What we often think:

others do evil, not me.

As Buddhists, we believe that all beings are by nature good. But, for uncountable reasons, we often don’t do what is good. And in not doing good, we all too often stray into doing evil as our thoughts go unnoticed, our speech becomes careless, our actions go unchecked.

Lazy, we fall into bad habits.

Caught off guard, we don’t think before we react.

Proud, we can’t bring ourselves to apologize.

Frustrated, we don’t think, or care, about what we’re doing to others.

Selfish, we ignore the needs and wishes of others.

Intolerant, we don’t care about those whom we deem inferior.

So anger, unforgiveness, envy, fear, delusion, ignorance—these are all evil. But we ourselves are not evil. Sadly, however, often when we are not mindful, we can do evil things. So, with an awareness of this, do not focus on what others do. Do not be angry at the actions of others. Focus on what you yourself are thinking . . . saying . . . doing.

This is where it all begins.

Will it be evil or good?