Key Dhamma Concepts > Saŋ – A Critical Pāli Root > Kamma are Done with Abhisaṅkhāra

May 13, 2019; revised May 14, 2019; August 27, 2022; rewritten December 6, 2024

August 27, 2022: This replaces an old post in this section entitled, “Saṅkhāra and Kammā, Viññāṇa and Kamma Bīja.” I have re-written it with a new title.

[Note: December 06, 2024: Title is being replaced from Kamma are Done with Saṅkhāra – Types of Saṅkhāra to Kamma are Done with Abhisaṅkhāra – Types of Abhisaṅkhāra ]

Kamma Usually Means “Akusala Kamma”

1. In the suttās, “kamma” ALWAYS refers to akusala kamma associated with rāga, dosa, moha (sometimes referred to as lobha, dosa, moha.) Furthermore, other entities like cetanā and phassa in the suttās also refer to “defiled entities” (sañcetanā and samphassa.)

▪In most English translations, “kamma” is translated as “deeds” or “action.” However, in Buddha Dhamma, kammically neutral actions are called “kiriya.” Therefore, “kamma” always refers to actions, speech, or thoughts based on rāga, dosa, and moha. Thus, “kamma” always means “akusala kamma,” which keeps one bound to the rebirth process. One attains Nibbāna by “kamma nirodha” or “cessation of kamma,” as discussed below.

▪There are ten specific akusala kamma; see “Ten Immoral Actions (Dasa Akusala).”

▪Even though “kusala kammās” are sometimes mentioned, there are no specific kusala kamma analogous to the ten types of akusala kamma. Instead, to engages in kusala kamma is to follow the Noble Eightfold Path/cultivate Satipaṭṭhāna.

2. The reason for the apparent confusion is that while there are ten specific akusala kamma, there are no such specific kusala kamma.

▪Kusala comes from “ku” +” sala,” where “ku” refers to “kunu” or kilesa or defilements, and “sala” means “to get rid of.” Akusala is the opposite of kusala.

▪Kusala kamma refers to “activities” based on lokuttara versions of alobha, adosa, and amoha. These “activities” are rooted in insight meditation (Vipassanā) that leads to magga phala. (Mundane versions of alobha, adosa, and amoha lead to “good rebirths” via puñña kamma. See “Six Root Causes – Loka Samudaya (Arising of Suffering) and Loka Nirodhaya (Nibbāna).”)

▪In other words, in most cases, “kamma” refers to akusala kamma. As we know, the generation of akusala kamma leads to future suffering and the continuation of the rebirth process.

▪Engaging in insight meditation (Vipassanā) is the “kusala kamma” activity that leads to the “cessation of the generation of kamma”; of course, there it means “cessation of the generation of akusala kamma.”

▪That is clear by looking at suttās which discuss “kamma nirodha” or the “cessation of (the generation of) kamma.”

Kusala Kamma = Kamma Nirodha via the Noble Path

3. For example, in the “WebLink: suttacentral: Kammanirodha Sutta (SN 35.146)” the question is asked, “Katamo ca, bhikkhave, kamma nirodho?” OR “What is the cessation of kamma?”

▪The answer is, “Yo kho, bhikkhave, kāyakamma vacīkamma manokammassa nirodhā vimuttiṁ phusati” OR “Kamma nirodha is when you experience Nibbāna (vimutti) due to the cessation of (akusala) kamma by body, speech, and mind.” Here, it means explicitly dasa akusala (three by the body, four by speech, and three by the mind); see “Ten Immoral Actions (Dasa Akusala).”

▪That is explicitly expressed in the subsequent verse of the “WebLink: suttacentral: Kammanirodha Sutta (SN 35.146)” @marker 1.14: “And what’s the practice that leads to the cessation of kamma? It is the Noble Eightfold Path.”

▪As we know, Nibbāna means to eliminate lobha, dosa, and moha from the mind. That means cultivating the Noble Path via, for example, Satipaṭṭhāna (equivalent to cultivating the Eightfold Noble Path.) Another way to say the same is “cultivating alobha, adosa, and amoha” or “eliminating all defilements from the mind.” All “actions” involved in that effort can be called “kusala kamma.” However, unlike the ten specific akusala kamma, there are no specific kusala kamma that one needs to do except engage in insight meditation. Of course, that can happen only after getting to the Sotāpanna stage.

Connection Between Saṅkhāra and Kammā

4. Saṅkhāra can be interpreted in several ways, but the following definition in the “WebLink: suttacentral: Upādānaparipavatta Sutta (SN 22.56)” makes it easier to see the connection to kamma: “Katame ca, bhikkhave, saṅkhārā? Chayime, bhikkhave, cetanākāyā—rūpasañcetanā, saddasañcetanā, gandhasañcetanā, rasasañcetanā, phoṭṭhabbasañcetanā, dhammasañcetanā” OR “Saṅkhāra are the same as six types of sañcetanā—rūpasañcetanā, saddasañcetanā, gandhasañcetanā, rasasañcetanā, phoṭṭhabbasañcetanā, dhammasañcetanā.” Of course, saṅkhāra here refers to abhisaṅkhāra (because they are done with sañcetanā.)

