adjective

1. (adj.) clever, skilful, expert; good, right, meritorious MN.i.226; Dhp.44; Ja.i.222 Esp. appl. in moral sense (= puñña), whereas akusala is practically equivalent to pāpa. ekam pi ce pāṇaṃ aduṭṭhacitto mettāyati kusalo tena hoti Iti.21; sappañño paṇḍito kusalo naro Snp.591, Snp.523 ; Pv.i.3#3 (= nipuṇa). With kamma = a meritorious action, in kammaṃ katvā kusalaṃ DN.iii.157; Vv.iii.2#2; Pv.i.10#11 see cpds
   ■ ācāra-k˚ good in conduct Dhp.376; parappavāda˚ skilled in disputation Dpvs.iv.19; magga˚ (and opp. amagga˚) one who is an expert as regards the Path (lit. & fig.) SN.iii.108; samāpatti˚, etc. AN.v.156 sq. sālittaka-payoge k˚ skilled in the art of throwing potsherds Pv-a.282
   ■ In derivation k. is explained by Dhpāla & Bdhgh by; kucchita and salana, viz. kucchita-salanādi atthena kusalaṃ Vv-a.169; kucchite pāpadhamme salayanti calayanti kappenti viddhaṃsenti ti kusalā Dhs-a.39; where four alternative derivations are given (cp. Mrs. Rh. D., Dhs. trsl. p. lxxxii).
2. (nt.) a good thing, good deeds, virtue, merit, good consciousness (citta omitted; cp. Dhs-a.162, Dhs-a.200, etc.): yassa pāpaṃ kataṃ kammaṃ kusalena pithīyati, so imaṃ lokaṃ pabhāseti “he makes this world shine, who covers an evil deed with a good one” MN.ii.104 = Dhp.173 = Thag.872; sukhañ ca k. pucchi (fitness) Snp.981; Vv.30#1 (= ārogyaṃ); DN.i.24; Ja.vi.367; Pv.i.1#3 (= puñña) Pv-a.75; Mil.25
   ■ In special sense as ten kusalāni equivalent to the dasasīlaṃ (cp. sīla) MN.i.47; AN.v.241 AN.v.274. All good qualities (dhammā) which constitute right and meritorious conduct are comprised in the phrase-kusala-dhammā Snp.1039, Snp.1078, expld. in extenso Cnd. s.v. See also cpd. ˚dhamma
   ■ Kusalaṃ karoti to do what is good and righteous, i.e. kāyena, vācāya manasā Iti.78; cp. Dhp.53; sabba-pāpassa akaraṇaṃ kusalassa upasampadā sacittapariyodapanaṃ etaṃ Buddhānusāsanaṃ DN.ii.49 = Dhp.183; cp. Ne.43, Ne.81 Ne.171, Ne.186. Kusalaṃ bhāveti to pursue righteousness (together with akusalaṃ pajahati to give up wrong habits) AN.i.58; AN.iv.109 sq.; Iti.9
   ■ akusala adj.: improper wrong, bad; nt.: demerit, evil deed DN.i.37, DN.i.163 bālo + akusalo Snp.879, Snp.887; = pāpa Pv-a.60, cp. pāpapasuto akatakusalo ib. 6. kusalaṃ & akusalaṃ are discussed in detail (with ref. to rūpâvacara˚ fivefold, to arūpâvacara˚ & lokuttara˚ fourfold, to kāmâvacara eight & twelvefold) at Vism.452–Vism.454
   ■ kusalākusala good and bad MN.i.489; SN.v.91; Mil.25; Ne.161, Ne.192; Dhs.1124 sq
   ■ sukusala (dhammānaṃ) highly skilled DN.i.180 (cp. MN.ii.31).

• -anuesin striving after righteousness Snp.965; cp kinkusalānuesin DN.ii.151 and kinkusalagavesin MN.i.163 sq.;
• -abhisanda overflow of merit (+ puñña˚) AN.ii.54 sq.; AN.iii.51; AN.iii.337;
• -kamma meritorious action, right conduct AN.i.104; AN.i.292 sq.; Pts.i.85; Pts.ii.72 sq.; Pv-a.9, Pv-a.26
• -cittā (pl.) good thoughts Vb.169–Vb.173, Vb.184, Vb.285 sq. 294 sq.;
• -cetanā right volition Vb.135;
• -dhammā (pl. (all) points of righteousness, good qualities of character SN.ii.206; MN.i.98; AN.iv.11 sq.; AN.v.90 sq.; AN.v.123 sq.; Pp.68, Pp.71; Vb.105; Pts.i.101, Pts.i.132; Pts.ii.15, Pts.ii.230; Vv-a.74 Vv-a.127;
• -pakkha “the side of virtue,” all that belongs to good character MN.iii.77 (and a˚) with adj. ˚pakkhika SN.v.91;
• -macchariya Dhs.1122 is to be corrected to kula˚ instead of kusala˚ (meanness as regards family cp. Nd ii.on veviccha;
• -mūla the basis or root of goodness or merit; there are three: alobha, adosa, amoha MN.i.47, MN.i.489 = AN.i.203 = Ne.183; DN.iii.214; Dhs.32, Dhs.313 Dhs.981; Vb.169 sq., Vb.210; Ne.126. Cp. ˚paccaya Vb.169; ˚ropanā Ne.50;
• -anuesin striving after righteousness Snp.965; cp kinkusalānuesin DN.ii.151 and kinkusalagavesin MN.i.163 sq.;
• -vipāka being a fruit of good kamma Dhs.454; Vism.454 (twofold, viz ahetuka & sahetuka).;
• -vedanā good, pure feeling Vb.3 sq.; cp. ˚saññā and ˚sankhārā Vb.6 sq.; Ne.126 (three ˚saññā, same as under ˚vitakkā);
• -sīla good proper conduct of life MN.ii.25 sq.; adj. ˚sīlin DN.i.115 (= DN-a.i.286).

cp. Sk. kuśala