The Buddha teaches on bad character (4th), presenting a fourfold teaching for disciples on the path.

AN 4.210 Bad Character (4th)

“Pāpadhammañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, pāpadhammena pāpadhammatarañca; kalyāṇadhammañca, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpadhammo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… micchāñāṇī hoti, micchāvimutti hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpadhammo.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpadhammena pāpadhammataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca micchāñāṇī hoti, parañca micchāñāṇe samādapeti; attanā ca micchāvimutti hoti, parañca micchāvimuttiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpadhammena pāpadhammataro.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… sammāñāṇī hoti, sammāvimutti hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammo.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca sammāñāṇī hoti, parañca sammāñāṇe samādapeti; attanā ca sammāvimutti hoti, parañca sammāvimuttiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammataro”ti.

Dasamaṁ.

Sappurisavaggo paṭhamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Sikkhāpadañca assaddhaṁ,
Sattakammaṁ atho ca dasakammaṁ;
Aṭṭhaṅgikañca dasamaggaṁ,
Dve pāpadhammā apare dveti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Pāpadhammañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, pāpadhammena pāpadhammatarañca;

“Mendicants, I will teach you bad character and worse character,

kalyāṇadhammañca, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

good character and better character.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpadhammo?

And who has bad character?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… micchāñāṇī hoti, micchāvimutti hoti.

It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong immersion, wrong knowledge, and wrong freedom.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpadhammo.

This is called bad character.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpadhammena pāpadhammataro?

And who has worse character?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca micchāñāṇī hoti, parañca micchāñāṇe samādapeti;

It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong immersion, wrong knowledge, and wrong freedom. And they encourage others in these same qualities.

attanā ca micchāvimutti hoti, parañca micchāvimuttiyā samādapeti.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpadhammena pāpadhammataro.

This is called worse character.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammo?

And who has good character?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… sammāñāṇī hoti, sammāvimutti hoti.

It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammo.

This is called good character.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammataro?

And who has better character?

Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca sammāñāṇī hoti, parañca sammāñāṇe samādapeti;

It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom. And they encourage others in these same qualities.

attanā ca sammāvimutti hoti, parañca sammāvimuttiyā samādapeti.

Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammataro”ti.

This is called better character.”

Dasamaṁ.

Sappurisavaggo paṭhamo.

Tassuddānaṁ

Sikkhāpadañca assaddhaṁ,

Sattakammaṁ atho ca dasakammaṁ;

Aṭṭhaṅgikañca dasamaggaṁ,

Dve pāpadhammā apare dveti.

Topics & Qualities:

Harm

Harm

Intention or action that causes injury or suffering to oneself or others. It arises from aversion and heedlessness and destroys trust and safety. The opposite of non-harm, it obscures compassion and leads to regret.

Also known as: injury causing behavior, destructiveness, bad, evil
Pāli: pāpaka
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Liberation

Liberation

Liberation can imply a temporary release of the mind, i.e. liberated from certain unwholesome mental qualities or complete liberation from all unwholesome qualities of the mind, i.e. Nibbāna.

Also known as: freedom, release, emancipation, deliverance
Pāli: vimutti, vimokkha, cetovimutti, paññāvimutti, akuppā cetovimutti
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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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Right effort

Right effort

Energy and resolve directed toward preventing unwholesome states from arising, abandoning arisen unwholesome states, cultivating wholesome states, and maintaining arisen wholesome states; persistent application of the mind aligned with the path.

Also known as: right endeavor, right striving
Pāli: sammāvāyāma, padhāna
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Vigour

Vigour

Energetic effort and resilience in practice. It is the refusal to shrink back, the 'uphill' force that initiates and sustains wholesome actions against the gravity of habit.

Also known as: energy, effort, enthusiasm, zeal, application of will, persistence
Pāli: vīriya
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Wholesome

Wholesome

Conducive to or suggestive of good health and mental well-being.

Also known as: blameless, skillful, beneficial, good, useful, healthy, nourishing, sustaining
Pāli: kusala
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Last updated on July 27, 2026