▪That is similar to the definition given in the “WebLink: suttacentral: Nibbedhika Sutta (AN 6.63)”: “Cetanāhaṁ, bhikkhave, kammaṁ vadāmi” OR “It is cetanā that I call kamma.” However, as in many suttās, cetanā refers to sañcetanā (cetanā defiled by “sañ” or rāga, dosa, moha) in the same way that saṅkhāra referred to abhisaṅkhāra above.

▪That becomes clear in the next verse, “Cetayitvā kammaṁ karoti—kāyena vācāya manasā” OR “With deliberate thinking (cetayitvā), one engages in kamma by way of body, speech, and mind.”

▪These are the dasa akusala kamma that we discussed above. It is clear that the arising of sañcetanā in mind leads to engaging in akusala kamma.

Phassa, Vedanā, Cetanā, Saṅkhāra = Samphassa, Samphassa-jā-Vedanā, Sañcetanā, Abhisaṅkhāra

5. It is good to keep in mind the following. What the Buddha referred to with the word “cetanā” in the suttās is almost always “sañcetanā.” In those days, people understood that.

▪In the same way, phassa means samphassa; vedanā means “samphassa-jā-vedanā”; saṅkhāra means abhisaṅkhāra; rūpa does not mean an external rūpa, but the “image of that external rūpa created by the mind” (thus, one does attach to the external rūpa, but to the mind-made rūpa.”

Distinctions Are Clear in Abhidhamma

6. When the Abhidhamma theory was completed hundreds of years after the passing away of the Buddha, those distinctions were made clear. For example, phassa, cetanā, vedanā, are cetasika (mental factors) that arise with each citta, even a purified citta.

▪When the image of an external rūpa makes contact with the mind, that initial “contact” is “phassa.” If the mind attaches to it, raga/dosa/moha can arise in the mind, and it becomes a “defiled contact” or “samphassa” (“saŋ” + “phassa.”)

▪Samphassa takes place in a defiled mind, where the “contact” with the “mind-made rūpa” leads to the arising of extra cetasika. For example, if the “mind-made rūpa” leads to a joyful vedanā (which is now a “samphassa-jā-vedanā“), then that contact is defiled with lobha; thus, samphassa means that lobha cetasika arises in mind. Again, that leads to a “samphassa-jā-vedanā” of a joyful vedanā by incorporating the pīti cetasika into that defiled citta. Thus, with Abhidhamma, the distinctions are clear, and there is no doubt what each word means.

▪On the other hand, as I pointed out above, in sutta deliveries, the Buddha rarely referred to the pure forms of phassa, vedanā, cetanā, etc. Rather, those words in the suttās almost always refer to samphassa, “samphassa-jā-vedanā,” and sañcetanā. This is a bit of information that is good to keep in mind when reading suttās. Most translators do not even know the difference!

Saṅkhāra and Kammā Can be Good or Bad

7. Therefore, saṅkhāra can be understood in a deeper sense by realizing that types of saṅkhāra generated are defined by the types of cetasika (mental factors) in one’s thoughts.

▪Some citta (thoughts) do not have either good (sobhana) cetasika or bad (asobhana) cetasika. Such a citta is said to have kammically neutral saṅkhāra. Such kammically neutral saṅkhāra involve only the types of cetasika like vedanā, saññā, and viriya that do not belong to either sobhana or asobhana categories.

▪Kammically relevant saṅkhāra (or abhisaṅkhāra) involve either sobhana cetasika (for kusala kammā) or asobhana cetasika (for akusala kammā).

▪Therefore, abhisaṅkhāra that involve sobhana cetasika are puñña abhisaṅkhāra or puññābhisaṅkhāra. Those that involve asobhana cetasika are apuññābhisaṅkhāra; see, “Cetasika (Mental Factors).”

Saṅkhāra and Abhisaṅkhāra

8. Saṅkhāra becomes abhisaṅkhāra when acting with greed, hate, and ignorance; see, “Nibbāna – Is it Difficult to Understand?.”

▪The sansāric process or the rebirth process is fueled by abhisaṅkhāra. Here, the prefix “abhi” means “strong.”

▪An Arahant does not generate abhisaṅkhāra, i.e., thoughts of greed, hate, and ignorance.

▪It must be noted that an Arahant would not generate puññābhisaṅkhāra (puñña abhisaṅkhāra) but can do puñña kiriya; see, “Kilesa – Relationship to Akusala, Kusala, and Puñña Kamma.”

▪Kiriya means “actions” or “deeds” without the involvement of greed, hate, and ignorance, i.e., they do not have kammic consequences.

▪One’s puññābhisaṅkhāra turns to puñña kiriya when one fully comprehends Tilakkhaṇa (anicca, dukkha, anatta).

Rebirth Process Maintained by Abhisaṅkhāra

9. Therefore, the sansaric process — or the rebirth process — is fueled by abhisaṅkhāra.

▪The word sansāra comes from “saŋ” + “sāra” where “sāra” means “beneficial”; see, “What is “Saŋ”? Meaning of Saŋsāra (or Saṁsāra)”.

