Where does Good and Evil come from?

When something, good or bad, happens to us, when someone, good or bad, does something, good or bad, to us, it is natural to wonder, "Where does ‘it’ come from? Why did it happen to me?" Of course, we are more concerned about something or someone "evil" because we naturally prefer to avoid pain, which we assume the evil brings us.

In deep meditation, tantric sages saw that the Universe manifests two fundamental evolutionary flows. One is towards harmony and synthesis (oneness)—it is the Divine wish for the welfare of all. Another is towards disharmony and analysis (duality)—it is the Divine wish for chaos. The first manifests as Good through the hands of those who are learning wisdom and compassion. And the second manifests as Evil through the hands of those destined to experience the pain of self-centered existence so that one day they may choose to turn toward wisdom and light. Good is an expression of the evolutionary force moving toward Divinity. Evil is an expression of the evolutionary force moving toward Matter. Both Good and Evil are essential parts of the Divine process of creation.

The ordinary human mind, however, cannot penetrate the source of Good and Evil because it is beyond the reach of human intellect. We do invent various theories, philosophies, doctrines, and religions by which we attempt to explain and become comfortable with this fundamental mystery. Nevertheless, no matter how much we philosophize, we fail to know the deeper, Divine origin of Good and Evil because it requires direct knowing, which in this instance the intellect cannot provide. It will remain a mystery until we discover intuition and learn to function beyond the intellect, which is typically clouded with imagination and emotions. Intuitive knowing is a direct, first-hand experience, which will satisfy the mind beyond any doubt. We can pierce the intellect and access intuitive knowledge through a special kind of effort that is at the foundation of any authentic spiritual path.

On the surface, evil is a manifestation of the false notion that one can take his or her individualism to the extreme of harming others for self-gratification and escape paying for one’s self-centeredness. Such deeply selfish persons think that they can impinge on the welfare of others for their personal benefit without considering the harmful effect their actions may have. Such persons mistakenly imagine that they are not a part of the Divine Plan and that they are not intimately connected with others. Evil is synonymous with spiritual ignorance—a sense of separation from the Divine and Its created Universe.

One protects oneself from evil by continually concentrating on the Divine origin of every object and thought in this created universe and by becoming a morally strong person who can face evil with courage. Yet, only a direct understanding of the source and, most importantly, the nature of Good and Evil will completely immunize one against its effects.

— Anatole

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