Overview
All actions generated by an individual manifest through one of three specific “doors” of action. When driven by unwholesome roots (greed, hatred, delusion), action through these doors results in bad conduct (duccarita), leading to suffering and a bad destination.
The List
- Kāyaduccarita - Bad bodily conduct: Unwholesome physical actions, specifically killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.
- Vacīduccarita - Bad verbal conduct: Unwholesome speech, specifically lying, malicious speech, harsh speech, and frivolous chatter.
- Manoduccarita - Bad mental conduct: Unwholesome mental actions, specifically covetousness, ill-will, and wrong view.
Textual References
- Canonical: Duccarita Sutta (AN 3.2) – The Buddha categorizes unwholesome actions by these three doors.
- Canonical: Sāleyyaka Sutta (MN 41) – Expands these three categories into the ten specific courses of unwholesome action.