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Good and evil have
often been looked upon as diametrically opposed and mutually
exclusive. But in a real, practical sense, such a simplistic
way of thinking is unsatisfactory. Even the cruelest of
criminals may possess a strong sense of love or compassion
toward his parents and children. Is such a person
fundamentally good or evil?
The Buddhist understanding is that good and evil are innate,
inseparable aspects of life. This view makes it impossible to
label a particular individual or group as "good" or
"evil." Every single human being is capable of acts
of the most noble good, or the basest evil.
Moreover, good and evil in Buddhism are seen not as absolute
but relative or "relational." The good or evil of an
act is understood in terms of its actual impact on our own
lives and the lives of others, not on abstract rules of
conduct.
Evil actions are those which are based on a narrow
selfishness, the delusion that our lives are fundamentally
disconnected from those of others and that we can benefit at
their expense. Evil views life as a means to be expended, not
an end in itself. Good is that which generates connection
between ourselves and others, healing and restoring the bonds
among human societies.
In the context of Buddhism, good is identified with "the
fundamental nature of enlightenment," or absolute freedom
and happiness resulting from profound self-knowledge. Evil
indicates "fundamental darkness," or life's innate
delusion which negates the potential of enlightenment and
causes suffering for oneself and others. This inner darkness
echoes with the despair that our lives are ugly and
meaningless; it also drives a wedge of fear that splits the
hearts of people into "us" and "them."
A Buddha is someone who has the courage to acknowledge these
two fundamental aspects of life. As Nichiren states, "One
who is thoroughly awakened to the nature of good and evil from
their roots to their branches and leaves is called a
Buddha." Buddhas accept their innate goodness without
arrogance because they know all people share the same Buddha
nature. Buddhas also recognize their innate evil without
despair because they know they have the strength to overcome
and control their negativity.
Unwillingness to acknowledge the potential of both supreme
good and evil can stem from the fact that as individuals we
are reluctant to see ourselves as either very good or very
bad, hiding instead behind a collective moral mediocrity that
requires neither the responsibility of goodness nor the guilt
of evil. And perhaps this moral ambiguity within seems to
demand quick judgement of others--those who serve our
interests as "good people" and those whom we dislike
as "bad people" as if to counterbalance that inner
confusion with external clarity.
Some view Buddhism as a teaching of tranquillity and
repose--of passivity even--whereas in fact the practice of
Buddhism is not about "staying safe." It is a
constant struggle to create value and change evil into good
through our own efforts to confront it. Nichiren writes,
"Opposing good is called evil, opposing evil is called
good."
Soka Gakkai founder Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, imprisoned for his
criticism of Japan's wartime policies, is said to have engaged
his fellow prisoners in a debate on the nature of good and
evil, asking if there was a difference between not doing good
and committing actual evil.
If we lack the courage to confront evil acts, or tendencies
toward hatred and discrimination, both within ourselves and in
society, they will spread unchecked, as history shows. Martin
Luther King, Jr., lamented, "We will have to repent in
this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions
of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good
people."
In the words of SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, "The
universe, this world and our own lives, are the stage for a
ceaseless struggle between hatred and compassion, the
destructive and constructive aspects of life. We must never
let up, confronting evil at every turn."
And in the end, the evil over which we must triumph is the
impulse toward hatred and destruction that resides in us all.
The process of acknowledging, confronting and transforming our
own fundamental darkness is the means by which we can
strengthen the functioning of good in our lives.
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