The fight of good and evil
In the novel 《1984》, George Orwell has profoundly described the fight of the rulers --Big Brother and the civilians in the control of thought and freedom of thought; now it is the 21st century and the prophecy in the novel 《1984》has been quietly happened in the world.
From the perspective of Buddhist doctrine, these fights of good and evil, in fact, are the fights of desire, selfishness and non-self, compassion. It is not just the war of Big Brother and the people, but also our important choices of the human nature and good and evil in our hearts.
That's right, everyone is afraid of death; under the intimidation of losing our own lives, our great faith, love, kindness have to be temporarily put aside, we must survive life first; and then the ruler -- Big Brother who threaten your life will jump out and say: "See, the faith, love, and goodness that you insist on finally lose to the selfishness of human nature. You are as selfish and ugly as we are for keeping yourself alive. The justice, the faith, human nature of goodness are only useless persistence." So the rulers -- Big Brother use the power of taking away our lives, not only to believe that the human nature are selfish and ugly by themselves, but also to force you and me to give up our own beliefs like they do and to give up pursuiting the goodness of human nature. They successfully transform our thoughts and the faith of goodness of human nature.
It also makes the rulers -- Big Brother do whatever they want to do without shame -- controling the media, monitoring the people, corruption, imprisoning and massacring opponents, because they have an excuse: "All people are ugly and selfish. The intelligent people can use the power of privilege doing bad things; it is the natural victory and defeat. The difference between they and the general people is only that there is more selfishness or less, or they have more opportunity or less."
And the more frightening thing is: in today's world, there are also many people who think of this -- the selfishness and greed of human nature are normal. And then they forgive themselves for doing bad things that are based on selfishness and greed; and they ridicule the people who are not selfish, greedy enough saying that they are stupid. If the people with this idea become more, the world we live in will be more and more chaotic and cruel.
As a Buddhist practitioner, I would like to put forward some Buddhist view: The first is "cause and effect". Selfishness is wrong and even if we assume selfishness, greed can be allowed, but do bad things can not escape the cause and effect -- karma. Do not think that do bad things drived by desire and selfish can get the benefits of money, power, beauty, reputation and so on, and then all things go to the end; according to the natural law of the world we live in, you will get melons if you plant melons, and get beans if you plant beans; once you plant a bad cause, you will get bad effect; this fact is unavoidable and no one can take these retribution for you. Perhaps at present, the cause and condition is not ready, so you can enjoy those benefits, but in the future, you will surely receive the retribution that is equal to the bad things you have done, and the sufferings that you will suffer at that time may be far more than the benefits that you enjoyed.
Second, the greatness of life is to achieve the ultimate good -- to overcome the desire and greed. To indulge themselves to follow their own desire and greed always not as good as those who insist to their own principle and ideal. Although in order to save their own lives, they will temporarily give up the kindness of human nature, but in their hearts, they still have the faith to struggle against desire and selfish. This is the biggest difference between those rulers -- the Big Brother and the guardians who believe the good of human nature; even if all the people around are dazzled by money, power, beauty, fame, they still keep the judgments and persistence of good and evil. The ruler -- Big Brother may be able to take away their lives or to force them to compromise, but it is only temporary; the judgement of good and evil -- the choise between doing bad things by following desire and restrainting selfish desire, will not be changed after all.
"Selfishness" in Buddhist doctrine is considered to be a phenomenon of the attachment of "I". And the state of "non-self" is achievable; ordinary people are bound by the attachment of "I", therefore they drift with desire; those who restrain desires in the chaotic world practice for the state of "non-self", and finally will get relif -- the state of non-self, not be affected by all desires. It is known as "Nirvana" and such a saint called "Arhat". They have overcome all the desires, that is to say, they have no the selfish idea of "I", not to mention doing bad things in order to get money, power, beauty, reputation.
Perhaps not everyone can immediately become Arhat, but the win and lose of this war between desire, selfishness and non-self, compassion has been decided. If you want to reach the destination, but do not prepare and set out, it will never be able to reach. After making the choice of good, please immediately start to go toward "Nirvana"! Time is not enough if you hesitate.
