Skip to reading
← Aṅguttara Nikāya

Bad Conduct (1st)

AN 5.241 · Paṭhamaduccaritasutta

Fallen white magnolia petals rest on rain-darkened stone.

“Mendicants, there are these five drawbacks of bad conduct. What five? You blame yourself. After examination, sensible people criticize you. You get a bad reputation. You feel lost when you die. And when your body breaks up, after death, you’re reborn in a place of loss, a bad place, the underworld, hell. These are the five drawbacks of bad conduct.

There are these five benefits of good conduct. What five? You don’t blame yourself. After examination, sensible people praise you. You get a good reputation. You don’t feel lost when you die. When your body breaks up, after death, you’re reborn in a good place, a heavenly realm. These are the five benefits of good conduct.”

Connections

Collection & context

Books

About this edition

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.