Right View vs Right Action

I present and discuss an argument to the conclusion that it is better to act wrongly and hold a right view than to hold a wrong view and act rightly. This counterintuitive conclusion derives from Āryadeva’s (ca. 3rd c. CE) Catuḥśataka and its Dasheng guang bailun shilun 大乘廣百論釋論 (T1571) commentary. After presenting the argument in its original context, I analyze it in the context of contemporary ethics of belief. I argue that the argument provides insight into the harm of purely mental action of believing or holding a view. This piece of insight is that if this action carries a risk of seriously bad consequences and damages people’s interests, then it is harmful, and this harm may outweigh the harm of acting wrongly.