Dear Ven. Kumara, Nina and DC,

thank you. Thanks for the detailed explanation, Nina. It helps in furthering my understanding. I find DC's suggestions appropriate and fitting to our discussion:

* hiri: shame of wrong-doing (akusala)
* ottappa: fear of wrong-doing (akusala)

even though it is the fine level of citta we are dealing with, we have to accept the limitations of language, and for the antonyms, may I suggest:

* ahiri(ka): shamelessness
* anottappa: recklessness

metta,
Yong Peng.

--- In Pali@yahoogroups.com, Nina van Gorkom wrote:

> hiri: modesty, ethical integrity, sense of shame, ability to
> distinguish/identify akusala (from kusala)
>
> ottappa: moral prudence, stopping short of akusala, with
> understanding of its negative effects
>
> In this way, hiri and ottappa work as a pair, able to identify
> akusala (hiri), and knowing its negative effects, one refrain from
> it (ottappa). What do you think?

N: You are right, they work as a pair. I do not mind too much which word are chosen for their translation, so long as their characteristics are understood. I would not use the term discern here, since this is the function of pa~n~naa. It is pa~n~naa that knows the difference between kusala and akusala.