There was once a monk who went to ask the Venerable Sāriputta: how does one judge what is appropriate and what is not? Right and wrong, good and evil, one can discern reasonably well according to the Dhamma and Vinaya — but how does one judge what is appropriate and what is not?
The Venerable Sāriputta replied: whatever one is about to do, look far ahead — consider what the long-term outcome is likely to be. If there is a tendency for unwholesomeness to arise in the future as a result, then that action is not appropriate. But if there is a tendency for wholesomeness to arise in the future, then that action is appropriate.
As for the measure by which the two terms — wholesome and unwholesome — are to be assessed, that standard is the Ten Paths of Wholesome Action and the Ten Paths of Unwholesome Action, which have already been established as the benchmark. These things, my children, we must be able to reason through and account for.
October 1st, 2019
