The basis of immorality is dasa akusala, or the 10 immoral actions, expanded to 40. Any of these could lead to rebirth in the apāyās. Reaching the end of suffering (Nibbāna) depends on the removal of these defilements.
Revised October 6, 2016; last revised August 10, 2026
Introduction
1. First, the word ‘kusala‘ comes from ‘ku + ‘sala,’ where ‘ku’ refers to kilesa or defilements (‘කුණු’ in Sinhala), and ‘sala’ means ‘to get rid of.’ Akusala is the opposite of kusala; it refers to the accumulation of defilement (rāga, dosa, and moha) in the mind.
- In most English translations, “kamma” is translated as “deeds” or “action.” However, in the Buddha Dhamma, kammically neutral actions are called kriya.’ These are only based on the ‘intention‘ of getting something done.
- Therefore, “kamma” in Buddha Dhamma specifically refers to actions, speech, or thoughts based on rāga, dosa, and moha. Thus, ‘kamma‘ is the same as ‘akusala kamma.’ These have ‘defiled intentions.’
- While there are ten akusala kamma, there is no list of ‘kusala kamma.’ When one abstains from any akusala kamma, that is kusala.
- However, kusala kamma could be defined/interpreted as those actions (especially engaging in Satipaṭṭhāna/Vipassanā) that directly move one’s mind toward Nibbāna so that all akusala kamma can be stopped from arising; see “Kusala/Akusala and Puñña/Apuñña Kamma.”
Dasa Akusala
2. The ten immoral actions (dasa akusala) are discussed in many suttās. For example, a series of suttās, AN 10.167 through AN 10. 177 discuss them. Let us focus on the “Cunda Sutta (AN 10.176).”
- Three types are done with physical actions, i.e., using the physical body (also called kāya kamma): Pānātipātā (killing), Adinnādānā (taking what is not given), and kāmēsu micchācārā (sexual misconduct).
- Four types are done with speech (also called vaci kamma): Musāvāda (Lying), Pisunāvācā (slandering), Parusāvācā (harsh speech), and Sampappalāpā (frivolous talk).
- Three types of kamma done with the mind are called mano kamma: Abhijjā (greed), Vyāpāda (ill-will, hatred), Micchā Diṭṭhi (wrong views). Note that regarding Mmicchā Diṭṭhi @marker 16.1, it says, ‘Micchā diṭṭhiko hoti viparīta dassano‘ OR ‘They have wrong views. Their view is distorted.’
3. All bodily actions and speech are based on one’s thinking; one’s thinking is based on one’s views.
- First, one or more of the three types of mental defilements (abhijjā, vyāpāda, micchā diṭṭhi) arise in the mind. These are also called mano saṅkhāra. Thus, mano kamma are the same as mano saṅkhāra.
- Based on those, the mind starts deliberating (vitakka/vicāra) about what speech and actions need to be taken to fulfill one’s expectations. Those are vaci saṅkhāra.
- Defiled speech and physical actions (vaci and kāya kamma) result from vaci saṅkhāra. Sometimes, it is said that kāya kamma are based on kāya saṅkhāra; however, kāya saṅkhāra has a different meaning in Satipaṭṭhāna. In general, kāya, vaci, and mano kamma are the same as kāya, vaci, and mano saṅkhāra.
- Thus, even though different terms are used to describe dasa akusala, they all have their origin in the mind (mano).
Cetanā in Kamma Is Sañcetanā (Defiled Intention)
- The meaning becomes more apparent with the next verse in the “Nibbedhika Sutta (AN 6.63)“: “Cetayitvā kammaṁ karoti—kāyena vācāya manasā,” meaning “After making an intention, one takes action (kamma)—by way of body, speech, and mind.”
- Thus, one acts with intention ONLY AFTER an ārammaṇa comes to mind first. One decides how to respond to a sensory input that just came in as a kamma vipāka. The intention depends on the type of action one chooses to take.
- Six types of sañcetanā (cetanā with “san” or defilements of rāga, dosa, moha) can arise based on the six types of sensory inputs. We need to keep in mind that in many suttās, “cetanā” means “sañcetanā.”
- That is stated in the “Upādānaparipavatta Sutta (SN 22.56): “Chayime, bhikkhave, cetanā kāyā—rūpa sañcetanā, sadda sañcetanā, gandha sañcetanā, rasa sañcetanā, phoṭṭhabba sañcetanā, dhamma sañcetanā. Ime vuccanti, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā.”
- It is also clear from the above verse that saṅkhārā are generated with sañcetanā.
Dasa Akusala Expand to Forty
5. In Buddha Dhamma, it is always one’s (defiled) intention that matters. Based on that, each dasa akusala expands to 40 as described above. For example, the following four are included in pāṇātipātā:
- Taking life by oneself
- Getting someone else to kill
- Helping another to kill
- Praising a killing by another
- Any one of the 40 types can bring rebirth in an apāya.
- Details in “Details of Kamma – Intention, Who Is Affected, Kamma Patha.” This post also discusses (in #7) the fact that the strength of the kamma depends on the ‘victim’ too.
