A True Person · AN 4.201–4.210

AN 4.201 · Training Rules

AN 4.201 · Sikkhāpadasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you an untrue person and an even more untrue person, a true person and an even truer person. Listen and apply your mind well, I will speak.”

“Asappurisañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, asappurisena asappurisatarañca; sappurisañca, sappurisena sappurisatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha, sādhukaṁ manasi karotha, bhāsissāmī”ti.

“Yes, sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Evaṁ, bhante”ti kho te bhikkhū bhagavato paccassosuṁ. Bhagavā etadavoca:

“And what is an untrue person? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, commits sexual misconduct, lies, and consumes intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. This is called an untrue person.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātī hoti, adinnādāyī hoti, kāmesumicchācārī hoti, musāvādī hoti, surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhāyī hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappuriso.

And what is an even more untrue person? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, commits sexual misconduct, lies, and consumes intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. And they encourage others to do these things. This is called an even more untrue person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātī hoti, parañca pāṇātipāte samādapeti; attanā ca adinnādāyī hoti, parañca adinnādāne samādapeti; attanā ca kāmesumicchācārī hoti, parañca kāmesumicchācāre samādapeti; attanā ca musāvādī hoti, parañca musāvāde samādapeti; attanā ca surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhāyī hoti, parañca surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhāne samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro.

And what is a true person? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or consume intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. This is called a true person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti, kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato hoti, musāvādā paṭivirato hoti, surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā paṭivirato hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappuriso.

And what is an even truer person? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, lie, or consume intoxicants of beer, wine, and liquor. And they encourage others to refrain from these things. This is called an even truer person.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, parañca pāṇātipātā veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti, parañca adinnādānā veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato hoti, parañca kāmesumicchācārā veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca musāvādā paṭivirato hoti, parañca musāvādā veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā paṭivirato hoti, parañca surāmerayamajjapamādaṭṭhānā veramaṇiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro”ti.

AN 4.202 · Faithless

AN 4.202 · Assaddhasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you an untrue person and an even more untrue person, a true person and an even truer person.

“Asappurisañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, asappurisena asappurisatarañca; sappurisañca, sappurisena sappurisatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

And what is an untrue person? It’s someone who is faithless, shameless, imprudent, with little learning, lazy, unmindful, and witless. This is called an untrue person.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco assaddho hoti, ahiriko hoti, anottappī hoti, appassuto hoti, kusīto hoti, muṭṭhassati hoti, duppañño hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappuriso.

And what is an even more untrue person? It’s someone who is faithless, shameless, imprudent, with little learning, lazy, unmindful, and witless. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called an even more untrue person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca assaddho hoti, parañca assaddhiye samādapeti; attanā ca ahiriko hoti, parañca ahirikatāya samādapeti; attanā ca anottappī hoti, parañca anottappe samādapeti; attanā ca appassuto hoti, parañca appassute samādapeti; attanā ca kusīto hoti, parañca kosajje samādapeti; attanā ca muṭṭhassati hoti, parañca muṭṭhassacce samādapeti; attanā ca duppañño hoti, parañca duppaññatāya samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro.

And what is a true person? It’s someone who is faithful, conscientious, prudent, learned, energetic, mindful, and wise. This is called a true person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco saddho hoti, hirimā hoti, ottappī hoti, bahussuto hoti, āraddhavīriyo hoti, satimā hoti, paññavā hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappuriso.

And what is an even truer person? It’s someone who is personally accomplished in faith, conscience, prudence, learning, energy, mindfulness, and wisdom. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called an even truer person.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca saddhāsampanno hoti, parañca saddhāsampadāya samādapeti; attanā ca hirimā hoti, parañca hirimatāya samādapeti; attanā ca ottappī hoti, parañca ottappe samādapeti; attanā ca bahussuto hoti, parañca bāhusacce samādapeti; attanā ca āraddhavīriyo hoti, parañca vīriyārambhe samādapeti; attanā ca upaṭṭhitassati hoti, parañca satiupaṭṭhāne samādapeti; attanā ca paññāsampanno hoti, parañca paññāsampadāya samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro”ti.

