When I think of the word evil, I think really seriously malicious and harmful acts. I mean, evil is EVIL! The connotation this word carries is ominous. The icons of evil in almost all cultures are easy to spot, as they are normally represented by fierce and ugly looking creatures or people. Evil is scarey! It’s not a word you would necessarily run into much disagreement over with others.
I think we can agree that murder is evil; stealing from an 80-year-old woman is evil; torturing a child is evil; rape is evil.
What about theft? I think we can find agreement that it is wrong, but is it evil? And to what degree? What about lying? It is evil to promise someone you will do something for them, and then intentionally fail to deliver on that promise, making up an excuse as to why you didn’t do as you said you would? Wrong, yes, but evil?
This is why I believe that for some folks the Papavagga in the Dhammapada might be read as common sense advice, but probably not something that directly relates to them.
“Be quick in doing
What’s admirable.
Restrain your mind
from what’s evil.
When you’re slow
in making merit,
evil delights the mind.”
No one thinks of themselves as being evil. Yet when I look at the alternative translation of this chapter, I find that the word “evil” is still being used. And the term is juxtaposed with the term “merit,” which certainly doesn’t carry the connotative weight that the word “evil” does. So for me to get anything out of these verses, I don’t think of the word “evil” as meaning “EVIL.” Rather, I think of it as representing any intentional, unskillful, malicious and ill-mannered act, because as you read the rest of the verses, you begin to see that the consequences for any of the enumerated traits I listed are the same as for what is generally considered as “evil.”
“If a person does evil,
he shouldn’t do it again & again,
shouldn’t develop a penchant for it.
To accumulate evil
brings pain.
If a person makes merit,
he should do it again & again,
should develop a penchant for it.
To accumulate merit
brings ease.”
That repetition is the mother of learning is a universal concept in all cultures. Everything becomes easier with repetition. The first lie you ever told in your life I bet was a real chore to get out because you knew it was wrong to lie. But I bet the last lie you told was accomplished with greater ease, even if you still felt guilt while telling it or remorse afterward. And each time you tell one, it will get easier. Which is why the Buddha instructed us to stop these actions before they develop into habits. And it is also why the Buddha instructed that making merit, or doing good things that benefit others, will also become easier to accomplish if done repeatedly. For some of us, being altruistic doesn’t come naturally; we need practice.
“Even the evil
meet with good fortune
as long as their evil
has yet to mature.
But when it’s matured
That’s when they meet
with evil.
Even the good
meet with bad fortune
as long as their good
has yet to mature.
But when it’s matured
That’s when they meet
with good fortune.”
While the essence of kamma is the law of cause and effect, that unskillful acts bring poor results and skillful acts bring good results, kamma is not strictly linear. It is a very complex set of feedback cycles that includes everything we have done in the past, as well as what we are doing in the present. It is very possible that despite all the good actions we engage in, we may still encounter unpleasant results, uncooperative people, even resistance or pain. And yes, everyday we see people do shitty things to us or others and we see them get away with it.
Indulge me with a story. Consider one of my best friends, a man with the kindest heart and a willingness to do what he can to help others. Why does he suffer with AIDS? In the late 1990s, his doctor was trying a new medication on him. He developed a peculiar ache and coldness in his right leg from about his groin down to his foot. He called the doctor because he thought it was a reaction to the medication, but the nurse, who would not bother the doctor at home, assured him that was not the case; just keep taking the medication. Like a good patient, my friend listened to the nurse’s advice.
But later the pain in his leg was so intense he couldn’t stand it, plus he noticed his foot was turning blue. He attempted to hobble into his car to drive himself to the emergency room, but he couldn’t do it; he called an ambulance. Within minutes of his arrival to the emergency room, the cause of his pain was identified; his new medication had caused a clot to form in his femoral artery, blocking virtually all blood to his right leg. The clot was so severe that had it come loose, it could become lodged in his lungs, heart or brain and kill him. They put him on a slow drip dose of a blood thinner that slowly dissolved the clot, all the while keeping a close eye on his lower leg and foot; they weren’t sure the limb would fully recover, that amputation might be necessary.
