Ekamantaṁ nisinnaṁ kho anāthapiṇḍikaṁ gahapatiṁ bhagavā etadavoca: Seated to one side, the Auspicious One said to the householder Anāthapiṇḍika:
“citte, gahapati, byāpanne kāyakammampi byāpannaṁ hoti, vacīkammampi byāpannaṁ hoti, manokammampi byāpannaṁ hoti. “Householder, when the mind is amiss, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are also amiss. *Here “mind” is _citta_, while “mental action” is _mano-kamma_. See [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BafurjP_lJY) for a discussion that practically illustrates the distinction between _citta_ and _mano_.
What this means is that it's not the external properties of an act (even an act of thinking or _mano_) that determine its righteousness, but the state of mind (_citta_) that underlies it at that very moment. Therefore, acts that the whole world may regard as good and praiseworthy are, in light of the Dhamma, mistaken (_akusala_) if they are motivated by a defiled state of mind, while acts that the whole world may find reprehensible are righteous (_kusala_) if they are motivated by non-greed, non-aversion, and non-muddledness (e.g., [ going forth and leaving behind one’s family](https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=ud1.8)).
See also the essay [“Intentions behind one’s actions”](https://www.hillsidehermitage.org/intentions-behind-ones-actions/). Tassa byāpannakāyakammantassa byāpannavacīkammantassa byāpannamanokammantassa na bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, na bhaddikā kālakiriyā. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental actions are amiss will not have a good death. Seyyathāpi, gahapati, kūṭāgāre ducchanne kūṭampi byāpannaṁ hoti, gopānasiyopi byāpannā honti, bhittipi byāpannā hoti; Just as when a bungalow is poorly roofed, the roof peak, rafters, and walls are also amiss, evamevaṁ kho, gahapati, citte byāpanne kāyakammampi byāpannaṁ hoti, vacīkammampi byāpannaṁ hoti, manokammampi byāpannaṁ hoti. in the same way, when the mind is amiss, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are also amiss. Tassa byāpannakāyakammantassa byāpannavacīkammantassa byāpannamanokammantassa na bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, na bhaddikā kālakiriyā. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental actions are amiss will not have a good death.
Citte, gahapati, abyāpanne kāyakammampi abyāpannaṁ hoti, vacīkammampi abyāpannaṁ hoti, manokammampi abyāpannaṁ hoti. When the mind is not amiss, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are also not amiss. Tassa abyāpannakāyakammantassa abyāpannavacīkammantassa abyāpannamanokammantassa bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, bhaddikā kālakiriyā. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental actions are not amiss will have a good death. Seyyathāpi, gahapati, kūṭāgāre succhanne kūṭampi abyāpannaṁ hoti, gopānasiyopi abyāpannā honti, bhittipi abyāpannā hoti; Just as when a bungalow is well-roofed, the roof peak, rafters, and walls are also not amiss, evamevaṁ kho, gahapati, citte abyāpanne kāyakammampi abyāpannaṁ hoti, vacīkammampi abyāpannaṁ hoti, manokammampi abyāpannaṁ hoti. in the same way, when the mind is not amiss, bodily, verbal, and mental actions are also not amiss. Tassa abyāpannakāyakammantassa …pe… abyāpannamanokammantassa bhaddakaṁ maraṇaṁ hoti, bhaddikā kālakiriyā”ti. One whose bodily, verbal, and mental actions are not amiss will have a good death.”
Aṭṭhamaṁ.
Origin URL: https://suttas.hillsidehermitage.org/?q=an3.110