Updated 10 April 2024
Ajivatthamaka Sila (The Eight Precepts with Right Livelihood as the Eighth) and The Eightfold Path Ariya Atthangika Magga (The Noble Eightfold Path) and Dasa Kusala Kamma-patha (Ten Courses of Wholesome Action)
Ajivatthamaka Sila (The Eight Precepts with Right Livelihood as the Eighth)
1) Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept to refrain from killing and injuring living beings
2) Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept to refrain from taking that which is not given
3) Kamesu micchacara veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept to refrain from sexual misconduct and excessive sensuality
4) Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept to refrain from false and harmful speech
5) Pisuna vaca veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept to refrain from backbiting
6) Pharusa vaca veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept to refrain from using harsh or abusive speech
7) Samphappalapa veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept to refrain from useless or meaningless conversation
8) Micchajiva veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami
I undertake the Precept to refrain from wrong means of livelihood
Ajīvaṭṭhamaka Sīla (The Eight Precepts with Right Livelihood as the Eighth) with Diacriticals
1) Pāṇātipātā veramaṇī‧sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
I undertake the Precept to refrain from killing and injuring living beings
2) Adinnādānā veramaṇī‧sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
I undertake the Precept to refrain from taking that which is not given
3) Kāmesu micchācārā veramaṇī‧sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
I undertake the Precept to refrain from sexual misconduct and excessive sensuality
4) Musāvādā veramaṇī‧sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
I undertake the Precept to refrain from false and harmful speech
5) Pisuṇāvācā veramaṇī‧sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
I undertake the Precept to refrain from backbiting
6) Pharusāyavācā veramaṇī‧sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
I undertake the Precept to refrain from using harsh or abusive speech
7) Samphappalāpā veramaṇī‧sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
I undertake the Precept to refrain from useless or meaningless conversation
8) Micchājīvā veramaṇī‧sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi
I undertake the Precept to refrain from wrong means of livelihood
The Ajivatthamaka Sila occurs in the Abhidhamma Pitaka, Sutta Pitaka and the Commentaries.
Ariya Atthangika Magga (The Noble Eightfold Path)
Wisdom Group Pannakkhandha
1. Right view samma-ditthi
2. Right motivation samma-sankappa
Morality Group Silakkandha
3. Right speech samma–vaca
4. Right action (bodily) samma–kammanta
5. Right livelihood samma-avjiva
Concentration Group Sammadhikkhandha
6. Right effort samma–vayama
7. Right mindfulness samma–sati
8. Right concentration samma-samadhi
The Ajivatthamaka Sila corresponds to the sila (morality) group of the Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha’s teachings in their practical aspect are the threefold training of sila (morality), samadhi (concentration) and panna (wisdom). The threefold training includes the entire Noble Eightfold Path. The wholesome physical and vocal actions in the Ajivatthamaka Sila are morality as taught in the threefold training and in the sila (morality group) of the Noble Eightfold Path: Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood.
In Magganga-Dipani: The Manual of The Constituents of the Noble Path, 1986 edition pages 42-43, Venerable Ledi Sayadaw explains the “forming of the Noble Eightfold Path into Three Groups as follows:
- Silakkandha (Morality-group) comprises Right Speech, Right Action and Right Livelihood.
- Sammadhikkhandha (Concentration-group) comprises Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.
- Pannakkhandha (Wisdom-group) comprises Right Understanding and Right Thinking.”
“The three constituents of the Morality-group, when considered in detail, become Ajivatthamaka Sila in the following manner:
- I will abstain from taking life.
- I will abstain from stealing.
- I will abstain from indulging in sexual misconduct and taking intoxicants.
These three comprise Right Action. - I will abstain from telling lies.
- I will abstain from setting one person against another.
- I will abstain from using rude and rough words.
- I will abstain from talking frivolously.
These four comprise Right Speech. - Samma-ajiva (Right Livelihood) means livelihood without resorting to taking lives, etc.
Thus the three constituents of the Morality-group, become Ajivatthamaka Sila.”
This is in The Manuals of Buddhism (VRI Vipassana Research Institute) on page 430.
This is in The Manuals of Dhamma (The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation) on page 230.
