What Is Evil?

[Visitor]

I saw another thread entitled 'How to destroy evil', and when I saw its contents I realized that the thread was focused on a particular practice. My response to that thread would have been unrelated or off topic. So I started this one as a different topic and approach to dealing with evil, if such a thing exists. So my questions are:

What defines evil?

How would you deal with it, besides the meditative approach?

[Steph1988]

If u have the time.

Awesome book i listened to it twice very interesting.

I think the nature of evil is something to be contemplated for some time to be understood this book lights out examples in a lot of detail.

Lots of times it starts with small lies and gradually worsens it seems.

To make it more complicated u have something like this 

Now was this guy born evil? was he a little bit evil but the evil world made him worse? or was he born good but made evil? u have to draw your own conclusions.

I think everything u do has a rippling effect on the world which means every action and inaction is completely significant no matter how small i think that is also the greatest counterargument against nihilism and to improve yourself is also to fight evil.

That is very concrete stuff when u are a happy somewhat fulfilled and positive person your children will see that and in turn their children and the people they interact with and so forth.

2 books i found interesting that were more focused on group evil are man's search for meaning and the gulag archipelago.

To answer your questions i think there are no simple answers this i feel is really something to ponder on for a long time.

But what i think is that it mostly starts with lies and simple laziness and fleeing from your own problems and then slowly gets worse and worse and then just takes over both society's and individuals as some autonomous thing.

 

[Loreena]

                                                                The  opposite of good

[Guest Annetta]

I think "evil" might be anything that is dealing with an extreme because it blocks out other viewpoints.
I am starting to feel that evil should be considered more of an ignorance, because then the idea of evil comes up as something that must be destroyed - which is an extreme - an "evil".

There is a little evil in good, and a little good in evil.
It is very difficult not to think in such black and white terms, I am quickly learning.

One evil defeated, and another takes it's place.

I see this life, like a swinging vine
Swing my heart across the line
And in my face is flashing signs
Seek it out and ye' shall find

 

Edited May 1, 2017 by Annetta

[Stoica Doru]

Evil does not exist, neither does Good. They're concepts used to divide existence towards rationalization and personal purpose. The only thing that exists is counciousness, divided in many aspects by the mind's functions. 

[Guest Young Padawan]

Evil, as defined by zen masters and yogis, is selfishness or everything that promotes the ego against Truth.

in my opinion, it is selfishness of things that one does not need to survive.

[Stoica Doru]

1 minute ago, Mahmoud Bishr Kebbeh said:

Evil, as defined by zen masters and yogis, is selfishness or everything that promotes the ego against Truth.

in my opinion, it is selfishness of things that one does not need to survive.

Selfishness is a beautiful word, said Osho. It means loving and caring for yourself. You can only take care of others and love them, once you've been selfish enough to do it for yourself. Narcissism excluded, of course. 

[Guest Young Padawan]

26 minutes ago, Stoica Doru said:

Selfishness is a beautiful word, said Osho. It means loving and caring for yourself. You can only take care of others and love them, once you've been selfish enough to do it for yourself. Narcissism excluded, of course. 

When the ego dissolves and once the human sees himself as reality, not a part of it, then there is no good or evil, there is just being.

[Hsinav]

The so called evil people are just reflections of the situations they grew up from.

Edited May 2, 2017 by Vanish

[Guest Annetta]

@Dingus Cute!

I don't think the other guy is interested anymore.
I'm gunna chill on dudes for a while and see if letting that attachment go gets me somewhere.

[Visitor]

Wow, I just read the last 20 or so answers since my last visit to this thread. Did I just see 'what is evil' play its tune here?

[Natasha]

@Visitor

 

[Visitor]

Evil exists in the form of fear by those that fear.

The only true reality is truth, and its expression of unconditional love. Anything else is untrue and its expression is fear-based. So, evil in itself does not exist. But those that fear and express that fear give birth to what is evil.

Evil/fear, by itself has no internal energy source like truth has. Truth is creative and radiates, where fear destroys and collapses. It relies on the wasted transformed energy from truth to untruth, from love to fear, by those that fear. A fearful person is under tension, and in that tension they squeeze out their life energy. It is wasted energy. This bled energy gives more storyline to reasons to have fear. Evil, the fearful story in others, is fed by those that fear.

People that purposely suggest fear for other to fear, feed of their fear. They get energized by it, just like evil does.

I quite often see people purposely cause tension in others for personal gain. This fearful exploitation of others can be anywhere between very subtle uncomfortability to absolute terror. In this regard I see evil as a manifestation by the fearful. It is the fearful that experiences evil.

There is an old cliche which points to what is evil. Fear can be seen as False Evidence Appearing Real.

 

[Martin123]

@Visitor evil is the infinite light in its most dormant form.

everyone who reaches a certein purity of light beginns transmuting the dormant light into its higher forms. Just out of pure love/willingness

[Loreena]

Oh god, these people mixing evil and love like shit. Wait until evil actually knocks on your door. 

You can then welcome it as another form of infinite love. 

Hypocrisy lol.. evil is good....haha

[Martin123]

13 hours ago, Dingus said:

@John Flores Your belief is that evil is still evil when you stop labeling it. And that's the only reason you can't welcome it.

You don't have to be buddha to deconstruct it, you just have to take that spinach out of your ears and get to work.

 

I see your point but you are hiding behind the excuse of not labeling.

Evil is dormant light. You might not wanna label it evil but thats only because of your negative connotation to the word.

It is only a problem when you feel threatened by it. Because that is untrue.

Evil is evil, good is good. Harmony exists within all. It doesnt care about your label. It cares about how secure are you with your own vibration/light

[SOUL]

To harm or hurt, which essentially is the inspiration behind concept of evil, has gray areas that are subjectively assessed.

[Khin]

What is evil? It's your egoistic mind.