The next is a letter I wrote immediately to an inmate I’ve been corresponding with for a while. I believed I’d share it with a wider viewers.

Pricey Billy,

Because you final wrote I’ve been in Ethiopia for 2 weeks and adopted an orphaned child lady. She’s referred to as Maia and he or she’s nicely, joyful, and having no bother adjusting to being in a brand new nation. She’s solely 5 months outdated, which makes adjusting simpler.

I used to be happy to listen to that you simply’re conversant in the Dhammapada, which is one among my favourite texts. In truth it was the primary two verses of the Dhammapada that made me notice that I used to be a Buddhist. And it’s fascinating to listen to that you’ve a bookmark completely caught within the chapter on Evil — the very chapter I despatched you.

“Evil” is an fascinating time period. Usually Buddhism avoids that time period, utilizing as an alternative the time period “unskillful” (and utilizing “skillful” as an alternative of “good”). These phrases are used when Buddhism is talking in a extra technical sense, and “evil” and “good” are typically used extra in poetic statements. The Dhammapada is (as you’ll have observed, even in translation) poetry.

The phrases “skillful” and “unskillful” are literally much more helpful than “good” or “unhealthy.” They counsel that happiness is the purpose of life, and actions are judged as being useful or unhelpful achieve that purpose. Once we want to attain a purpose and are ready to do that simply, then we present ability, whereas aiming for a purpose however repeatedly lacking it suggests an absence of ability. So in life we need to be joyful however as an alternative we find yourself depressing lots of the time; we lack ability. The issues we do this trigger us unhappiness are referred to as “unskillful” actions. These issues we do this result in happiness (not mere pleasure or elation, however a way of wellbeing) are skillful actions.

You’ll discover there’s no ethical judgment right here about actions being proper or flawed, good or unhealthy. In truth the Buddha mentioned that if actions based mostly on greed, hatred, and delusion truly did result in happiness then he’d inform us to exit and do them! That’s a tremendous assertion when you consider it. It’s solely as a result of greed, hatred, and delusion trigger unhappiness that the Buddha recommends we give them up, and it’s solely as a result of mindfulness and compassion result in happiness that he advocates cultivating these qualities.

The phrases good and unhealthy are inevitably deceptive, as a result of fairly than merely our actions and seeing whether or not they result in happiness or unhappiness, we have a look at our actions and choose them. Then we choose ourselves as being good or unhealthy relying on which sorts of actions we’ve carried out.

I used to be excited about this the opposite day in regard to Don Imus, who I’m positive you’re conscious is in shame for the time being for having made derogatory feedback a few basketball group of primarily black ladies. He’s mentioned that he’s a “good particular person” as a result of he does good issues, and in reality he does do lots of issues that profit others. But when he’s particular person as a result of he does good issues then does that additionally suggest that he’s a foul particular person if he does unhealthy issues? Is it a query of including up the nice and unhealthy? And who decides whether or not being type to at least one particular person balances out being unkind to a different? The enjoyment of 1 could also be nothing in comparison with the damage and disgrace of the opposite.

Truly, from a Buddhist standpoint it is senseless to speak a few “particular person” being good or unhealthy, and even skillful or unskillful. An individual is by necessity far too complicated a phenomenon to cut back to such a easy label. An motion will be seen to guide, on the entire, to happiness or unhappiness, however can an individual be mentioned to do the identical? I don’t assume so.

A lot of the guys I’ve met in jail — together with those that have murdered or abused others — are likable folks with many tremendous qualities. They usually act in methods which can be type, clever, considerate, and thoughtful. Whereas I can’t ignore the worst issues that they’ve accomplished of their lives I also can see that they don’t seem to be outlined by the worst issues they’ve accomplished of their lives. A human being is far bigger than anyone motion she or he has carried out.

So it appears to me that the issue with the labels “good” and “unhealthy” for our actions are unhelpful as a result of they result in us labeling and judging ourselves — and people judgments actually are profoundly unhelpful. I feel lots of people in jail have realized to label themselves as “unhealthy” and that this not solely causes struggling and self-loathing, however it additionally results in additional unskillful actions (in spite of everything if I’m “unhealthy” then what does it matter if I do unhealthy issues?)

A really beneficial perspective that Buddhism brings is that none of our experiences — ideas, emotions, feelings, sensations — are everlasting. Nor are they inherently part of us. So we could, on this exact second, be full or rage and hate, however within the subsequent second these issues could also be gone. And in years to return the underlying psychological processes that give rise to these feelings could have gone, and the feelings with them. We are able to change our minds. We are able to rework our hearts. We are able to turn into extra loving and conscious, and though we could by no means fully rid ourselves of damaging impulses we will discover ourselves altering, typically fairly quickly. I’ve seen this in my very own life and within the lives on many different folks, together with many males in jail.

Via the medium of your letter I imagine I can see you altering.

I want you nicely and hope to listen to from you once more quickly.

Finest needs,
Bodhipaksa