Micchā Diṭṭhi Is the Worst of the Dasa Akusala
6. Micchā diṭṭhi (including sakkāya diṭṭhi) is the only akusala (out of ten) removed at the Sotāpanna stage. However, it reduces the strength of all nine other akusala, so that rebirth in the apāyās (including the animal realm) is permanently blocked.
- Thus, an unimaginable amount of defilements is eliminated at the Sotāpanna stage via eliminating micchā diṭṭhi.
- Details, together with the analogies the Buddha provided to comprehend the unimaginable amount of defilements (and suffering) eliminated by a Sotāpanna, are discussed in “What is the only Akusala Removed by a Sotāpanna?“
Why Does Micchā Diṭṭhi Play Such a Critical Role?
7. If one has a wrong worldview, one will likely commit immoral acts. They will have kamma vipāka leading to rebirth in the apāyā (the lowest four realms), i.e., in future rebirths. There are ten such specific wrong views or micchā diṭṭhi that must be overcome first:
- (1) No kammic benefits in giving, (2) no need to pay back debts (for what others have done for you), (3) no benefits of respecting Noble Ones and also yogis with abhiññā powers, (4) Kamma do not have vipāka, no kammic benefits of taking care of (5) mother and (6) father, (7) this world does not exist (“natthi ayaṃ lōkō“), (8) Paralowa (existence after death) does not exist (“natthi parō lōkō“), (9) there are no ōpapātika births (instant full-formed birth), (10) there are no Noble Ones and yogis exist who can see past lives.
- Then one must also overcome sakkaya ditthi. This is the wrong view that the world has things that can provide ‘sensory pleasures.’ The Buddha taught that the world is devoid of anything that can bring ‘pleasure.’ For example, while we experience an apple as red and sweet, it does not have either a color or a taste. Both are ‘made up’ by the mind itself (modern science says the brain makes that illusion, but it cannot explain how the brain made of inert atoms and molecules can generate such ‘illusions’; see below).
Sakkaya Ditthi Arises via ‘Distorted Perception (Saññā)’
8. The only difference in the mindset of a puthujjana versus a Sotāpanna is that the Sotāpanna has eliminated micchā diṭṭhi (including sakkāya diṭṭhi).
- A puthujjana has the wrong ‘mundane view‘ that sensory experiences correctly represent the external world, i.e., that there are colorful, tasty things as well as those that offer odors, pleasing music, and touches.
- A Noble person has understood, and is convinced, that such things do not exist in the external world. This is ‘Buddha’s worldview.’ Modern science has recently confirmed Buddha’s worldview; see “Distorted Perception – The World We Experience Doesn’t Exist.”
- As discussed there, the key reason for the wrong views of puthujjana is the ‘distorted saññā‘ (distorted perception) built into all living beings. This is a deeper aspect of Buddha’s teachings that has been hidden for many hundreds of years. Don’t worry about it too much if you are just starting to read on this website; you can skip over to #10.
9. Rejecting the ‘mundane worldview’ (āpāna) and grasping ‘Buddha’s worldview’ (āna) is what elevates a puthujjana to the Sotāpanna status. See “Ānāpāna – Adopting Buddha’s Worldview and Discarding ‘Mundane Views’,” “First Stage of Ānāpānasati – Seeing the Anicca Nature of ‘Kāya’” and “Unique Worldview of a Sotāpanna.”
- All vedanā (including ‘adukkhamasukha vedanā‘) are mind-made. I discussed that previously, too, in “Kāma Assāda and Pain Are Mostly Mind-Made.”
- That is why even the ‘neutral vedanā‘ or ‘adukkhamasukha vedanā‘ must also be overcome. That can happen and can be experienced even during this life if one can enter the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi. This is why Nibbāna is called ‘sandiṭṭhiko.’ Also see “Sandiṭṭhiko – What Does It Mean?”
- Unlike in major religions, ‘salvation’ is not a promise to be realized after death, but it can be experienced in this life.
Misconceptions About Kamma and Kamma Vipāka
10. There are three common misconceptions when it comes to kamma and kamma vipāka.
- Many people think ‘kamma nirodha‘ means destroying accumulated kammic energies that can bring their vipāka. However, that was taught not by the Buddha, but by Mahāvīra, a contemporary of the Buddha, whose teachings are still being practiced as Jainism in India. Mahāvīra is mentioned in the Tipiṭaka as nigaṇṭha nāṭaputta: “Nigaṇṭhanāṭaputta Sutta (SN 41.8).”
- Some also incorrectly believe that our sensory experiences are due to ‘kamma vipāka.’ The human body encounters sensory input from its environment. For example, if an earthquake occurs where one lives, one will face the same inconveniences as anyone else living there. It is not that each sensory event in triggered by a specific kamma (unless it is an ānantarika kamma). See “Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60).” As stated there, “kamma vipāka jā ābādhā” (ailments arising due to kamma vipāka) is only one of many possible causes for sukha/dukkha experiences in sensory events.
