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Buddhism
Why Bad Things Happen to Good People
by Lama Chuck Stanford
Our brothers and sisters
in the monotheistic religions often struggle with the question of "why
bad things happen to good people?" As some of you know my wife, Mary has
gone back to school to become a hospital chaplain. She told me recently
that in her class - made up entirely of students from the monotheistic
religions that they struggled with this very question.
If their concept of God is all powerful, all omniscience and all
compassion then why would he/she allow bad things happen to good
people. Why would he allow a small baby to die a painful death?
Last week one of our member's
husband was in a terrible head on car accident. The person in the other
car died, and this person's husband was critically injured, but now
looks like he will survive.
As Buddhists we don't ask "Why
did God let this happen?" Of course we may still wonder why it had to
occur at all. It occurred as a result of Dependent Origination.
 During his enlightenment
experience, the Buddha saw that the process of 'becoming', of birth, old
age and death was ultimately a circular process consisting of twelve
links (nidana), each link is the condition for the one following
on from it. This process is referred to as 'dependent origination' or
'conditioned arising'. Dependent origination is one of the more
initially difficult concepts of Buddhism.
It refers to much more than
just the cycle of life, death and rebirth. At it's basis is the
foundation for karma and the idea that all mental and physical phenomena
are conditioned, that is everything arises from various causes and
conditions. There is nothing that you can't point to that doesn't have
some cause or condition for it's existence - not only physical phenomena
but also the mental states.
Let us take first an example
used by the Buddha Himself. The Buddha has said the flame in an oil lamp
burns dependent upon the oil and the wick. When the oil and the wick are
present, when the flame is introduced the oil lamp burns. If either of
these is absent, the flame will cease to burn. This example illustrates
the principle of dependent origination with respect to a flame in an oil
lamp.
The fact that the flame ceases
in the absence of the wick and oil is important. It relates directly to
the 4 Noble truths and the cause of suffering. If we remove the cause of
suffering - craving, desire and attachment - then we end suffering.
This is why the Buddha has said
that he who sees dependent origination sees the Dharma and he who sees
the Dharma sees the Buddha. This is why the Buddha said that
understanding dependent origination is the key to liberation.
I would like to spend a little
bit of time on another important meaning of dependent origination and
that is dependent origination as an expression of the Middle Way. The
Middle Way means avoiding the extreme. In that context the Middle Way is
synonymous with moderation. It means avoiding the extremes of eternalism
and nihilism. How is this so? The flame in the oil lamp exists dependent
upon the oil and the wick. When either of these are absent, the flame
will be extinguished. Therefore, the flame is neither permanent nor
independent.
The fact that the flame ceases
without the wick and the oil shows us the truth in the 4 noble truths.
When we cease our clinging, attachments and desires (causes) then our
suffering will also cease!
If the flame could continue
without the causes of the wick and the oil then it would be self
existing and eternal (self inherent existence). Likewise if there was no
flame regardless of the wick and the oil then that would be nihilistic.
But because the flame is
dependent it also shows us that everything in our world is dependent
upon causes including ourselves. We are no different than the flame. We
can see that this fixed, permanent idea of a self is an illusion because
it is also dependent upon causes.
The 12 links are
- Ignorance
- Karmic actions (intentional acts)
- Consciousness
- Body and Mind
- The Senses
- Sense impressions
- Feelings
- Craving
- Clinging
- Becoming
- Rebirth
- Old Age and Death.
It all begins with ignorance.
By ignorance we are not talking about stupidity but we are referring to
not seeing the nature of reality as it really is. This refers to the
fact that most of us blame others for our problems or our unhappiness
rather than seeing that the cause (in most cases) is our own mental
state.
Each of our lives are woven of
karma. Each small thread we see is contained in a matrix of time and
causality - a context of billions of threads that are beyond our vision.
This leaves us with the
responsibility of doing exactly what were the parting instructions of
the Buddha:
"Work our
your own salvation with Diligence"
- Maha-Para-Nirvana Sutra
Work out your own salvation
means to apply the ALL of the Teachings of the Buddha to every
circumstance of our lives.
Most of the causes and
conditions that yielded this particular life that we lead are based on
many previous existences. What we are constrained to do, then, is to
take what we are given and practice Generosity and the rest and become a
Bodhisattva.
But dependent origination means
we have the choice to be stuck in ignorance. Simply reacting to life in
knee jerk sorts of way or to practice the Dharma.
If all is conditioned then it
is up to us!
We do have choice - every
moment - we can act and react in a way that reinforces our idea of fixed
permanent self or we can embrace that all things are empty including
ourselves and thus, impermanent and work to end the horrific suffering
we cause ourselves and others and embrace the virtuous.
Summary
So this coming week, realize
that we have the choice to live the intentional life. By practicing
The Eight Fold Path, the Six Paramitas and
cultivating compassion and wisdom in every situation we can become
Bodhisattvas as quickly as possible to help and aid our fellow sentient
beings.
I pray for your health, long
life, happiness and complete success in all of your endeavors with many
blessings of the Triple Gem.
May Your Journey Be Gentle.
November 27, 2005
Image under license with
Gettyimages.com
By Arrangement with
The Rime Buddhist
Center.
Lama Chuck Stanford is a fully ordained Lama of Tibetan Buddhism. He is
married and with his wife directs a Buddhist Center located in Kansas
City: The Rime Buddhist Center, Tibetan Institute of Studies and
Monastery.
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