dharﾷma simﾷuﾷlaﾷtion

On Buddhism’s view of good and bad

We tend to view ourselves as either good or bad, right or wrong. We have a tendency to be judgmental in this regard. But this is not the primary approach Buddhism takes in how we look at ourselves. The Buddhist view, recognizing that we all have both innate good and bad in us, focuses on strengthening our good points and challenging our weaknesses. The overall goal of Buddhism, we should remember, is to achieve an unshakably happy state of life. This is a life strong and enjoyable even in the face of problems and obstacles, a life that seeks profound rather than shallow happiness.

In the beginning, we may assume that practicing means no problems - that if we have lots of problems there’s something wrong with us - but that’s not so. Life is a series of problems, whether we practice or not. Happiness is the confidence and power to solve each one. The power of the Law is such that we can change the source of our problems and, deep within our lives, our weaknesses into strengths. Therefore, in the final analysis, Buddhism is primarily concerned with winning. via SGI-USA