AN 4.203 · Seven Kinds of Deeds

AN 4.203 · Sattakammasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you an untrue person and an even more untrue person, a true person and a truer person.

“Asappurisañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, asappurisena asappurisatarañca; sappurisañca, sappurisena sappurisatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

And what is an untrue person? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and uses speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. This is called an untrue person.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātī hoti, adinnādāyī hoti, kāmesumicchācārī hoti, musāvādī hoti, pisuṇavāco hoti, pharusavāco hoti, samphappalāpī hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappuriso.

And what is an even more untrue person? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, commits sexual misconduct, and uses speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they encourage others to do these things. This is called an even more untrue person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātī hoti, parañca pāṇātipāte samādapeti; attanā ca adinnādāyī hoti, parañca adinnādāne samādapeti; attanā ca kāmesumicchācārī hoti, parañca kāmesumicchācāre samādapeti; attanā ca musāvādī hoti, parañca musāvāde samādapeti; attanā ca pisuṇavāco hoti, parañca pisuṇāya vācāya samādapeti; attanā ca pharusavāco hoti, parañca pharusāya vācāya samādapeti; attanā ca samphappalāpī hoti, parañca samphappalāpe samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro.

And what is a true person? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, or use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. This is called a true person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti, kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato hoti, musāvādā paṭivirato hoti, pisuṇāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti, pharusāya vācāya paṭivirato, hoti, samphappalāpā paṭivirato hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappuriso.

And what is an even truer person? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, commit sexual misconduct, or use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they encourage others to refrain from these things. This is called an even truer person.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, parañca pāṇātipātā veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca adinnādānā paṭivirato hoti, parañca adinnādānā veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca kāmesumicchācārā paṭivirato hoti, parañca kāmesumicchācārā veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca musāvādā paṭivirato hoti, parañca musāvādā veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca pisuṇāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti, parañca pisuṇāya vācāya veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca pharusāya vācāya paṭivirato hoti, parañca pharusāya vācāya veramaṇiyā samādapeti; attanā ca samphappalāpā paṭivirato hoti, parañca samphappalāpā veramaṇiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro”ti.

AN 4.204 · Ten Kinds of Deeds

AN 4.204 · Dasakammasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you an untrue person and an even more untrue person, a true person and an even truer person.

“Asappurisañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, asappurisena asappurisatarañca; sappurisañca, sappurisena sappurisatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

And what is an untrue person? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. This is called an untrue person.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātī hoti, adinnādāyī hoti, kāmesumicchācārī hoti, musāvādī hoti, pisuṇavāco hoti, pharusavāco hoti, samphappalāpī hoti, abhijjhālu hoti, byāpannacitto hoti, micchādiṭṭhiko hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappuriso.

And what is an even more untrue person? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. They’re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. And they encourage others to do these things. This is called an even more untrue person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātī hoti, parañca pāṇātipāte samādapeti …pe… attanā ca abhijjhālu hoti, parañca abhijjhāya samādapeti; attanā ca byāpannacitto hoti, parañca byāpāde samādapeti, attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro.

And what is a true person? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don’t use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. This is called a true person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti …pe… anabhijjhālu hoti, abyāpannacitto hoti, sammādiṭṭhiko hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappuriso.

And what is an even truer person? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don’t use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. They’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. And they encourage others to do these things. This is called an even truer person.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, parañca pāṇātipātā veramaṇiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca anabhijjhālu hoti, parañca anabhijjhāya samādapeti; attanā ca abyāpannacitto hoti, parañca abyāpāde samādapeti; attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro”ti.

AN 4.205 · Eightfold

AN 4.205 · Aṭṭhaṅgikasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you an untrue person and an even more untrue person, a true person and an even truer person.

“Asappurisañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, asappurisena asappurisatarañca; sappurisañca, sappurisena sappurisatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

And what is an untrue person? It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong immersion. This is called an untrue person.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, micchāsaṅkappo hoti, micchāvāco hoti, micchākammanto hoti, micchāājīvo hoti, micchāvāyāmo hoti, micchāsati hoti, micchāsamādhi hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappuriso.

And what is an even more untrue person? It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, and wrong immersion. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called an even more untrue person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro? Idha bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti; attanā ca micchāsaṅkappo hoti, parañca micchāsaṅkappe samādapeti; attanā ca micchāvāco hoti, parañca micchāvācāya samādapeti; attanā ca micchākammanto hoti, parañca micchākammante samādapeti; attanā ca micchāājīvo hoti, parañca micchāājīve samādapeti; attanā ca micchāvāyāmo hoti, parañca micchāvāyāme samādapeti; attanā ca micchāsati hoti, parañca micchāsatiyā samādapeti; attanā ca micchāsamādhi hoti, parañca micchāsamādhimhi samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro.

And what is a true person? It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. This is called a true person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, sammāsaṅkappo hoti, sammāvāco hoti, sammākammanto hoti, sammāājīvo hoti, sammāvāyāmo hoti, sammāsati hoti, sammāsamādhi hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappuriso.

And what is an even truer person? It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right immersion. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called an even truer person.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti; attanā ca sammāsaṅkappo hoti, parañca sammāsaṅkappe samādapeti; attanā ca sammāvāco hoti, parañca sammāvācāya samādapeti; attanā ca sammākammanto hoti, parañca sammākammante samādapeti; attanā ca sammāājīvo hoti, parañca sammāājīve samādapeti; attanā ca sammāvāyāmo hoti, parañca sammāvāyāme samādapeti; attanā ca sammāsati hoti, parañca sammāsatiyā samādapeti; attanā ca sammāsamādhi hoti, parañca sammāsamādhimhi samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro”ti.

AN 4.206 · The Path with Ten Factors

AN 4.206 · Dasamaggasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you an untrue person and an even more untrue person, a true person and an even truer person.

“Asappurisañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, asappurisena asappurisatarañca; sappurisañca, sappurisena sappurisatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

And what is an untrue person? It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong immersion, wrong knowledge, and wrong freedom. This is called an untrue person.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… micchāñāṇī hoti, micchāvimutti hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappuriso.

And what is an even more untrue person? It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong immersion, wrong knowledge, and wrong freedom. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called an even more untrue person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca micchāñāṇī hoti, parañca micchāñāṇe samādapeti; attanā ca micchāvimutti hoti, parañca micchāvimuttiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, asappurisena asappurisataro.

And what is a true person? It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom. This is called a true person.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappuriso? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… sammāñāṇī hoti, sammāvimutti hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappuriso.

And what is an even truer person? It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called an even truer person.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca sammāñāṇī hoti, parañca sammāñāṇe samādapeti; attanā ca sammāvimutti hoti, parañca sammāvimuttiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, sappurisena sappurisataro”ti.

AN 4.207 · Bad Character (1st)

AN 4.207 · Paṭhamapāpadhammasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you who’s bad and who’s worse, who’s good and who’s better.

“Pāpañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, pāpena pāpatarañca; kalyāṇañca, kalyāṇena kalyāṇatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

And who’s bad? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. This is called bad.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātī hoti …pe… micchādiṭṭhiko hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpo.

And who’s worse? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. They’re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. And they encourage others to do these things. This is called worse.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpena pāpataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātī hoti, parañca pāṇātipāte samādapeti …pe… attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpena pāpataro.

And who’s good? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don’t use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. This is called good.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti …pe… sammādiṭṭhiko hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇo.

And who’s better? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don’t use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. They’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. And they encourage others to do these things. This is called better.”

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇena kalyāṇataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, parañca pāṇātipātā veramaṇiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇena kalyāṇataro”ti.

AN 4.208 · Bad Character (2nd)

AN 4.208 · Dutiyapāpadhammasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you who’s bad and who’s worse, who’s good and who’s better.

“Pāpañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, pāpena pāpatarañca; kalyāṇañca, kalyāṇena kalyāṇatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe…

And who’s bad? It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong immersion, wrong knowledge, and wrong freedom. This is called bad.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… micchāñāṇī hoti, micchāvimutti hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpo.

And who’s worse? It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong immersion, wrong knowledge, and wrong freedom. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called worse.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpena pāpataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca micchāñāṇī hoti, parañca micchāñāṇe samādapeti; attanā ca micchāvimutti hoti, parañca micchāvimuttiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpena pāpataro.

And who’s good? It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom. This is called good.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… sammāñāṇī hoti, sammāvimutti hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇo.

And who’s better? It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called better.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇena kalyāṇataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca sammāñāṇī hoti, parañca sammāñāṇe samādapeti; attanā ca sammāvimutti hoti, parañca sammāvimuttiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇena kalyāṇataro”ti.

AN 4.209 · Bad Character (3rd)

AN 4.209 · Tatiyapāpadhammasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you bad character and worse character, good character and better character.

“Pāpadhammañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, pāpadhammena pāpadhammatarañca; kalyāṇadhammañca, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

And who has bad character? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. This is called bad character.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpadhammo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātī hoti …pe… micchādiṭṭhiko hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpadhammo.

And who has worse character? It’s someone who kills living creatures, steals, and commits sexual misconduct. They use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. They’re covetous, malicious, with wrong view. And they encourage others to do these things. This is called worse character.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpadhammena pāpadhammataro? Idha bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātī hoti, parañca pāṇātipāte samādapeti …pe… attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpadhammena pāpadhammataro.

And who has good character? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don’t use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. And they’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. This is called good character.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti …pe… sammādiṭṭhiko hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammo.

And who has better character? It’s someone who doesn’t kill living creatures, steal, or commit sexual misconduct. They don’t use speech that’s false, backbiting, harsh, or nonsensical. They’re contented, kind-hearted, with right view. And they encourage others to do these things. This is called better character.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca pāṇātipātā paṭivirato hoti, parañca pāṇātipātā veramaṇiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammataro”ti.

AN 4.210 · Bad Character (4th)

AN 4.210 · Catutthapāpadhammasutta

“Mendicants, I will teach you bad character and worse character, good character and better character.

“Pāpadhammañca vo, bhikkhave, desessāmi, pāpadhammena pāpadhammatarañca; kalyāṇadhammañca, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammatarañca. Taṁ suṇātha …pe….

And who has bad character? It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong immersion, wrong knowledge, and wrong freedom. This is called bad character.

“Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpadhammo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco micchādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… micchāñāṇī hoti, micchāvimutti hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpadhammo.

And who has worse character? It’s someone who has wrong view, wrong purpose, wrong speech, wrong action, wrong livelihood, wrong effort, wrong mindfulness, wrong immersion, wrong knowledge, and wrong freedom. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called worse character.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, pāpadhammena pāpadhammataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca micchādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca micchādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca micchāñāṇī hoti, parañca micchāñāṇe samādapeti; attanā ca micchāvimutti hoti, parañca micchāvimuttiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, pāpadhammena pāpadhammataro.

And who has good character? It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom. This is called good character.

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammo? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco sammādiṭṭhiko hoti …pe… sammāñāṇī hoti, sammāvimutti hoti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammo.

And who has better character? It’s someone who has right view, right purpose, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right immersion, right knowledge, and right freedom. And they encourage others in these same qualities. This is called better character.”

Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammataro? Idha, bhikkhave, ekacco attanā ca sammādiṭṭhiko hoti, parañca sammādiṭṭhiyā samādapeti …pe… attanā ca sammāñāṇī hoti, parañca sammāñāṇe samādapeti; attanā ca sammāvimutti hoti, parañca sammāvimuttiyā samādapeti. Ayaṁ vuccati, bhikkhave, kalyāṇadhammena kalyāṇadhammataro”ti.