Ten positive actions

Ten positive actions or ten virtues (Tib. དགེ་བ་བཅུ་, gé wa chu; Wyl. dge ba bcu) are the positive counterparts of the ten unwholesome actions. They are:

1. to renounce killing, and instead protect life
2. to renounce taking what is not given, and instead practise generosity
3. to renounce sexual misconduct, and instead follow the rules of discipline
4. to renounce lying, and instead tell the truth
5. to give up sowing discord, and instead reconcile disputes
6. to abandon harsh speech, and instead speak pleasantly
7. to renounce worthless chatter, and instead recite prayers
8. to renounce covetousness, and instead learn to be generous
9. to give up wishing harm on others, and instead cultivate the desire to help them
10. to put an end to wrong views, and instead establish in yourself the true and authentic view

Further Reading

• Patrul Rinpoche, The Words of My Perfect Teacher (Boston: Shambhala, Revised edition, 1998), pages 117-118.