2017. October
From the perspective of Buddhist doctrine, these fights of good and evil, in fact, are the fights of desire, selfishness and non-self, compassion. It is not just the war of Big Brother and the people, but also our important choices of the human nature and good and evil in our hearts.
That's right, everyone is afraid of death; under the intimidation of losing our own lives, our great faith, love, kindness have to be temporarily put aside, we must survive life first; and then the ruler -- Big Brother who threaten your life will jump out and say: "See, the faith, love, and goodness that you insist on finally lose to the selfishness of human nature. You are as selfish and ugly as we are for keeping yourself alive. The justice, the faith, human nature of goodness are only useless persistence." So the rulers -- Big Brother use the power of taking away our lives, not only to believe that the human nature are selfish and ugly by themselves, but also to force you and me to give up our own beliefs like they do and to give up pursuiting the goodness of human nature. They successfully transform our thoughts and the faith of goodness of human nature.
It also makes the rulers -- Big Brother do whatever they want to do without shame -- controling the media, monitoring the people, corruption, imprisoning and massacring opponents, because they have an excuse: "All people are ugly and selfish. The intelligent people can use the power of privilege doing bad things; it is the natural victory and defeat. The difference between they and the general people is only that there is more selfishness or less, or they have more opportunity or less."
And the more frightening thing is: in today's world, there are also many people who think of this -- the selfishness and greed of human nature are normal. And then they forgive themselves for doing bad things that are based on selfishness and greed; and they ridicule the people who are not selfish, greedy enough saying that they are stupid. If the people with this idea become more, the world we live in will be more and more chaotic and cruel.
As a Buddhist practitioner, I would like to put forward some Buddhist view: The first is "cause and effect". Selfishness is wrong and even if we assume selfishness, greed can be allowed, but do bad things can not escape the cause and effect -- karma. Do not think that do bad things drived by desire and selfish can get the benefits of money, power, beauty, reputation and so on, and then all things go to the end; according to the natural law of the world we live in, you will get melons if you plant melons, and get beans if you plant beans; once you plant a bad cause, you will get bad effect; this fact is unavoidable and no one can take these retribution for you. Perhaps at present, the cause and condition is not ready, so you can enjoy those benefits, but in the future, you will surely receive the retribution that is equal to the bad things you have done, and the sufferings that you will suffer at that time may be far more than the benefits that you enjoyed.
Second, the greatness of life is to achieve the ultimate good -- to overcome the desire and greed. To indulge themselves to follow their own desire and greed always not as good as those who insist to their own principle and ideal. Although in order to save their own lives, they will temporarily give up the kindness of human nature, but in their hearts, they still have the faith to struggle against desire and selfish. This is the biggest difference between those rulers -- the Big Brother and the guardians who believe the good of human nature; even if all the people around are dazzled by money, power, beauty, fame, they still keep the judgments and persistence of good and evil. The ruler -- Big Brother may be able to take away their lives or to force them to compromise, but it is only temporary; the judgement of good and evil -- the choise between doing bad things by following desire and restrainting selfish desire, will not be changed after all.
"Selfishness" in Buddhist doctrine is considered to be a phenomenon of the attachment of "I". And the state of "non-self" is achievable; ordinary people are bound by the attachment of "I", therefore they drift with desire; those who restrain desires in the chaotic world practice for the state of "non-self", and finally will get relif -- the state of non-self, not be affected by all desires. It is known as "Nirvana" and such a saint called "Arhat". They have overcome all the desires, that is to say, they have no the selfish idea of "I", not to mention doing bad things in order to get money, power, beauty, reputation.
Perhaps not everyone can immediately become Arhat, but the win and lose of this war between desire, selfishness and non-self, compassion has been decided. If you want to reach the destination, but do not prepare and set out, it will never be able to reach. After making the choice of good, please immediately start to go toward "Nirvana"! Time is not enough if you hesitate.
2017. October
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