Do not follow the path of harm,
Do not walk where darkness grows.
Do not kill, steal, or cause misconduct,
Let compassion guide the road.
Do not speak lies that wound another,
Do not divide the hearts of friends.
Leave harsh words and empty chatter,
Let truthful speech become our strength.
[Chorus]
Choose the path worth following,
Choose the Dhamma bright and true.
Leave behind what brings harm,
Let wisdom guide what we do.
Choose the friends who live by virtue,
Choose the words that bring goodwill.
Let go of hatred and ill will,
Walk with Right View, calm and still.
[Verse 2]
Do not covet what belongs to others,
Do not let anger rule the mind.
See the world with Right Understanding,
Let compassion make us kind.
Honor those who live with virtue,
Praise the good that should be praised.
Respect the path of wholesome living,
And let wisdom slowly be raised.
[Chorus]
Choose the path worth following,
Choose the Dhamma bright and true.
Leave behind what brings harm,
Let wisdom guide what we do.
[Final Verse]
When body, speech, and mind are wholesome,
The heart becomes clear and free.
Day by day we cultivate goodness,
Walking toward wisdom peacefully.
The Sevitabba-Asevitabba Vagga: Choosing What to Associate With and What to Avoid
Ten Principles for Ethical Association, Purity, Humility, Wisdom, and Merit
The Sevitabba-Asevitabba Vagga, the fifth chapter of the Catuttha Paṇṇāsaka in the Aṅguttara Nikāya, Tipiṭaka Volume 24, presents an important teaching on how people should discern what is worthy of association and what should be avoided.
In Discourse 188, the Buddha explains two contrasting groups: a person endowed with ten qualities who should not be associated with, and a person endowed with ten qualities who should be associated with. The same principle is extended to companionship, approaching, honoring, praising, respecting, revering, and taking delight in particular people and qualities.
Ten Qualities That Should Not Be Followed
The ten unwholesome qualities are:
Killing living beings
Stealing
Sexual misconduct
False speech
Divisive speech
Harsh speech
Idle or frivolous speech
Coveting what belongs to others
Ill will
Wrong view
The teaching presents these qualities as reasons not to associate with or follow such a person. It also applies the same ethical distinction to approaching, honoring, praising, respecting, revering, and taking delight in others.
Ten Qualities Worth Following
The opposite qualities are presented as worthy of association. They include abstaining from killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct; abstaining from false, divisive, harsh, and frivolous speech; not coveting the possessions of others; having a mind free from ill will; and maintaining right view.
The teaching therefore emphasizes that meaningful association should be based not merely on social status, reputation, or outward appearance, but on conduct and ethical qualities.
From Association to a Way of Life
The Vagga develops the idea of association beyond simply choosing companions. The same distinction is applied to whether one should approach, honor, praise, respect, revere, or take delight in particular people.
The discourse also connects these qualities with inner development. Unwholesome qualities are associated with impurity, failure to overcome conceit, and lack of growth in wisdom. Wholesome qualities, by contrast, are associated with purity, overcoming conceit, and the development of wisdom.
Body, Speech, and Mind
The ten qualities can be understood through three dimensions of conduct.
The bodily actions are killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct.
The verbal actions are false speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech.
The mental actions are covetousness, ill will, and wrong view.
The wholesome alternative is abstention from these unwholesome actions together with the cultivation of right view.
In this sense, the teaching provides an ethical framework for examining what we repeatedly encounter, whom we associate with, what we support, and what we choose to value.
The Consequences of Ethical Choice
The final section of the discourse states that a person possessing the ten unwholesome qualities encounters much that is non-meritorious, whereas one possessing the ten wholesome qualities encounters much merit.
The teaching therefore concerns not merely the judgment of other people, but also the choices individuals make in shaping their own habits, thoughts, speech, and actions.
Conclusion
The Sevitabba-Asevitabba Vagga offers a practical principle for daily life: what we repeatedly associate with influences our thoughts; what we associate with influences our conduct; and what we value influences the direction of our lives.
The tenfold teaching functions as a mirror through which people can examine themselves: What am I consuming? Whom am I associating with? What qualities am I praising? And what qualities am I allowing to grow within myself?
The central message is therefore to cultivate what is wholesome, abandon what is unwholesome, associate with people of good qualities, and develop body, speech, and mind toward purity and wisdom.
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