▪One will have the perception that “this world is beneficial or fruitful” as long as one cannot grasp that most births in this world are filled with suffering.

▪Even though some realms (like human, deva, and Brahma) may have long stretches of “pleasures,” those are negligible compared to long stretches of suffering in the apāyās (the four lower realms, including the animal realm).

▪Sansāric process is fueled by (abhi)saṅkhāra. This is why an Arahant will not be reborn in the 31 realms of this world. He/she would not generate abhisaṅkhāra.

10. Knowing a bit of Abhidhamma can help clarify certain key dhamma concepts. It is not hard to learn. Since Abhidhamma was finalized after the Parinibbāna of the Buddha, these details are not in the suttās. See “Abhidhamma – Introduction.”

▪Now, we can gain a new perspective on cetasika in terms of “saŋ” As we know, “saŋ” is what keeps us in the rebirth process or saŋsāra; see, “What is “Saŋ”? Meaning of Saŋsāra (or Saṁsāra).”

▪We can see that such asobhana cetasika are what give rise to “saŋ” in apuññābhi saṅkhāra, which leads to rebirth in the bad realms.

▪On the other hand, sobhana cetasika are what give rise to “saŋ” in puññābhi saṅkhāra, which leads to rebirth in the good realms.

▪Therefore, both apuññābhi saṅkhāra and puññābhi saṅkhāra perpetuate the rebirth process.

Puññābhisaṅkhāra Are Also Done With Avijjā

11. In WebLink: suttacentral: Paṭiccasamuppāda Vibhaṅga (Abhidhamma Vb6), the term “avijjā paccayā saṅkhārā” in akusala-mūla Paṭicca Samuppāda (that leads to suffering) is explained as follows: “Tattha katame avijjā paccayā saṅkhārā? Puññābhisaṅkhāro, apuññābhisaṅkhāro, āneñjābhisaṅkhāro, kāyasaṅkhāro, vacīsaṅkhāro, cittāsaṅkhāro.”

Translated: “What is avijjā paccayā saṅkhārā? Puññābhisaṅkhāra, apuññābhisaṅkhāra, āneñjābhisaṅkhāra, kāyasaṅkhāra, vacīsaṅkhāra, cittāsaṅkhāra”. (here, cittāsaṅkhāra is the same as manosaṅkhāra).

▪It needs to be noted that these are all abhisaṅkhāra, even though the verse is simplified as “avijjā paccayā saṅkhārā.”

▪There are two categories of saṅkhāra mentioned there: one category refers to types of kamma accrued. The other category refers to how kamma accumulation occurs via the body, speech, or mind. See “Saṅkhāra – What It Really Means.”

▪Therefore, saṅkhāra has a much deeper meaning than just “mental formations,” even though that is better than the translation for viññāṇa as consciousness.

12. A question may arise about how puññābhisaṅkhāra (or meritorious thoughts) arise with avijjā.

▪A simple answer is that until one FULLY comprehends anicca, dukkha, and anatta (i.e., that anywhere in this world of 31 realms is not devoid of suffering), one does even meritorious deeds with an expectation of “good outcomes/ good rebirths” in this world.

▪Therefore, until one FULLY comprehends anicca, dukkha, and anatta, one WILL have avijjā even when engaged in “meritorious deeds.”

Do We Need to Avoid Good Saṅkhāra (Puñña Abhisaṅkhāra)?

13. We MUST engage in puññābhi saṅkhāra to avoid rebirth in the bad realms and also to cultivate morality, and also to prepare the necessary environment (especially to be healthy and to avoid poverty).

▪The Buddha has emphasized the need to engage in meritorious deeds (puññābhi saṅkhāra) in many Suttās; see, for example, “WebLink: suttacentral: Sumana Sutta (AN 5.31).”

▪Nibbāna is attained by realizing the fruitlessness in rebirth anywhere in the 31 realms. For that, one needs to comprehend anicca, dukkha, and anatta. To facilitate that, one needs to attain the correct mindset by engaging in puñña kammā (puññābhi saṅkhāra).

▪Once one FULLY comprehends anicca, dukkha, and anatta (i.e., when one becomes an Arahant), one’s puññābhi saṅkhāra will turn into puñña kiriyā. This is a subtle point.

Instead of Puññābhisaṅkhāra an Arahant will do Puñña Kiriyā

14. Once one FULLY comprehends anicca, dukkha, and anatta (i.e., when one becomes an Arahant), one’s puññābhi saṅkhāra will turn into puñña kiriyā without kammic consequences. Thus, one will do meritorious deeds without any expectations (this is what is meant by “viññāṇa nirodha,” too).

▪Then, those meritorious actions will not lead to rebirth, even in the “good realms.” An Arahant does not wish to be reborn in any realm because he/she has seen the “anicca nature” of all 31 realms. This is a subtle point.

▪This last part may not be apparent to everyone. This is the “previously unheard Dhamma” that is hard to grasp (“pubbe ananussutesu dhammesu” that the Buddha mentioned in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta).