exactly as AN 5.242–244 applied AN 5.241's original ending.
Key terms
saddhammā vuṭṭhāti, asaddhamme patiṭṭhāti — “drifts away from the true teaching, settles on untrue teachings” — the genuinely new closing pair this discourse introduces.
asaddhammā vuṭṭhāti, saddhamme patiṭṭhāti — “drifts away from untrue teachings, settles on the true teaching” — the mirrored positive consequence.
attāpi attānaṁ upavadati — “you blame yourself” — the first item, unchanged from AN 5.241.
saddhamma, asaddhamma — “the true teaching” and “untrue teaching” — this discourse's central doctrinal stakes.
duccarita, sucarita — “bad conduct” and “good conduct” — unchanged title concepts, this chapter's shared subject.
The text
The discourse in full: bad conduct's consequences, closing this time on drifting away from the teaching. 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 drift away from true teachings. You settle on untrue teachings. 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 drift away from untrue teachings. You settle on true teachings. 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 three items does this discourse share unchanged with AN 5.241?
Correct: A. The same opening three consequences of bad conduct.
Question 2 of 10
What does this discourse replace AN 5.241's death-and-rebirth ending with?
Correct: A. A doctrinal, intellectual consequence rather than a cosmological one.
Question 3 of 10
What does this discourse suggest about bad conduct's consequences, read alongside AN 5.241?
Correct: A. Corrupted or purified relationship to the teaching, in this very life.
Question 4 of 10
What does 'saddhammā vuṭṭhāti' mean?
Correct: A. Part of this discourse's newly introduced closing pair.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'asaddhamme patiṭṭhāti' mean?
Correct: A. The negative closing item, paired with drifting away from truth.
Question 6 of 10
What discourses follow, applying this new ending to specific conduct-channels?
Correct: A. Mirroring how AN 5.242-244 applied AN 5.241's original ending.
Question 7 of 10
What is this discourse's positive closing pair?
Correct: A. The mirror of the negative closing pair.
Question 8 of 10
What does 'saddhamma' mean?
Correct: A. This discourse's central doctrinal stake.
Question 9 of 10
What position does this discourse hold within this chapter's overall structure?
Correct: A. A genuine variant, not a repeat.
Question 10 of 10
What chapter does this discourse belong to?
Correct: A. 'Bad Conduct', this session's twenty-fifth chapter.
