Section outline
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Lesson 3.5.0 Sammākammanto – Right Actions
This chapter on sammākammanto, or "right actions", is introduced by four verses from the Dhammapada's "Pair chapter." Sammākammanto (sammā + kammanto) gets translated as ‘right, proper, correct’ + ‘deed, acting, working, performing, occupation’: right action. Right action, in general, refers to physical, bodily action in day-to-day life. The Buddha outlines how these actions, and their wholesome and unwholesome counterparts, are tied to a being's destiny. The concept of kamma is central here, referring to both the actions themselves and their subsequent results or fruit (vipāka). The text explains that kamma isn't just about future lives; good actions bring mental and physical joy in the present, while evil actions lead to immediate mental anguish. Ultimately, kamma is the expression of one's will through speech (vacīkamma), body (kāyakamma), or the mind (manokamma), and these volitions leave an effect that shapes a being's present and future. For followers and practioners of the Buddha's teaching, understanding kamma becomes a firm conviction that inspires them to improve themselves.