Ethics in action

What Are the Ten Wholesome Actions? Ten wholesome courses of action of body, speech and mind

Pāli: dasa kusalakammapathā · Sanskrit: daśa kuśalakarmapathāḥ · Vietnamese: Thập thiện

The ten wholesome actions (Thập Thiện) are the ten wholesome courses of action (kusala kammapatha) of body, speech and mind. The three of body are refraining from killing, from taking what is not given and from sexual misconduct. The four of speech are refraining from false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech and idle chatter. The three of mind are freedom from the covetousness that wants what belongs to others, freedom from the ill will that wishes others harm, and the right view that good and bad deeds bear fruit. Their reverse is the ten unwholesome actions (thập ác). In the Sāleyyaka Sutta (MN 41), the Blessed One teaches these ten to the householders of the village of Sālā; the discourse to Cunda (AN 10.176) treats them as true purity of body, speech and mind. The discourses do not stop at avoiding harm: one who keeps the ten also speaks words that reconcile, speaks gently and wishes all beings to live at ease. This is a training framework for examining intention each day, not a yardstick for pride or for judging others.

A guide by Inti Foundation · updated 1 October 2026

Start learning with Inti Dharma Read the source discourse

From the discourse: the three wholesome courses of mind (MN 41)

Quoted verbatim from the Vietnamese translation by Ven. Thích Minh Châu in the Inti Dharma library (Majjhima Nikāya 41).

Ở đây, này các Gia chủ, có người không có tham ái, không tham lam tài vật của kẻ khác, không nghĩ rằng: “Ôi, mong rằng mọi tài vật của người khác trở thành của mình!” Lại có người không có tâm sân, không có khởi lên hại ý, hại niệm, nhưng nghĩ rằng: “Mong rằng những loài hữu tình này sống không thù hận, không oán thù, không nhiễu loạn, được an lạc, lo nghĩ tự thân!” Người ấy có chánh kiến, không có tưởng điên đảo, nghĩ rằng: “Có bố thí, có kết quả của bố thí, có tế lễ, có cúng dường, các hành vi thiện ác có kết quả dị thục, có đời này, có đời sau, có mẹ, có cha, có các loại hóa sanh, trong đời, có các Sa-môn, Bà-la-môn chân chánh hành trì, chân chánh thành tựu, sau khi tự tri, tự chứng lại tuyên bố cho đời này và cho đời sau”.

Read the whole discourse →

Three of body, four of speech, three of mind

The Sāleyyaka Sutta (MN 41) describes each one concretely. In body, the person who acts wholesomely has laid down rod and weapon, is conscientious and kind, and has compassion for all living beings; does not take others’ belongings that were not given, whether in the village or in the forest; and does not commit sexual misconduct with anyone protected by family, a spouse or the law. In speech, when called as a witness, they say “I know” only when they know and “I don’t know” when they don’t; they do not repeat here what was said there in order to divide, but reconcile those at odds; they speak gently, pleasantly, in words that go to the heart; and they speak at the right time, truthfully and meaningfully, words worth remembering. In mind, they do not wish others’ property were theirs, do not wish anyone harm but wish all beings to live free of enmity and at ease, and see rightly that good and bad deeds bear fruit.

The ten wholesome, the ten unwholesome and the question of the people of Sālā

The ten unwholesome actions are simply the reverse of these ten. The Sāleyyaka Sutta opens with the householders’ question: why are some beings, after the breakup of the body, reborn in a bad destination, and others in a good one? The Blessed One answers: because of conduct contrary to the Dhamma, that is, the ten unwholesome actions, and because of conduct in accordance with the Dhamma, that is, the ten wholesome ones. The discourse adds that one who lives by the Dhamma may be reborn in the good destination they aspire to, and may also realise liberation of mind here and now. The Verañjaka Sutta (MN 42) repeats this teaching almost word for word.

How do the ten wholesome actions differ from the five precepts?

