Grammatical Analysis

Vacīkamma (vacīkammaṃ): [nt.] Verbal action, action of speech. A compound of vacī (speech) + kamma (action, deed). The Atthasālinī explains that kamma takes its name from its door: vacīkammamanokammesupi eseva nayo (the same method applies to verbal and mental action as to bodily action). It is the second of the three kammas, between kāyakamma and manokamma.

Orthodox Definition

Vacīkamma is the volition established in the door of speech. In the Mūla the Buddha names it among the three kammas (MN 56). The Atthasālinī: yā pana tasmiṃ vacīdvāre siddhā cetanā … idaṃ vacīkammaṃ nāma. In the Vacīkammadvārakathā it says that speech is of three kinds, by way of volition (cetanāvācā), abstinence (virativācā) and sound (saddavācā), and that the door of verbal action is neither volition nor abstinence.

The four unwholesome verbal courses of action (vācāya asoceyyaṃ), in the Cunda Sutta (AN 10.176):

  1. Musāvādī – one who engages in false speech.
  2. Pisuṇavāco – one who speaks divisive speech.
  3. Pharusavāco – one who speaks harsh speech.
  4. Samphappalāpī – one who engages in idle chatter.

The four wholesome verbal courses are the abstentions: musāvādā paṭivirato, pisuṇāya vācāya paṭivirato, pharusāya vācāya paṭivirato, samphappalāpā paṭivirato.

According to the Atthasālinī, fourfold verbal misconduct is solely unwholesome verbal action (catubbidhaṃ vacīduccaritaṃ akusalaṃ vacīkammameva hoti). The same text notes that speech by a hand gesture is verbal kamma at the bodily door: hatthamuddāya pana musāvādādīni kathentassa kammaṃ vacīkammaṃ, dvāraṃ pana kāyadvāraṃ hoti.

Quote (Mūla: MN 56)

“Tīṇi kho ahaṃ, tapassi, kammāni paññapemi pāpassa kammassa kiriyāya pāpassa kammassa pavattiyā, seyyathidaṃ – kāyakammaṃ, vacīkammaṃ, manokamman” ti.
“Verily, Tapassī, there are three modes of ‘action’ I declare, in doing and perpetrating evil deeds, namely: ‘action’ of body, of word, and of mind.”

— Majjhima Nikāya (MN 56, Upāli Sutta) · TPR

Quote (Mūla: AN 10.176)

“Kathañca, cunda, catubbidhaṃ vācāya asoceyyaṃ hoti? Idha, cunda, ekacco musāvādī hoti. “Pisuṇavāco hoti. “Pharusavāco hoti. “Samphappalāpī hoti akālavādī abhūtavādī anatthavādī adhammavādī avinayavādī;
“And how, Cunda, is one made impure in four ways by verbal action? There is the case where a certain person engages in false speech. “He is a speaker of divisive speech. “He is a speaker of harsh speech. “He engages in idle chatter, speaks at the wrong time, speaks what is unfactual, irrelevant, contrary to the Dhamma, and contrary to the Vinaya;

— Aṅguttara Nikāya (AN 10.176, Cunda Sutta) · TPR

Quote (Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī)

Katame dhammā kusalā? Tīṇi kusalamūlāni – alobho, adoso, amoho; taṃsampayutto vedanākkhandho, saññākkhandho, saṅkhārakkhandho, viññāṇakkhandho; taṃsamuṭṭhānaṃ kāyakammaṃ, vacīkammaṃ, manokammaṃ – ime dhammā kusalā.

  1. What mental phenomena are wholesome? Three wholesome roots – non-greed, non-hatred, non-delusion; the feeling aggregate, the perception aggregate, the formations aggregate, the consciousness aggregate, associated with them; and bodily actions, verbal actions, mental actions, arisen from them – these mental phenomena are wholesome.

— Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Tikanikkhepa, Kusalatika §985) · TPR

Quote (Aṭṭhakathā: Atthasālinī)

Tāsu vacīkammadvāranti neva cetanāya nāmaṃ na viratiyā. Yā pana tasmiṃ vacīdvāre siddhā cetanā, yāya musā katheti, pesuññaṃ katheti, pharusaṃ katheti, samphaṃ palapati, musāvādādīhi viramati, idaṃ vacīkammaṃ nāma.
Among those, the door of verbal action (vacīkammadvāra) is neither the name of volition nor of abstinence. But the volition that is established in that verbal door, by which one speaks falsely, speaks slander, speaks harshly, engages in idle chatter, or abstains from false speech and so on—this is called verbal action.

— Atthasālinī (Vacīkammadvārakathā) · TPR

Textual References

  • Sutta: Upāli Sutta (MN 56) – the Buddha tells Dīghatapassī that he declares three kammas: kāyakammaṃ, vacīkammaṃ, manokammaṃ.
  • Sutta: Cunda Sutta (AN 10.176) – the ten unwholesome and ten wholesome courses of action, arranged as three by body, four by speech, three by mind.
  • Sutta: Sāleyyaka Sutta (MN 41) – the same threefold, fourfold and threefold division, given as adhammacariyā and dhammacariyā.
  • Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī (Tikanikkhepa, Kusalatika §985) – kāyakammaṃ, vacīkammaṃ, manokammaṃ arisen from the wholesome roots.
  • Commentary: Atthasālinī – Kāyakammadvārakathā, Vacīkammadvārakathā, Manokammadvārakathā and Kammakathā.

Updated: