How do we deal with evil?

General discussion, particularly exploring the Dharma in the modern world.
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Researcherz104
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How do we deal with evil?

Post by Researcherz104 »

I like Buddhism and have been researching its beliefs for quite a while now but I actually come from a Christian background and I feel as if my community may need some Buddhist advice on how to deal with today’s problems. In recent times I’ve been puzzled on how to deal with the rise of these modern day satan worshipers. They mock everything my religion stands for and casually show imagery and symbolism the devil, which is the ultimate evil in Christian mythology. They sell satanic clothes in stores and the world allows them to openly mock us. However I don’t even know what the right on how to deal with them, do I hate these people? Or is it even wrong to hate them? And if it is wrong to hate them then what do I do?.

To be honest I would just like advice from a Buddhist perspective. What would be the Buddhist way to deal with such disrespectful people and acts. What would Buddha tell his people to do if there were others whom disrespected everything he stood for and defiled his image? I know Buddhist have felt similar pains but in much, much worse ways as I know that some nations like Vietnam had points in their history where Buddhism was treated terribly. I just need help.
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Ayu
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Ayu »

My personal strategy is to ignore for the sake of mental stability.
If I had to protect someone, I would try to seek help. Report to the police, if they are criminal, because if innocents get harmed, it's not the time to ignore anymore. But it's still not worth getting angry or scared.

If those satanist only try to scare people, I think, completely ignoring is the best strategy.

It's said: "Before you get annoyed or scared, be like a block of wood". This means, don't judge, send compassion and prayers to them instead.

So, if I am annoyed or scared, this advice is very difficult to follow. Therefore I leave the situation and ignore those persons. It's the next best thing to do.
pemachophel
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by pemachophel »

There are a number of different schools of Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism we have Dharma Protectors who can be prayed to and propitiated in order to defend the Dharma and its practitioners.

Similarly, in Catholicism, there is the Archangel Michael. I don't know if Protestant schools of Christianity pray to St. Michael, but praying to St. Michael might be what you are looking for. Good luck & best wishes.

St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou,
O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls. Amen. .

O glorious prince St. Michael,
chief and commander of the heavenly hosts,
guardian of souls, vanquisher of rebel spirits,
servant in the house of the Divine King
and our admirable conductor,
you who shine with excellence
and superhuman virtue deliver us from all evil,
who turn to you with confidence
and enable us by your gracious protection
to serve God more and more faithfully every day.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

The Buddha would likely say not to egg them on, not to feed your emnity with them, and first and foremost to worry about our own behavior before getting embroiled in judging others.

Actually, in this regard Jesus said something pretty similar.

Consider: People actually have some valid reasons for disliking institutionalized religion, some may even have had traumatic experiences in Christian churches.

Wearing a shirt which is intentionally offensive to Christians is not a particularly mature way to deal with it of course, but it’s not something you necessarily need to concern yourself with.

If you buy into the Evangelical “spiritual warfare” notion maybe you feel some responsibility there, but frankly I think there is just as good an argument for letting your concern go and just focusing on your own spiritual practice.

I think you should also consider whether wearing “satanic clothes” is really the evil act you think it is, rather than sone youthful act of rebellion. There are lots of genuinely awful things people do all over the place, and the idea that this is an “evil” worthy of your time just reflects your intense aversion to these images, and to having your religion mocked, not their actual ethical or moral status.

In my opinion if you took a more dispassionate look, you would see that the people displaying these images etc. are probably the wrong place to focus on if you are worried about Evil, which we might define as the intentional creation of human misery.

That certainly happens, but the people you are concerned with are doing a comparatively minor thing of intentionally trying to offend your religion. It’s not the best reaction, but calling it “evil” is just feeding your aversion and reaction to the symbols.

In short, if you actually want to combat "evil", then worrying about this is probably a waste of your time. These are not particularly evil acts, they are simply (perhaps immature and short sighted) acts which upset you. Since the intent of these items is likely precisely to upset you and your religion, you are simply keeping the cycle going by choosing to focus on it.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
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Könchok Thrinley
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Well if I were a christian I'd not ask what would buddhists do but what would Jesus do. Sorry had to write that.

But otherwise I'd not do anything really. At best I'd pray for them that they one day see their wrongs as wrongs and for the grace of being able to love them.

I'd maybe even think for what is their reason for the hate. Maybe the Christianity affects their lives in ways they don't want. I know that I am not very happy that Christians get to say whether I can marry my partner or not despite not even being a majority in the population, yet the politicians are often christians. Maybe they have been hurt in other ways. I know of people who had a hard time in the church because they didn't feel accepted, hateful words were said about them (mostly because of sexuality) etc.

So it could be good to develop love and compassion towards them. Because when you hate you really hurt your peace and happiness not others.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
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Ayu
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Ayu »

I removed two off topic posts. This is no general discussion about satanism.
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by narhwal90 »

I find minding my own business avoids a variety of concerns about what others believe.
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Researcherz104 wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 1:24 pm What would be the Buddhist way to deal with such disrespectful people and acts. What would Buddha tell his people to do if there were others whom disrespected everything he stood for and defiled his image?
Very interesting. First, I have a question for you. What do they disrespect?
Do they reject forgiveness? Do they reject hypocrisy (‘throwing the first stone’)? What exactly do they disrespect? Is if just the mock rituals (Black Sabbath, etc) that upset you?

Now, to address your question:
The Buddhist answer is that both the sensation of outrage and also the desire to stop others from doing those sacrilegious things is rooted in one’s own self-grasping and ego clinging, and it is better to examine the workings of your own mind than to try and control others, which ultimately can never be accomplished. From a Christian point of view, aren’t they precisely the ones Jesus died for?

The Buddhist answer is that both you and they are doing what you do because you are motivated to be free from suffering, as we all are. So, when one considers how, in that respect, we are not all that different from each other, compassion should naturally arise and you understand that what they do gives them a sense of meaning and satisfaction, just as what you do gives you meaning and satisfaction. That’s why they do it. This doesn’t mean that they actually derive any lasting peace of mind. They are we also self-grasping and ego clinging. Thdd red Buddhist answer is that until we let go of self-grasping and ego clinging, regardless of whether one is a Christian or a Buddhist or a satanist or whatever, we will always be striving to be free from the desire to be more satisfied than we already are.

The Buddhist answer is that the causes for what we think and do and say in the present are the result of things that were thought, and said, and done in the past. People who actively engage in anti-Christian activity do so because of exposure to Christianity in the past which affected them negatively.

The Buddhist answer is that all things are interconnected. Not everyone who mocks Christianity is a satanist. Satanism still exists within the sphere of Christian theology itself. It’s a reaction to Christian theology that incorporates Christian theology (the concept of Satan). Without the Bible, there would be no satanism.

The Buddhist answer is that nothing possesses any intrinsic reality. This means that while the cross is a sacred object in your mind, it is also basically a Roman torture device. Relatively, the disrespectful actions of others can matter, because of how it makes you feel. Ultimately, there is nowhere outside of your own mind that these feeling exist. Likewise, the Roman torture device only exists a religious symbol the way its does in the mind of the Christian believer. Other than that imputed symbolic meaning, it’s nothing more than an intersection of horizontal and vertical lines. Given that, any offense taken is also a product of one’s own mind, which brings us back to the first answer: looking at your own thoughts is the best place to begin.
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Sarahsan
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Sarahsan »

narhwal90 wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 10:04 pm I find minding my own business avoids a variety of concerns about what others believe.
Indeed, brilliant point, which begs the question as to why followers of other religions would be soliciting advice from Buddhists (or people interested in Buddhism as the case may be) as to the best ways to follow their particular path.
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Dorje Shedrub
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Dorje Shedrub »

Pray for your enemies.
Homage to the Precious Dzogchen Master
🙏🌺🙏 Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche
🙏🌺🙏
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PadmaVonSamba
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by PadmaVonSamba »