Dasa Kusala Kamma-patha (Ten Courses of Wholesome Action)
The Dhamma explains three types of kamma: kaya kamma (bodily action), vaci kamma (vocal action), and mano kamma (mental action). These are known as the three doorways of action and are presented as the Dasa Kusala Kamma-patha (Ten Courses of Wholesome Action) in the Sutta Pitaka. The first seven Precepts of the Ajivatthamaka Sila correspond to the first seven of the Dasa Kusala Kamma-patha (Ten Courses of Wholesome Action). The first three Precepts correspond to the bodily action group and the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh Precepts correspond to the verbal action group. The Ten Courses of Wholesome Action are explained in the The Book of The Gradual Sayings (Anguttara Nikaya) Volume V (The Book of The Tens and Elevens), Chapter III The Great Chapter IX (28) The Great Questions and Chapter XVII X (176) Cunda the Silversmith pages 175-180.
Bodily Actions
1. Avoidance of killing Panatipata veramani
2. Avoidance of stealing Adinnadana veramani
3. Avoidance of abuse of the senses Kamesu micchacara veramani
Verbal Actions
4. Avoidance of lying Musavada veramani
5. Avoidance of slandering Pisuna vaca veramani
6. Avoidance of harsh speech Pharusa vaca veramani
7. Avoidance of frivolous talk Samphappalapa veramani
Mental Actions
8. Unselfishness/non-covetousness Anabhijjha
9. Good-will/non-ill-will Avyapada
10. Right Views/Right Understanding Samma ditthi
This Sutta is in The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya. Translated from the Pali: by Bhikkhu Bodhi, 176 (10) Cunda pages 1518-1523 and Notes page 1855.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
Ledi Sayadaw, Venerable. Magganga-Dipani: The Manual of The Constituents of the Noble Path. 1986. (Revised edition). (Southsea, S.S. Davidson) (ISBN 0-9511206-0-3) (ISBN 978-09511206-0-6)
(Magganga-Dipani: The Manual of The Constituents of the Noble Path is included in The Manuals of Buddhism as Chapter 7 pages 388-445 and The Manuals of Dhamma pages 209-238.)
Ledi Sayadaw, Venerable. The Manuals of Buddhism. 2004. (Yangon, Myanmar [Burma] Mother Ayeyarwaddy Publishing House).
Available at Internet Archive San Francisco California USA
https://archive.org/details/LediSayadawManualOfBuddhism
(Taipei Taiwan, The Corporate Body of the Buddha Educational Foundation, 20??) (Book code EN302).
Available at https://www-old.budaedu.org/en/
Ledi Sayadaw, Venerable. The Manuals of Dhamma. 2011 reprint of 1999. (Dhammagiri, Igatpuri (Nasik), Mahastra, India, VRI Vipassana Research Institute). (ISBN 978-81-7414-202-9).
Available at VRI Vipassana Research Institute
https://www.vridhamma.org/About-VRI
The Manuals of Dhamma
https://www.vridhamma.org/free-books
Available at Internet Archive San Francisco California USA
https://archive.org/
The Manuals of Dhamma
https://archive.org/details/AManualOfDhamma
https://archive.org/details/the-manual-of-dhamma-by-ven-ledi-sayadaw
PTS Pali Text Society
Updated editions are listed on the PTS website.
The Book of the Gradual Sayings: (Anguttara-Nikaya) or More Numbered Suttas Volume V (The Book of The Tens and Elevens), 1986 reprint of 1936. (Translator F.L. Woodward). (Oxford, Pali Text Society). (ISBN 0-86013-018-5)
https://palitextsociety.org/product/the-book-of-the-gradual-sayings-5-volumes/
The Book of the Gradual Sayings: (Anguttara-Nikaya) (5 volumes) https://palitextsociety.org/product/the-book-of-the-gradual-sayings-5-volumes/
The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya. Translated from the Pali: by Bhikkhu Bodhi. 2012. (Oxford, Pali Text Society). (ISBN 978-0-86013-499-2).
https://palitextsociety.org/product/the-numerical-discourses-of-the-buddha/
Suttas and Translations
Suttas and translations are available on the Access to Insight, dhammatalks.org website and Sutta Central websites.
Access to Insight https://www.accesstoinsight.org/
dhammatalks.org https://www.dhammatalks.org/ https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/
Sutta Central https://suttacentral.net/?lang=en
Wisdom Experience
The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Anguttara Nikaya. Translated from the Pali: by Bhikkhu Bodhi. 2012. (Boston USA, Wisdom Publications). (ISBN 978-61429-040-7).
https://wisdomexperience.org/product/numerical-discourses-buddha/