Dutiyamanoduccaritasutta — 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 compressed negative half, then the positive half spelled out in full
Length
~1 minute to read
Northern parallel
not identified in this collection
Difficulty
★☆☆☆☆ — a partial break from this pass's compression, mirroring AN 5.244
Why this discourse
Completing this chapter's second pass through conduct's three channels, this discourse mirrors AN 5.244's role exactly: the negative half stays compressed, but mental conduct's positive half — this time built around drifting toward the true teaching — is spelled out in full.
Reading guide
Mind, the third channel, a second time
As with the first pass, mental conduct closes this chapter's second pass through the three conduct-channels, receiving fuller treatment than its two companions in the same round.
The negative half still compressed
As in every other discourse in this chapter's second pass, the negative half remains a single abbreviated line, presupposing bad mental conduct's connection to drifting away from the true teaching and settling on untrue ones.
The positive half, spelled out in full
No self-blame; praise from sensible people after examination; a good reputation; drifting away from untrue teachings; and settling firmly on the true teaching — AN 5.245's exact positive formula, now applied specifically to mental conduct and stated word for word.
A closing anchor for the second pass, as AN 5.244 was for the first
Just as AN 5.244 gave one full example before this chapter moved to a new variant, this discourse gives one full example of the second variant before the chapter turns to its final two, genuinely distinctive discourses.
What follows
AN 5.249 and AN 5.250 close this chapter with its two most vivid, non-formulaic discourses — a striking charnel-ground simile, and a genuinely humane warning about over-attaching one's faith to a single individual.
Key terms
manoduccarite — “in bad mental conduct” — the compressed opening of this discourse, unchanged from AN 5.244's negative half.
pe — the standard abbreviation marker, still compressing this discourse's negative half.
asaddhammā vuṭṭhāti, saddhamme patiṭṭhāti — “drifts away from untrue teachings, settles on the true teaching” — the positive closing pair, spelled out here in full.
kalyāṇo kittisaddo abbhuggacchati — “you get a good reputation” — the third item of the positive half, shared with AN 5.244's formula.
manosucarite — “in good mental conduct” — this discourse's positive title concept, fully treated here.
The text
The discourse in full: bad mental conduct compressed, good mental conduct spelled out, around the doctrinal-drift ending. Translation: Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0, SuttaCentral).
Bad mental conduct
§1“Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks in bad mental conduct … benefits in good mental conduct …”
Five benefits of good mental conduct
§2
· · ·
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 discourse does this one mirror exactly, in role and structure?
Correct: A. Both discourses spell out mental conduct's positive half in full.
Question 2 of 10
What formula does this discourse's positive half spell out, differently from AN 5.244's?
Correct: A. The doctrinal-drift ending, closing this second pass.
Question 3 of 10
What five items does this discourse's positive half name in full?
Correct: A. AN 5.245's exact positive formula, applied to mental conduct.
Question 4 of 10
What role does this discourse play in this chapter's structure?
Correct: A. One full example before turning to the chapter's final two discourses.
Question 5 of 10
What does 'asaddhammā vuṭṭhāti' mean?
Correct: A. The first item of this discourse's positive closing pair.
Question 6 of 10
What discourses follow, closing this chapter with distinctive content?
Correct: A. This chapter's two most vivid, non-formulaic closing discourses.
Question 7 of 10
What does 'saddhamme patiṭṭhāti' mean?
Correct: A. The closing item of this discourse's positive half.
Question 8 of 10
How does the negative half of this discourse compare to its positive half?
Correct: A. A partial break in the compression pattern, as at AN 5.244.
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 is 'mano' the term for?
Correct: A. The third of the three classical conduct-channels, given fuller treatment here.
