To be a good person... - Part 3

A human rebirth is as an extraordinarily rare and valuable opportunity. In the human realm, unlike in many others, there is the right balance of joy and suffering that allows for reflection, moral actions, and the pursuit of wisdom. Recognising how rare this chance truly is invites us to consider carefully how we use it. To live carelessly, consumed by greed, anger, or heedlessness, is to squander what took countless lifetimes to attain. But to live with wholesome deeds and intentions in mind and wisdom is to honour this precious condition, and plant causes that will uplift both ourselves and others. In understanding the value of our human life, we are gently urged to become better people. Not from mere obligation, but from gratitude for having drawn this rare breath of human existence.

There are several qualities mentioned by the Buddha that humans and devas alike must develop in their current existences to only not lead a life that is worthwhile, but also to guarantee favourable rebirths and eventual to full realisation of Nibbāna. In this post, the three types of failures mentioned in Vipatti-sampadā Sutta will be outlined that are needed to be avoided in order to ensure our current existence is worthwhile.

In this sutta, the Buddha mentioned as follows:

"Monks, there are these three failures.

What three?

1. Failure in morals,

2. Failure in mind, and

3. Failure in view."

1. Why failure in morals (sīla-vipatti) causes a decline from being a good person:

What constitutes a failure in morals? The Buddha said that an individual who engages in:

• taking life,

• stealing,

• sexual misconduct,

• false speech, and

• consuming intoxicants

As you can understand that these five unwholesome actions are the direct violations of the five precepts that every individual who wishes to be termed a morally upright person must follow, whether they are Buddhist or not.

When an individual deliberately engages in actions such as taking life, stealing, sexual misconduct, distorted forms of speech—such as lying, slander— and consuming intoxicants they undermine their own moral foundation firstly and also only their relationship with others. Morality (sīla) is the ground upon which mental clarity and wisdom must be built. To transgress against it is to weaken one’s trustworthiness, to create conflict in the community, and to disturb the very peace of one’s mind.

When precepts are broken, they do not simply vanish as isolated acts; each leaves a kammic imprint, conditioning future experiences marked by loss, mistrust, and suffering. Direct kammic results generally linked to breaking the five precepts are purely suffering that can ripen either in this life or future lives, with intensity depending on intention, object, frequency, and completion of the act.

• Taking life: the direct results are a shortened lifespan, frequent illness, living in fear, and vulnerability to violence and danger. Rebirth consequences include the four woeful realms and, if reborn human, being prone to diseases, injuries and disabilities.

• Stealing: the direct results are poverty, loss of property, unmet needs, and repeated disappointment in acquiring or keeping wealth, status and possessions. Rebirth consequences include scarcity and repeated or sudden loss even when gain occurs.

• Sexual misconduct: the direct results are enmity, jealousy, broken trust, including humiliation and social censure. Rebirth consequences include troubled relationships, wrongful accusations, betrayal, and becoming an individual without proper marks of a gender.

• False speech: the direct results are disbelief by others even when speaking truth, damaged reputation, and loss of credibility and influence. Rebirth consequences include being maligned or not trusted, and one’s words having little weight or efficacy.

• Intoxicants that cause heedlessness: the direct results are loss of wealth, quarrels, illness, a bad reputation, shameless behaviour, and weakening of discernment. Rebirth consequences include dullness, confusion, and circumstances that foster heedlessness, making wholesome conduct harder to sustain.

The results of our actions depend on things like the strength of our intention, whether we planned it, how serious the harm is, how often it happens, and whether we feel remorse. Stronger unwholesome roots naturally bring heavier consequences. Breaking the precepts isn’t just a rule violation, it weakens restraint, conscience, and care for others, which are what make human life wholesome.

Keeping the precepts protects both ourselves and society. Each vow removes a type of predictable harm and replaces it with a space of trust. By not taking life or stealing, we commit to non-violence, calming our own minds and giving others a sense of safety. Sexual responsibility prevents betrayal and exploitation. Speaking truthfully, without slander or abuse, builds trust, cooperation, and respect, while reducing humiliation and conflict. Avoiding intoxicants keeps our minds clear and accountable. In this way, the precepts are a daily gift of safety and peace to countless beings. Anyone who wants to grow empathy, compassion, and loving-kindness must keep these principles in mind and strengthen their own sīla.

