<h2>1. What are the ten courses of action &amp; their significance?</h2>

<p>They are unwholesome and wholesome behaviors that lead people to live unhappily or happily now &amp; in the future.  </p>

<p><strong>Unwholesome Course</strong><br>
<sub><em>Bodily Conduct</em></sub><br>
1. Killing &amp; harming living beings.<br>
2. Taking what is not given.<br>
3. Sexual misconduct.<br>
<sub><em>Verbal Conduct</em></sub><br>
4. Lying.<br>
5. Slandering.<br>
6. Harsh talk.<br>
7. Useless Idle chattering.<br>
<sub><em>Mental Conduct</em></sub><br>
8. Covetous thinking.<br>
9. Hateful thinking.<br>
10. Seeing distortedly with wrong view.  </p>

<p><strong>Wholesome Course</strong><br>
<sub><em>Bodily Conduct</em></sub><br>
1. Abandoning killing &amp; harming living beings.<br>
2. Abandoning taking what is not given.<br>
3. Abandoning sexual misconduct.<br>
<sub><em>Verbal Conduct</em></sub><br>
4. Abandoning lying.<br>
5. Abandoning slandering.<br>
6. Abandoning harsh talk.<br>
7. Abandoning useless idle chattering.<br>
<sub><em>Mental Conduct</em></sub><br>
8. Abandoning covetous thinking.<br>
9. Abandoning hateful thinking.<br>
10. Seeing undistortedly with right view.<br>
<sub>(You can find details about them in the references provided below.)</sub>  </p>

<h2>2. What are their references?</h2>

<p>You can find them in many discourses throughout the <em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81li_Canon" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Pāḷi Canon</a></em>, specially in the 10th book of the Numerical Discourses (<em>Aṅguttara Nikāya</em>).  </p>

<p>Two examples are: <em><a href="http://lirs.ru/lib/sutra/The_Numerical_Discourses_of_the_Buddha,Anguttara_Nikaya,Bodhi,2012.pdf#page=1518" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AN 10.176, Cunda (Cunda-suttaṃ)</a></em> &amp; <em><a href="http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.041.nymo.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MN 41, Brahmans of Sala (Sāleyyaka-suttaṃ)</a></em>.</p>

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2014-07-02T09:43:15.500Z
2017-02-08T21:01:51.850Z
2017-02-08T21:01:51.850Z
Unrul3r
<p>In the Visuddhimagga, on the topic of <em>virtue</em>, there is a reference to the ten courses of action (kamma):</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Furthermore, virtue as volition is the seven volitions [that accompany
  the first seven] of <strong>the [ten] courses of action (kamma)</strong> in one who
  abandons the killing of living things, and so on. Virtue as
  consciousness-concomitant is the [three remaining] states consisting
  of non-covetousness, non-ill will, and right view, stated in the way
  beginning, “Abandoning covetousness, he dwells with a mind free from
  covetousness” <em>(D I 71)</em>.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I know the quote is taken out of context from the chapter, but I was just wondering about the ten courses of action (kamma), and their reference and significance?</p>

<theravada><karma><visuddhimagga>
What are the ten courses of action (kamma)?
# What are the ten courses of action (kamma)?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-07-02)

In the Visuddhimagga, on the topic of *virtue*, there is a reference to the ten courses of action (kamma):

> Furthermore, virtue as volition is the seven volitions [that accompany
> the first seven] of **the [ten] courses of action (kamma)** in one who
> abandons the killing of living things, and so on. Virtue as
> consciousness-concomitant is the [three remaining] states consisting
> of non-covetousness, non-ill will, and right view, stated in the way
> beginning, “Abandoning covetousness, he dwells with a mind free from
> covetousness” *(D I 71)*.

I know the quote is taken out of context from the chapter, but I was just wondering about the ten courses of action (kamma), and their reference and significance?

**Tags:** theravada, karma, visuddhimagga


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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2014-07-02. Score: 6 | Accepted answer

## 1. What are the ten courses of action & their significance?

They are unwholesome and wholesome behaviors that lead people to live unhappily or happily now & in the future.

**Unwholesome Course**  
*Bodily Conduct*  
1. Killing & harming living beings.  
2. Taking what is not given.  
3. Sexual misconduct.  
*Verbal Conduct*  
4. Lying.  
5. Slandering.  
6. Harsh talk.  
7. Useless Idle chattering.  
*Mental Conduct*  
8. Covetous thinking.  
9. Hateful thinking.  
10. Seeing distortedly with wrong view.

**Wholesome Course**  
*Bodily Conduct*  
1. Abandoning killing & harming living beings.  
2. Abandoning taking what is not given.  
3. Abandoning sexual misconduct.  
*Verbal Conduct*  
4. Abandoning lying.  
5. Abandoning slandering.  
6. Abandoning harsh talk.  
7. Abandoning useless idle chattering.  
*Mental Conduct*  
8. Abandoning covetous thinking.  
9. Abandoning hateful thinking.  
10. Seeing undistortedly with right view.  
(You can find details about them in the references provided below.)

## 2. What are their references?

You can find them in many discourses throughout the *[Pāḷi Canon](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%81li_Canon)*, specially in the 10th book of the Numerical Discourses (*Aṅguttara Nikāya*).

Two examples are: *[AN 10.176, Cunda (Cunda-suttaṃ)](http://lirs.ru/lib/sutra/The_Numerical_Discourses_of_the_Buddha,Anguttara_Nikaya,Bodhi,2012.pdf#page=1518)* & *[MN 41, Brahmans of Sala (Sāleyyaka-suttaṃ)](http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.041.nymo.html)*.


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