- Of course, all kamma can have consequences; they definitely play a role in future rebirths. Kammic consequences also depend strongly on the “consciousness level” of the living being against whom the immoral act was committed. Killing a human will have far more substantial consequences than killing an animal. This is discussed in the essay “How to Evaluate Weights of Different Kamma.”
- Most people also incorrectly think kamma accumulation can be stopped by willfully abstaining from dasa akusala. The Buddha explained that a mind goes through an initial kamma accumulation stage (purāna kamma) to automatically attach to the sensory input before we consciously become aware of it and engage in akusala kamma in the ‘nava kamma‘ stage. Until we can stop the first purāna kamma stage by comprehending it, we cannot truly abstain from dasa akusala; it is inevitable that, sooner or later, one will give in to temptation. This deeper aspect is discussed in “Purāna and Nava Kamma – Sequence of Kamma Generation.”
- Let us discuss that in detail.
Can Kamma Accumulation be Stopped by Abstaining from Dasa Akusala?
11. Many people think kamma accumulation can be stopped by willfully abstaining from dasa akusala.
- It is technically correct, since kammic energies that can bring rebirths are generated via dasa akusala or the ten types of akusala kamma: three by the body, three by speech, and three more exclusively by the mind, i.e., kāya, vaci, and mano kamma. However, this cannot be achieved until one comprehends the ‘origin of kamma generation’ at the purāna kamma stage.
- Ancient yogis (such as Ālāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta) before the Buddha thought the same. They also knew that most akusala kamma are driven by the urge to fulfill sensory desires, i.e., the desire to see, hear, taste, smell, enjoy mind-pleasing sights, music, food, odors, and engage in sex and other bodily comforts.
- Therefore, they lived solitary lives in jungles where such ‘sensory attractions’ were minimal. Furthermore, they spent most of their time focusing their minds on ‘neutral objects’ (such as the breath or a kasina object, such as a clay ball or a fire). That allowed their minds to detach from the ‘kāma loka‘ and enter jhānic states that correspond to the mental states of rupa loka Brahmās. The 16 rupa loka Brahma realms correspond to the mental states of the four jhānās at various strengths.
- Another way to state the above is that those yogis were able to temporarily overcome various types of ‘kāma loka saññā‘ and elevate their minds to the ‘jhānic saññā‘ experienced by the rupa loka Brahmās.
- While this achievement will result in their next existence in a Brahma realm, yogis such as Ālāra Kālāma were not ‘released’ from future rebirths in the apāyās, because they have not broken any of the sansāric bonds (saṁyojana).
Kamma Nirodha (Abstaining from Dasa Akusala) Requires Eliminating Saṁyojana
12. One must break the bonds of the rebirth process by eliminating the ten saṁyojana, and this can be done only by comprehending the complete process of mind-contamination.
- Therefore, kamma nirodha (elimination of root causes that lead to engaging in dasa akusala) is not possible without removing the ignorance about the complete kamma accumulation process, including the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage.
- For details, see “Kamma Nirodha – How Does It Happen?‘
- As pointed out there, a kamma accumulation process starts with a sensory experience.
Blueprint for Attaining Nibbāna
13. Therefore, abstaining from akusala kamma is possible only when one is in the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi that is free of any ‘distorted saññā.’ Only a Noble Person at or above the Sotāpanna stage can cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna and stop the ‘purāna kamma‘ stage. This background is discussed at the beginning of the “Buddha Dhamma – Systematic” section. Please read that background and the posts there to fully understand this necessary background. Many people below the Sotāpanna stage waste their time reading about and trying to engage in Satipaṭṭhāna. As pointed out there, it is the Ānāpānasati Sutta that outlines the steps needed to attain Arahantship. These are:
- Attain the Sotāpanna stage by comprehending Buddha’s worldview. This entails understanding how a mind becomes defiled by each sensory input for a puthujjana. The ‘distorted saññā‘ built into all living beings (‘kāma loka saññā‘ for us in the ‘kāma loka‘) triggers avijjā with any sensory input. A puthujjana becomes a Sotāpanna by fully comprehending that fact and how that mind contamination happens via Paṭicca Samuppāda.
- Then, a Sotāpanna must cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna to be able to enter the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi at will.
- While in the Satipaṭṭhāna Bhūmi, a Sotāpanna can then cultivate Satta Bojjhaṅga to attain higher magga phala, ending at the Arahant stage.
- This summary is another way to express what was discussed in #9 above.
14. Of course, some people reading this post may be just starting to try to understand the Buddha’s teachings. For them, the above background can save a lot of time.
- Once one understands that overview, one can read the other posts in the “Buddha Dhamma – Systematic” section.
- If those posts are too advanced, one could start perusing the posts in “Three Levels of Practice,” “Living Dhamma,” and other sections.
- Whether one is just beginning to ‘look into Buddha’s teachings’ or one is a practicing Buddhist, it is good to understand the ten types of akusala kamma as explained by the Buddha in the suttās. Abstaining from them will lead to a ‘sense of calmness’ in the mind that is conducive to learning the advanced concepts taught by the Buddha, like Ānāpānasati and Satipaṭṭhāna.