2. Why failure in mind (citta-vipatti) causes a decline from being a good person:

Failure in mind means the inner collapse of wholesome intention: a heart that habitually reaches outward in craving and turns against others in ill will. The failure in mind refers to the mind filled with covetousness and malevolence.

Covetousness (abhijjhā) grasps at what belongs to others—status, possessions, relationships—so the mind becomes contracted, and unable to rejoice in others’ welfare (the opposite of muditā). A malevolent mind (byāpāda) leads to scenarios of harm, resentment and retaliation, so the mind becomes heated, rough and rigid.

To expand: covetousness is not mere wishing, but an acquisitive urge that fixates on "this has to be mine". It erodes contentment and breeds envy, and as it strengthens, one’s moral restraint weakens, since the good of others is now felt as a threat to one’s own gain. Malevolence is not just a short burst of irritation, but a sustained ill-will—“they must suffer”—which corrodes compassion and prepares the ground for all unwholesome deeds. These two failures in mind are roots that feed many breaches in conduct: where covetousness leads, theft and exploitation follow; where malevolence leads, harshness and violence become thinkable.

The Buddha repeatedly warned that these two mental states of abhijjhā (covetousness) and byāpāda (ill will) are defilements that stain the mind, undermine practice, and lead to unwholesome action and results. In the Vatthūpama Sutta, he lists “covetousness and unrighteous greed” and “ill will” at the head of the imperfections that defile the mind and must be abandoned for the "cloth" of the mind to become clean and fit for absorption and insight.

3. Why failure in views (diṭṭhi-vipatti) causes a decline from being a good person:

The Brahmajala Sutta mentions 62 types of wrong views (micchā-diṭṭhi) but here “failure in view” refer specifically to the three extremes the Buddha warned against: akiriyāvāda (the belief that actions have no effect), ahetukavāda (the denial of moral causes), and natthikavāda (nihilism, which denies the results of actions, moral duties, and the afterlife).

To understand this, we first need to first understand its opposite: what right view means. According to the Buddha, right view at its core is the “right view of kamma” (kammassakatā-sammādiṭṭhi). This is the conviction that deeds—whether good or bad—bear fruit; that intentional actions shape both present and future results; and that each person inherits the consequences of their own kamma.

“Ownership of action” means intentional deeds (body, speech, mind) leave kammic forces or imprints that ripen as experiences and existences. With such understanding, a person sees that all their physical, verbal and mental actions are weighty and personally inescapable.

Right view is of two levels. First is mundane right view: at its core is the confidence in kamma and its results. This gives direction to one’s life, encouraging generosity, virtue, and heedfulness. It is described as “with effluents,” since it supports the accumulation of merit and leads towards fortunate rebirth. Second is supramundane right view: the wisdom that penetrates the Four Noble Truths (with insight) and conditionality, cutting through the very roots of suffering. This is “without effluents,” operating at the moment of Path and Fruition, and sees Nibbāna as it is.

Although supramundane right view may arise with deeper practice for some readers, everyone should focus on cultivating mundane right view strongly first—the right view of kamma. The reason why we have to cultivate such right view is to protect against the three extremes the Buddha rejects: akiriyāvāda (non‑action/inefficacy of action), ahetukavāda (denial of moral causes), and natthikavāda (nihilism that denies fruits, duties, and afterlife). These three are termed as 'niyata-micchā-diṭṭhi' (wrong views with fixed destiny: hell).

Against akiriyāvāda:

Right view directly opposes akiriyāvāda: the view that physical, verbal, and mental actions carry no weight and bring no consequences. In contrast, it recognises that intention (cetanā) is what makes an action kamma, and that such actions lead to results (vipāka), both now and later. Our choices shape the course of our lives, and responsibility cannot be shifted onto someone else; no one can suffer in place of another’s wrongdoings. With this understanding, we are encouraged to live carefully: keeping the precepts, practising generosity and meditation.

Against ahetukavāda:

Ahetukavāda denies moral causes, claiming that outcomes are causeless or simply random. Right view counters this by showing that there are clear roots at work: greed (lobha), hatred (dosa), and delusion (moha) lead to suffering, while generosity (alobha), non-hatred (adosa), and wisdom (amoha) lead to well-being. These wholesome and unwholesome roots are real conditions that shape body, speech, and mind, and they carry real consequences. Right view shows us that much of what we experience in this life comes from past actions, is shaped by the choices we make now, and that harmful actions can be abandoned while wholesome ones can be intentionally cultivated to bring positive results both now and in the future.