My friend fully recovered and found a new doctor who knew a heck of a lot more about how to treat AIDS than his previous doctor. Many suggested to my friend that he should sue his former doctor for malpractice, but he said no, “I’m not that way. I’m not a vengeful person.” However, a month or so later, an outlet in his former doctor’s home shorted out and caused a fire, and the doctor’s $1 million home was razed.
More than 10 years after this, my friend is still alive while so many others have died.
“Don’t underestimate evil
(‘It won’t amount to much’).
A water jar fills,
even with water
falling in drops.
With evil — even if
bit
by
bit,
habitually —
the fool fills himself full.
Don’t underestimate merit
(‘It won’t amount to much’).
A water jar fills,
even with water
falling in drops.
With merit — even if
bit
by
bit,
habitually —
the enlightened one fills himself full.”
Yes, at times it can seem that we’re not getting any benefit out of the good things we do, and sometimes we think that a minor slight here or there won’t amount to much. But kamma is cumulative, as is merit.
“Like a merchant with a small
but well-laden caravan
— a dangerous road,
like a person who loves life
— a poison,
one should avoid
— evil deeds.”
It’s just good sense, right? There are a few more verses, but there’s no point in mentioning them here. Just read them for yourself. But I will end with the final set as a reminder that no matter where you go, there you are.
“Not up in the air,
nor in the middle of the sea,
nor going into a cleft in the mountains
— nowhere on earth —
is a spot to be found
where you could stay & escape
your evil deed.
Not up in the air,
nor in the middle of the sea,
nor going into a cleft in the mountains
— nowhere on earth —
is a spot to be found
where you could stay & not succumb
to death.”
(Note: The photo with this post is of Raja’s Noodle House in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, which was hit by one of three terrorist bombs in October 2005. I took the photo three weeks after the bombing. There was still bits of broken glass and shrapnel on the sidewalks all along the street.)
I think we can agree that murder is evil; stealing from an 80-year-old woman is evil; torturing a child is evil; rape is evil.
What about theft? I think we can find agreement that it is wrong, but is it evil? And to what degree? What about lying? It is evil to promise someone you will do something for them, and then intentionally fail to deliver on that promise, making up an excuse as to why you didn’t do as you said you would? Wrong, yes, but evil?
This is why I believe that for some folks the Papavagga in the Dhammapada might be read as common sense advice, but probably not something that directly relates to them.
“Be quick in doing
What’s admirable.
Restrain your mind
from what’s evil.
When you’re slow
in making merit,
evil delights the mind.”
No one thinks of themselves as being evil. Yet when I look at the alternative translation of this chapter, I find that the word “evil” is still being used. And the term is juxtaposed with the term “merit,” which certainly doesn’t carry the connotative weight that the word “evil” does. So for me to get anything out of these verses, I don’t think of the word “evil” as meaning “EVIL.” Rather, I think of it as representing any intentional, unskillful, malicious and ill-mannered act, because as you read the rest of the verses, you begin to see that the consequences for any of the enumerated traits I listed are the same as for what is generally considered as “evil.”
“If a person does evil,
he shouldn’t do it again & again,
shouldn’t develop a penchant for it.
To accumulate evil
brings pain.
If a person makes merit,
he should do it again & again,
should develop a penchant for it.
To accumulate merit
brings ease.”
That repetition is the mother of learning is a universal concept in all cultures. Everything becomes easier with repetition. The first lie you ever told in your life I bet was a real chore to get out because you knew it was wrong to lie. But I bet the last lie you told was accomplished with greater ease, even if you still felt guilt while telling it or remorse afterward. And each time you tell one, it will get easier. Which is why the Buddha instructed us to stop these actions before they develop into habits. And it is also why the Buddha instructed that making merit, or doing good things that benefit others, will also become easier to accomplish if done repeatedly. For some of us, being altruistic doesn’t come naturally; we need practice.
