What Should and Should Not Be Cultivated (Sevitabbasevitabba Sutta)

MN 114 — What Should and Should Not Be Cultivated (Sevitabbasevitabba Sutta)

Guidance (not part of the sutta)

This sutta presents a systematic framework for ethical development through the cultivation of wholesome actions and the abandonment of unwholesome ones. The text outlines how every aspect of our experience—from physical actions to mental formations—can be classified into two categories: what should be cultivated and what should be abandoned. This is understanding the fundamental principle that our intentional actions shape both our present experience and future development.

The discourse emphasizes that ethical training extends beyond obvious behaviors such as stealing or lying to include the subtle realms of thought, perception, and view. By recognizing this comprehensive scope, practitioners can develop a more refined awareness of how every moment offers an opportunity for either wholesome or unwholesome cultivation. This teaching serves as a foundation for the entire Buddhist path, showing how mindful discrimination between skillful and unskillful actions leads to liberation.

• Comprehensive ethical framework: All human activities—bodily, verbal, and mental—can be classified as either wholesome (to be cultivated) or unwholesome (to be abandoned)
• Intentionality matters: The quality of our actions depends on the underlying intention and mental state
• Mental cultivation is paramount: Thoughts, perceptions, and views require the same careful attention as physical and verbal actions
• Practical discrimination: Developing wisdom means learning to discern what leads to benefit versus what leads to harm
• Universal application: This framework applies to all aspects of life, from obvious moral choices to subtle mental formations

Thinking this is about rigid rule-following: This teaching is about developing the wisdom to discern what actions lead to genuine well-being versus suffering. The categories of "should cultivate" and "should cultivate less" require ongoing mindful investigation rather than blind adherence to external rules.

Believing only obvious actions matter: Many practitioners focus solely on major ethical violations while ignoring the cultivation of thoughts, perceptions, and subtle mental states. The text explicitly includes mental formations, showing that our inner life requires the same careful attention as our external behavior.

Mindful action review: At three points during your day, pause and reflect on your recent bodily, verbal, and mental actions. Ask yourself: "What have I been cultivating in the last few hours? What mental states, words, or actions have I been feeding?" Notice without judgment, simply developing awareness of the constant choices between wholesome and unwholesome cultivation.

Intention investigation: Before taking any significant action today, pause briefly and examine your underlying intention. Ask: "What am I trying to cultivate with this action? Might this lead toward greater wisdom and compassion, or toward confusion and harm?" Use this as practical training in the discrimination the teaching presents.

MN 61 (Advice to Rāhula at Mango Stone): This sutta provides detailed practical instructions on how to examine the intentions behind our actions before, during, and after we perform them—perfect for implementing the discrimination taught in this discourse.

MN 117 (The Great Forty): Offers a systematic presentation of the Noble Eightfold Path, showing how the principle of cultivating the wholesome and abandoning the unwholesome applies to each factor of the path to awakening.