• Numbered Discourses 3.119 Aį¹…guttara Nikāya 3.119
  • 12. Bound for Loss 12. Āpāyikavagga

Action Kammantasutta

ā€œMendicants, there are three failures. ā€œTisso imā, bhikkhave, vipattiyo. What three? Katamā tisso? Failure in action, livelihood, and view. Kammantavipatti, ājÄ«vavipatti, diį¹­į¹­hivipatti.

And what is failure in action? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, kammantavipatti? It’s when someone kills living creatures, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and uses speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātÄ« hoti …pe… samphappalāpÄ« hoti. This is called ā€˜failure in action’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kammantavipatti.

And what is failure in livelihood? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, ājÄ«vavipatti? It’s when a noble disciple has wrong livelihood and earns a living by wrong livelihood. Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchāājÄ«vo hoti, micchāājÄ«vena jÄ«vikaṁ kappeti. This is called ā€˜failure in livelihood’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ājÄ«vavipatti.

And what is failure in view? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, diį¹­į¹­hivipatti? It’s when someone has wrong view, a distorted perspective, such as: Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiį¹­į¹­hiko hoti viparÄ«tadassano: ā€˜There’s no meaning in giving, sacrifice, or offerings. There’s no fruit or result of good and bad deeds. There’s no afterlife. There’s no such thing as mother and father, or beings that are reborn spontaneously. And there’s no ascetic or brahmin who is rightly comported and rightly practiced, and who describes the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight.’ ā€˜natthi dinnaṁ, natthi yiį¹­į¹­haṁ …pe… ye imaƱca lokaṁ paraƱca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiƱƱā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti. This is called ā€˜failure in view’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, diį¹­į¹­hivipatti. These are the three failures. Imā kho, bhikkhave, tisso vipattiyoti.

There are three accomplishments. Tisso imā, bhikkhave, sampadā. What three? Katamā tisso? Accomplishment in action, livelihood, and view. Kammantasampadā, ājīvasampadā, diṭṭhisampadā.

And what is accomplishment in action? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, kammantasampadā? It’s when someone doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, or use speech that’s false, divisive, harsh, or nonsensical. Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātā paį¹­ivirato hoti …pe… samphappalāpā paį¹­ivirato hoti. This is called ā€˜accomplishment in action’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kammantasampadā.

And what is accomplishment in livelihood? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, ājÄ«vasampadā? It’s when a noble disciple has right livelihood and earns a living by right livelihood. Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammāājÄ«vo hoti, sammāājÄ«vena jÄ«vikaṁ kappeti. This is called ā€˜accomplishment in livelihood’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, ājÄ«vasampadā.

And what is accomplishment in view? Katamā ca, bhikkhave, diį¹­į¹­hisampadā? It’s when someone has right view, an undistorted perspective, such as: Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiį¹­į¹­hiko hoti aviparÄ«tadassano: ā€˜There is meaning in giving, sacrifice, and offerings. There are fruits and results of good and bad deeds. There is an afterlife. There are such things as mother and father, and beings that are reborn spontaneously. And there are ascetics and brahmins who are rightly comported and rightly practiced, and who describe the afterlife after realizing it with their own insight.’ ā€˜atthi dinnaṁ, atthi yiį¹­į¹­haṁ …pe… ye imaƱca lokaṁ paraƱca lokaṁ sayaṁ abhiƱƱā sacchikatvā pavedentī’ti. This is called ā€˜accomplishment in view’. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, diį¹­į¹­hisampadā.

These are the three accomplishments.ā€ Imā kho, bhikkhave, tisso sampadÄā€ti.

Sattamaṁ.