“Even the evil
meet with good fortune
as long as their evil
has yet to mature.
But when it’s matured
That’s when they meet
with evil.
Even the good
meet with bad fortune
as long as their good
has yet to mature.
But when it’s matured
That’s when they meet
with good fortune.”
While the essence of kamma is the law of cause and effect, that unskillful acts bring poor results and skillful acts bring good results, kamma is not strictly linear. It is a very complex set of feedback cycles that includes everything we have done in the past, as well as what we are doing in the present. It is very possible that despite all the good actions we engage in, we may still encounter unpleasant results, uncooperative people, even resistance or pain. And yes, everyday we see people do shitty things to us or others and we see them get away with it.
Indulge me with a story. Consider one of my best friends, a man with the kindest heart and a willingness to do what he can to help others. Why does he suffer with AIDS? In the late 1990s, his doctor was trying a new medication on him. He developed a peculiar ache and coldness in his right leg from about his groin down to his foot. He called the doctor because he thought it was a reaction to the medication, but the nurse, who would not bother the doctor at home, assured him that was not the case; just keep taking the medication. Like a good patient, my friend listened to the nurse’s advice.
But later the pain in his leg was so intense he couldn’t stand it, plus he noticed his foot was turning blue. He attempted to hobble into his car to drive himself to the emergency room, but he couldn’t do it; he called an ambulance. Within minutes of his arrival to the emergency room, the cause of his pain was identified; his new medication had caused a clot to form in his femoral artery, blocking virtually all blood to his right leg. The clot was so severe that had it come loose, it could become lodged in his lungs, heart or brain and kill him. They put him on a slow drip dose of a blood thinner that slowly dissolved the clot, all the while keeping a close eye on his lower leg and foot; they weren’t sure the limb would fully recover, that amputation might be necessary.
My friend fully recovered and found a new doctor who knew a heck of a lot more about how to treat AIDS than his previous doctor. Many suggested to my friend that he should sue his former doctor for malpractice, but he said no, “I’m not that way. I’m not a vengeful person.” However, a month or so later, an outlet in his former doctor’s home shorted out and caused a fire, and the doctor’s $1 million home was razed.
More than 10 years after this, my friend is still alive while so many others have died.
“Don’t underestimate evil
(‘It won’t amount to much’).
A water jar fills,
even with water
falling in drops.
With evil — even if
bit
by
bit,
habitually —
the fool fills himself full.
Don’t underestimate merit
(‘It won’t amount to much’).
A water jar fills,
even with water
falling in drops.
With merit — even if
bit
by
bit,
habitually —
the enlightened one fills himself full.”
Yes, at times it can seem that we’re not getting any benefit out of the good things we do, and sometimes we think that a minor slight here or there won’t amount to much. But kamma is cumulative, as is merit.
“Like a merchant with a small
but well-laden caravan
— a dangerous road,
like a person who loves life
— a poison,
one should avoid
— evil deeds.”
It’s just good sense, right? There are a few more verses, but there’s no point in mentioning them here. Just read them for yourself. But I will end with the final set as a reminder that no matter where you go, there you are.
“Not up in the air,
nor in the middle of the sea,
nor going into a cleft in the mountains
— nowhere on earth —
is a spot to be found
where you could stay & escape
your evil deed.
Not up in the air,
nor in the middle of the sea,
nor going into a cleft in the mountains
— nowhere on earth —
is a spot to be found
where you could stay & not succumb
to death.”
(Note: The photo with this post is of Raja’s Noodle House in Kuta, Bali, Indonesia, which was hit by one of three terrorist bombs in October 2005. I took the photo three weeks after the bombing. There was still bits of broken glass and shrapnel on the sidewalks all along the street.)
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