When I first encountered the Buddha’s teachings, I found the terms he used for ethical living—”skillful” (kusala) and “unskillful” (akusala)—to be quite unusual. You’ve likely either never heard these terms or have become so familiar with them that you no longer think about their meaning. Typically, we describe ethical behavior using words like good, bad, right, wrong, and evil.
While it’s not that Buddha never used those more common terms, particularly in poetry or when speaking to less educated people, he more often used “skillful” and “unskillful” when addressing serious Dharma practitioners like monks, nuns, and dedicated laypeople.
So why did Buddha choose these specific terms? To understand this, think about what it means to be skilled. Being skilled means you can achieve a challenging task you set out to do. For example, a skilled carpenter can create a beautiful coffee table because they have mastered their craft. Similarly, a skilled potter can make a specific kind of pot due to their extensive practice and knowledge.
In an ethical sense, “skillful” living refers to actions that help us achieve the aim of liberating ourselves from suffering, leading to greater happiness, contentment, fulfillment, and a sense of meaning in our lives. Ethics, in this context, involves training to develop these skills, which aligns with the Buddha’s threefold training of ethics, meditation, and wisdom.
Buddha’s approach to ethics wasn’t about labeling actions as good or evil based on moralistic views but rather identifying actions that cause suffering and those that alleviate it. He taught that greed, hatred, and delusion should be abandoned not because they are evil, but because they result in suffering.
For example, just as a carpenter shows skill by successfully creating beautiful furniture, we show ethical skillfulness by living in ways that free us from suffering and help others achieve the same. Unskillful actions, on the other hand, create pain and confusion.
Buddha highlighted that the mind could act based on selfish craving, hatred, or ignorance (unskillful actions), leading to suffering. Conversely, the mind can also exhibit qualities like mindfulness, patience, courage, kindness, empathy, and compassion (skillful actions), which free us from suffering and bring peace and happiness.
Ethical training involves recognizing and letting go of unskillful states of mind while exercising and strengthening skillful qualities. It is about practicing and refining these skills through our daily actions and thoughts, learning from our mistakes, and continually reflecting on whether our actions lead to suffering or joy.
By consistently learning from our ethical mistakes, we move closer to living a life filled with peace, joy, and meaning. This perspective on ethics as a skill to be refined offers a profound shift from seeing people and actions as inherently good or bad. Instead, it focuses on the potential for growth and improvement through dedicated practice and mindfulness in our everyday lives.