Grammatical Analysis
Anottappa: [nt.] moral recklessness; fearlessness of wrongdoing; lack of dread. Formed by negative prefix an (not) + ottappa (fear of consequences).
Orthodox Definition
Anottappa is the inseparable twin of ahirika and serves as a universal unwholesome mental factor (sabbākusalasādhāraṇa). It is the complete absence of fear regarding the catastrophic consequences of evil actions.
A person dominated by anottappa does not fear karmic retribution, rebirth in the lower realms (apāya), legal punishment, or the censure of the wise. The commentaries compare this mental factor to a moth flying blindly into a flame; the moth does not fear the fire because it does not understand the danger.
In Theravāda psychology, bravery in the face of evil is not a virtue; it is blind, reckless delusion (moha). The failure to dread the results of unwholesome kamma guarantees the continuous generation of suffering.
Textual References
- Sutta: Bāla Vagga (Dhammapada Chapter 5) – Emphasizing how the fool fears no evil until the karmic fruit ripens.
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Analysis of unwholesome concomitants).
- Commentary: Atthasālinī – The definitive simile comparing recklessness to a moth diving into a bonfire.