The Buddha describes the four kinds of kamma (actions) and their results in brief.

AN 4.232  Saṅkhitta sutta - Kamma in Brief

“Cattārimāni, bhikkhave, kammāni mayā sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā paveditāni. Katamāni cattāri?

“Bhikkhus, there are these four kinds of |kamma::actions, deeds [kammā]| proclaimed by me after having realized them for myself through direct knowledge. What four?

Atthi, bhikkhave, kammaṁ kaṇhaṁ kaṇhavipākaṁ;
atthi, bhikkhave, kammaṁ sukkaṁ sukkavipākaṁ;
atthi, bhikkhave, kammaṁ kaṇhasukkaṁ kaṇhasukkavipākaṁ;
atthi, bhikkhave, kammaṁ akaṇhaasukkaṁ akaṇhaasukkavipākaṁ kammakkhayāya saṁvattati.
Imāni kho, bhikkhave, cattāri kammāni mayā sayaṁ abhiññā sacchikatvā paveditānī”ti.

1.) There is, bhikkhus, kamma that is dark |with dark results::having negative consequences [kaṇhavipāka]|;
2.) There is, bhikkhus, kamma that is bright |with bright results::with positive consequences [sukkavipāka]|;
3.) There is, bhikkhus, kamma that is dark and bright |with dark and bright results::with both positive and negative consequences [kaṇhasukkavipāka]|;
4.) There is, bhikkhus, kamma that is neither dark nor bright with neither dark nor bright result, which leads to the |exhaustion of kamma::wearing away of actions [kammakkhaya]|.

These, bhikkhus, are the four kinds of kamma proclaimed by me after having realized them for myself through direct knowledge.”

Qualities:

Wholesome

Wholesome

Conducive to or suggestive of good health and mental well-being.

Also known as: blameless, skillful, beneficial, good, useful, healthy, nourishing, sustaining
Pāli: kusala
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Unwholesome

Unwholesome

Conducive to or suggestive of poor health and mental well-being.

Also known as: blameworthy, unhealthy, unskillful, unbeneficial, karmically unprofitable
Pāli: akusala
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Last updated on December 13, 2025