Sarahsan wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 11:05 pm Indeed, brilliant point, which begs the question as to why followers of other religions would be soliciting advice from Buddhists (or people interested in Buddhism as the case may be) as to the best ways to follow their particular path.
“Followers” is a pretty broad term.
Buddhist have a reputation for being patient and at peace in the face of adversary. Also, the OP author likes Buddhism.
EMPTIFUL.
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Kim O'Hara »

PadmaVonSamba wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 11:42 pm
Sarahsan wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 11:05 pm Indeed, brilliant point, which begs the question as to why followers of other religions would be soliciting advice from Buddhists (or people interested in Buddhism as the case may be) as to the best ways to follow their particular path.
“Followers” is a pretty broad term.
Buddhist have a reputation for being patient and at peace in the face of adversary. Also, the OP author likes Buddhism.
:good:
Also, being willing to learn from others is generally a good thing.

:namaste:
Kim
Malcolm
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Malcolm »

Researcherz104 wrote: Sun May 28, 2023 1:24 pm I like Buddhism and have been researching its beliefs for quite a while now but I actually come from a Christian background and I feel as if my community may need some Buddhist advice on how to deal with today’s problems. In recent times I’ve been puzzled on how to deal with the rise of these modern day satan worshipers. They mock everything my religion stands for and casually show imagery and symbolism the devil, which is the ultimate evil in Christian mythology. They sell satanic clothes in stores and the world allows them to openly mock us. However I don’t even know what the right on how to deal with them, do I hate these people? Or is it even wrong to hate them? And if it is wrong to hate them then what do I do?.

To be honest I would just like advice from a Buddhist perspective. What would be the Buddhist way to deal with such disrespectful people and acts. What would Buddha tell his people to do if there were others whom disrespected everything he stood for and defiled his image? I know Buddhist have felt similar pains but in much, much worse ways as I know that some nations like Vietnam had points in their history where Buddhism was treated terribly. I just need help.
Did you ever consider this may be reaction to how disrespectful Christians have been and continue to be towards those of other faiths?

Personally, I side with the satanists since I believe in freedom of religion, unlike Christians.

93/93
Miorita
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Miorita »

It is their right to revolt because that it is what the society has been feeding them: hatred which is evil.
But you may have compassion and try reaching towards them to teach not the Christian values, but that they have behaviours which ultimately waste them and their chances. You may be the corrective element if you would like to understake this task.

No one truly cares if they are satanists. They act like a mob because they have been shown nothing better. It is always about circumstances.
The way they dress, speak or behave is their innocence label as they protest authority imposed. They don't protest Christianity itself, but what it has been done regardless of their own wishes and desires. And that goes back in times.
That which you may see as evil, may be a way to protest the real evil which may be abuse.
If you want to recuperate these people, you have to be willing to be their teacher and supply with your person what they have not been given - attract them, teach them as a friend, check their desire to correct, release them, that is let them act free what they have learned from you.

We may demand of others that they are perfect like us, but each time an abuse happens, the abused person develops ugly forms which being not so nice are called demons. You have to detect the abuse that created the demons. From the deformed form, through time, wounds heal within and make the stronger form/demon take charge over all other within.
We like the demons because they are about power and that includes the power to move, to express oneself, etc.
We are the sum of our experiences. The decision is yours, the understanding is also.

What can they wear? Shirts with skulls, snakes, roses, monsters, all expressions of fear at impact. All these were there present at the time of the abuse. It's what they remember. If you don't connect through compassion with them, they sense the lack of compassion once again.
But they are ready this time!
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Kim O'Hara
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Kim O'Hara »

Malcolm wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 3:18 am ...Personally, I side with the satanists since I believe in freedom of religion, unlike Christians.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" is not a trustworthy guideline, particularly in religious matters.

:thinking:
Kim
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Johnny Dangerous
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Re: How do we deal with evil?

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

I think the OP received a decent cross section of answers, and the thread is already iffy by the standards of the Terms of Service. So, it’s being closed for now.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
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