Against natthikavāda:

Natthikavāda says that “there is nothing”, a view mostly held by materialists: actions bring no results, there’s no debt of gratitude to parents or helpers, no afterlife, and nothing really matters in a moral sense. Right view pushes back against this, showing that all that we do have consequences, that gratitude and duty are real, and that life doesn’t begin and end with this one existence—there were past lives, and there will be future ones. Seeing things this way gives life purpose and urgency, and helps us understand our choices within the much bigger picture of saṃsāra.

These three extreme views are called "niyata-micchā-diṭṭhi" (wrong views with fixed destiny) because, once firmly held, they shape intention, speech, and action into a stable, self-reinforcing pattern that almost inevitably leads to unwholesome results—so much so that the next immediate rebirth is destined for hell. “Niyata” means a hardened orientation: the view is not a passing doubt but a settled belief, “fixed” through repeated choice and mental reinforcement. Those who hold such views cannot attain liberation in this life, nor in future lives unless they abandon them through wise attention and association. Their beliefs are so entrenched that even the Buddha cannot guide them as long as they do not let go of them.

There are also various cloaks or manifestations of these views such as:

Issaranimmāna-vāda – 'creationism': the belief that everything happens solely because of God, Brahma or an ever-present creator. According to this view, all events, outcomes, and phenomena are entirely the work of a divine being, leaving no room for personal responsibility or the role of one’s own actions.

Pubbekatahetu-vāda – 'determinism': the belief that everything is determined by past causes, so there is nothing one can do in the present. Those who hold this view mistake the ‘beginnings’ of an event for its ultimate root cause, treating them as the same when they are actually separate. In other words, while past conditions influence the present, present actions still have the power to shape outcomes. By ignoring this, they deny the possibility of intentional effort and moral responsibility.

Of the three failures (vipatti) as outlined in the sutta, the worst is this niyata-micchā-diṭṭhi, the kind of wrong view that leads straight to rebirth in hell. Holding onto it wastes the precious human life we’ve been given—a life that’s rare and not easy to come by. If we truly value this opportunity, where we can cultivate our paramīs, practise dāna, sīla, and bhāvana, and even aim for Arahantship, then we must make the right view of kamma a constant part of our lives. Only with steady practice and insight, fully developed by at least Sotāpanna, does this understanding become unshakable and permanent.

Although right view of kamma is at the core, the Buddha outlined that with one should develop firm understanding that:

• generosity is real: acts of giving are choices, not strictly determined.

• actions (kamma) are real and produce results, which can be good or bad.

• various beings (and the 31 realms) exist, and some—such as one’s parents—deserve gratitude.

• there is life after death, and before this existence.

• in some realms, beings are spontaneously reborn (e.g., in the deva and brahma realms, hells, or the realm of hungry ghosts) according to their kamma, without parents.

• contemplatives, through correct practice and the Noble Eightfold Path, have come to know these truths as they are.

Many modern-day Buddhists and teachers tend to simplify or “strip down” the Buddha’s teachings in an effort to make them more secular or accessible. While this may seem harmless, it can actually be very risky, as it opens the door to the development of several wrong views. Even those who still believe in kamma are not immune. Some common wrong views these individuals develop include:

• Assuming that everything we experience is completely pre-ordained and that present personal effort has little or no effect.

• Not accepting the existence of unseen beings or the 31 realms described in the suttas.

• Dismissing the significance of life after death simply because it is not directly observable.

• Believing in a permanent dwelling where all Buddhas or future Buddhas live forever.

• The presence of an everlasting 'essence' that is inherently good, leads to Buddhahood or is transmigrating.

• Trainings of sīla and samādhi are optional.

• Harbouring doubts about the possibility of attaining the Four Paths and Fruitions, which is very common nowadays as many teachers say attaining Arahantship, jhāna or psychic powers is impossible in this day and age.

These misunderstandings distort the framework the Buddha provided. Thus, without the full understanding and right view guided by wise attention, and association with wise individuals, even sincere practice can drift into error.

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So in essence, to be a good person, what must we do? It starts with moving away from harmful extremes and building up three kinds of success—morals, mind, and view. Doing this not only sets us up for a happy rebirth, uplifting the mind and aligning our understanding with truth, but it also lays the groundwork for following the Noble Eightfold Path and realising the Four Noble Truths, eventually reaching the Four Paths and Fruitions.