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← Aṅguttara Nikāya

The Wrong Way

AN 10.103 · Micchattasutta

Delicate frost crystals line a dry grass stem in quiet morning light.

“Mendicants, relying on the wrong way leads to failure, not success. And how does relying on the wrong way lead to failure, not success? Wrong view produces wrong purpose. Wrong purpose produces wrong speech. Wrong speech produces wrong action. Wrong action produces wrong livelihood. Wrong livelihood produces wrong effort. Wrong effort produces wrong mindfulness. Wrong mindfulness produces wrong immersion. Wrong immersion produces wrong knowledge. Wrong knowledge produces wrong freedom. That’s how relying on the wrong way leads to failure, not success.

Relying on the right way leads to success, not failure. And how does relying on the right way lead to success, not failure? Right view produces right purpose. Right purpose produces right speech. Right speech produces right action. Right action produces right livelihood. Right livelihood produces right effort. Right effort produces right mindfulness. Right mindfulness produces right immersion. Right immersion produces right knowledge. Right knowledge produces right freedom. That’s how relying on the right way leads to success, not failure.”

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Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.