“Bhikkhus, I will teach the useful and the useless, listen and attend carefully to it. Bhikkhus, what is the useless?
Wrong view, wrong thoughts, wrong speech, wrong actions, wrong livelihood, wrong endeavour, wrong mindfulness, wrong concentration, wrong knowledge and wrong release. Bhikkhus, these are said to be useless.
Bhikkhus, what is the useful?
Right view, right thoughts, right speech, right actions, right livelihood, right endeavour, right mindfulness, right concentration, right knowledge and right release. Bhikkhus, these are said to be useful.
Attha is also found in one of the most famous buddhist suttas - the Metta (Karaniyamatta sutta), in the first word itself. Karaniyamattha later became karaniyametta, as I understand it, to reflect the metta teaching in it.
Karaṇīyamatthakusalena
Who seeks to promote his welfare…
Snp 1.8
Attha I have been told has a deep meaning- it means one’s ultimate welfare; that which is ultimately good for oneself. Attha-kusala is supposed to mean the wholesome acts one performs with this aim in mind. This refers of course to treading the Noble Eightfold Path. Karaniyamatta sutta details the attitudes, sentiments and behaviours of a ‘true’ practitioner who is bent on realizing what is ultimately best for him or herself.
