Kusala in Canon and Commentary

This paper examines the use of kusala in the commentarial sources and finds that, although the commentators are aware of various senses of the word kusala, they tend to give primacy to meanings such as ÒgoodÓ or ÒmeritoriousÓ. A detailed examination of the canonical Pali sources gives a rather different picture. Sometimes kusala is found in association with the idea of kamma or related notions, but very commonly too it belongs in a distinctly meditational context and points towards the states of the Buddhist path produced by wisdom. An examination of the etymology of the word ku÷ala leads to the conclusion that TedescoÕs attempt to derive it from: should be rejected. A revised version of CharpentierÕs link to Got. *hug(s), etc. is preferred. The original meaning of ku÷ala in the sense with which we are concerned would then be ÒintelligentÓ. Its sense in early Buddhist literature would be Òproduced by wisdomÓ. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of the concept of pu¤¤a—Òfortune-bringing actionÓ rather than ÒmeritÓ. Journal of Buddhist Ethics Volume 3, 1996:136–164