The WINGS to AWAKENING

Pali Buddhist Text

§ 3. Now what is unskillful? Taking life is unskillful, taking what is not given…sexual misconduct…lying…abusive speech…divisive tale-bearing…idle chatter is unskillful. Covetousness…ill will…wrong views are unskillful. These things are termed unskillful.
And what are the roots of unskillful things? Greed is a root of unskillful things, aversion is a root of unskillful things, delusion is a root of unskillful things. These are termed the roots of unskillful things.

And what is skillful? Abstaining from taking life is skillful, abstaining from taking what is not given…from sexual misconduct…from lying…from abusive speech…from divisive tale-bearing…abstaining from idle chatter is skillful. Lack of covetousness…lack of ill will…right views are skillful. These things are termed skillful.

And what are the roots of skillful things? Lack of greed is a root of skillful things, lack of aversion is a root of skillful things, lack of delusion is a root of skillful things. These are termed the roots of skillful things.
M.9