The five precepts are the five training rules a lay follower undertakes: not killing, not stealing, no sexual misconduct, no false speech and no alcohol or intoxicants. The first three match the three wholesome actions of body; the precept against false speech is the first of the four of speech. The ten wholesome actions go further in speech, adding no divisive, harsh or idle speech, and reach the roots in the mind with non-covetousness, non-ill-will and right view. The precept on intoxicants is not one of the ten courses of action, but it guards the mind against heedlessness so that the others are not broken. One way to see it: the five precepts are concrete rules to keep, while the ten wholesome actions are a wider map of wholesome and unwholesome action through body, speech and mind.

The discourse to Cunda: purity is not in rituals

In the discourse to Cunda (AN 10.176), Cunda the smith of Pāvā says he admires the purification rites of the western brahmins: rising early and touching the earth, touching wet cow dung or green grass, tending the fire, worshipping the sun, and going down into the water a third time in the evening. The Blessed One teaches that purity in the Noble One’s discipline is different: whoever still has the ten unwholesome courses of action is impure whether or not they perform those rites, and whoever has the ten wholesome ones is pure either way. The teaching still speaks to us today: rituals have their place, but they cannot replace guarding one’s body, speech and mind.

Everyday examples

Not taking what is not given can mean returning extra change, or not presenting other people’s work or ideas as your own. Not speaking divisively means not passing on words that make one person dislike another, and, when you hear of a quarrel, choosing words that help both sides understand each other. Not speaking harshly means giving feedback without humiliating, including in comments online. Not engaging in idle chatter means not spreading unverified rumours. In the mind, notice greed before it turns into action; when angry, turn the wish that the other person suffer into a wish that both of you suffer less. Believing in action and its results does not mean blaming other people’s misfortunes on their past karma; what you can do is take responsibility for today’s choices.

Free reading preview

No account needed to try one practice step

Open a short excerpt from this article, practice right here, then create an account if you want to save progress and unlock realms.

Read the scripture source

Tap to open a short passage and try one practice step before signing up.

Practice today

1.Choose one practice of speech to keep fully today, for example not passing on words that divide.
2.Before acting, notice whether the intention holds greed, ill will or a wish to harm.
3.At the end of the day, write down one wholesome choice you made and one situation that needs correcting.

Frequently asked questions

What are the ten wholesome actions?

Three concern the body: not killing, not taking what is not given, no sexual misconduct. Four concern speech: no false speech, no divisive speech, no harsh speech, no idle chatter. Three concern the mind: non-covetousness, non-ill-will and right view.

How do the Ten Wholesome Actions differ from the Five Precepts?

The five precepts are the basic training rules of lay followers and include abstaining from alcohol and intoxicants. The ten wholesome actions overlap with the first three precepts and the precept against false speech, then add three more of speech and three of mind, so they cover both speech and the mind itself.

Is simply avoiding bad deeds enough?

It is an important foundation, but the Sāleyyaka Sutta (MN 41) describes the wholesome person as also kind, speaking words that reconcile, gently and at the right time, and wishing all beings to live at ease. Turning toward the good therefore includes nurturing wholesome intentions and doing what truly helps.

What are the ten unwholesome actions?

The ten unwholesome actions (thập ác) are the ten unwholesome courses of action, the reverse of the ten wholesome: killing, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, idle chatter, covetousness, ill will and wrong view. The discourse to Cunda (AN 10.176) calls them impurity of body, speech and mind.

Which discourses teach the ten wholesome actions?

In the Nikāyas, the Sāleyyaka Sutta (MN 41), the Verañjaka Sutta (MN 42) and the discourse to Cunda (AN 10.176) set out all ten by body, speech and mind. On the Mahāyāna side, the library holds the Thọ Thập Thiện Giới Kinh in the Linh Sơn Vietnamese translation, which guides the repentance of the ten unwholesome deeds, taking refuge in the Three Jewels and receiving the ten wholesome precepts.

Sources for deeper reading

MN 41 — Sāleyyaka Sutta (The People of Sālā)

The Sāleyyaka Sutta sets out the three bodily, four verbal and three mental courses of action, unwholesome and wholesome, that the Blessed One taught the householders of Sālā.

What are the five precepts?What are the three kinds of karma?What is right speech?What is right view?What is karmic retribution?The Brahmajāla Sūtra The Sūtra of the Ten Wholesome Ways