Good and Bad
Good and Bad, Which Side Are You On? “What the Buddha taught concerns only two things — good and evil. His teachings can be summed up in a gist; to avoid evil and to do good.”
Yet many people are not able to tell them apart. Also not only do they mistake one for the other, some even think they can combine the two. To clear the confusion Sayadaw begins by probing into the roots of good and evil, showing how and why they arise.
He goes further to show how the two can become reinforced or give way to each other. The consequences of not knowing right from wrong or good from bad; and of getting habituated to some bad mental state are raised.
He also proves that there is more to the subject than meets the eye by discussing such issues:
- Putting your pet to sleep — is “mercy” killing justified?
- Is there merit in buying a round of beer for the group one is drinking with?
- Having done only good deeds, can we be reborn in hell?
- Can fishermen and hunters gain merit in offering what they obtained as dāna?
- When you use force to discipline your child, can you call it ‘anger in compassion’?