Evil?

[Blue Tiger]

I think of "evil" as malicious intent to harm others.

If you harm someone out of stupidity, you're just stupid.

If you know you'll hurt someone and do not care, or actually relish the thought... that's EVIL.

So if there are entities in the Universe who get a thrill out of harming humans or other living things... then yes, those are evil, whatever else you may call them.

[LadyMay]

Interesting, I see evil more like an illness A sign something is wrong and needs correcting lol.

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted by LadyMay

Interesting, I see evil more like an illness A sign something is wrong and needs correcting lol.

I see your point...... but...... what is 'wrong' is something I have a hard time with. I look at it as 'just being'. And then you look, some people will agree that 'wrong' is evil and other people might look at the 'wrong' as good and some people might not even have an opinion.

[Altair]

Evil

1. Profoundly immoral and wicked.
1.1. (of a force of spirit) embodying or associated with the forces of the devil.
1.2. Harmful or tending to harm.
1.3. (of a smell or sight) extremely unpleasant.

https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/evil

Evil exists!

[Toe-Knee]

Evil/Live

As above so below blah blah blah

Originally Posted by Jyotir

Hi ketzer,

Best definition of evil I found is of Sri Aurobindo, that:

Evil is a perversion of ignorance.

That is to say...
Ignorance is a condition of physical existence that we emerge from by an evolution of consciousness.
But the conscious deliberate preservation, promotion, and action of that ignorance by choice is what constitutes that perversion = evil.

This is not present in lower kingdoms of Nature, but becomes a possibility in human beings due to the dual principle of reflective self-consciousness available through mind.

~ J

If one believes a teaching to be a powerfully persuasive perversion of truth, then one may consciously choose to remain ignorant of it for fear of ones mind becoming perverted by its power. Many religions teach that teachings outside of their own orthodox dogma are dangerous and misleading and could result in the soul going astray and succumbing to evil. Of course religions have their own self serving reasons for teaching this, but nonetheless, such dangerous and misleading teachings that could lead one astray do exist. For example, one may become persuaded by Nazi propaganda, convinced that one is saving the world from a great evil.
So what then is the best path to take? Do we expose our mind to all teachings and philosophies and hope we do not get drawn down dangerous paths of ignorance and false truths, or do we try to avoid exposing our minds to false, yet deceptive and persuasive, teachings? Just how confident are we in the evolved state of our consciousness to recognize the difference? How many times have I allowed myself to be fooled in the past, only to look back in wonder in how I let it happen?

[davidsun]

Originally Posted by ketzer

Do we expose our mind to all teachings and philosophies and hope we do not get drawn down dangerous paths of ignorance and false truths, or do we try to avoid exposing our minds to false, yet deceptive and persuasive, teachings?

IMO, neither of the 'options' you mention will lead to one's being free of 'negativity' (etc., etc., etc.)

Originally Posted by ketzer

Just how confident are we in the evolved state of our consciousness to recognize the difference?

The more one 'lives' and 'learns' the more confident one becomes. Of course, there's the 'teen-age' variety of "I know-it-all, I'm invulnerable" false-bravado 'confidence' to beware of!

Originally Posted by ketzer

How many times have I allowed myself to be fooled in the past, only to look back in wonder in how I let it happen?

That's part and parcel of being open to 'living' and 'learning'. Am right in there withchoo, fellow try-'on'-for-size-er.

[Jyotir]

Originally Posted by ketzer

If one believes a teaching to be a powerfully persuasive perversion of truth, then one may consciously choose to remain ignorant of it for fear of ones mind becoming perverted by its power. Many religions teach that teachings outside of their own orthodox dogma are dangerous and misleading and could result in the soul going astray and succumbing to evil. Of course religions have their own self serving reasons for teaching this, but nonetheless, such dangerous and misleading teachings that could lead one astray do exist. For example, one may become persuaded by Nazi propaganda, convinced that one is saving the world from a great evil.
So what then is the best path to take? Do we expose our mind to all teachings and philosophies and hope we do not get drawn down dangerous paths of ignorance and false truths, or do we try to avoid exposing our minds to false, yet deceptive and persuasive, teachings? Just how confident are we in the evolved state of our consciousness to recognize the difference? How many times have I allowed myself to be fooled in the past, only to look back in wonder in how I let it happen?

Originally Posted by ketzer

If one believes a teaching to be a powerfully persuasive perversion of truth, then one may consciously choose to remain ignorant of it for fear of ones mind becoming perverted by its power.

Huh? How could anyone remain ignorant of what they know? If I know enough about some construct to determine its truth value as being harmful, evil, how can I then ‘unknow’ it? I might choose to not utilize it, but to remain ignorant of what I know?

Please explain how this is possible.

Many religions teach that teachings outside of their own orthodox dogma are dangerous and misleading and could result in the soul going astray and succumbing to evil. Of course religions have their own self serving reasons for teaching this, but nonetheless, such dangerous and misleading teachings that could lead one astray do exist. For example, one may become persuaded by Nazi propaganda, convinced that one is saving the world from a great evil. So what then is the best path to take?

uhhh… Truth?

How can "a soul" go astray when the soul is the gnostic part of the individuated being? And this is the source/awareness of truth in the being. It's usually the mind, vital, or physical aspects that 'go astray', not the soul.

Again, if any construct or teaching is known and identified as false, misleading, harmful, evil, what then is the necessary prohibition in simply not actualizing said teaching? Do we not have free-will in that regard?

I just don’t see how what you are saying is relevant or primary. Evil is always possible or available, but why deliberately go there? If one is ignorant or naïve and has not established this and follows or is misled accordingly, by definition that isn’t evil. There has to be a knowing deliberate complicity (including any active pretense of denial) for it to be evil.

Do we expose our mind to all teachings and philosophies and hope we do not get drawn down dangerous paths of ignorance and false truths, or do we try to avoid exposing our minds to false, yet deceptive and persuasive, teachings? Just how confident are we in the evolved state of our consciousness to recognize the difference?

The same confidence is involved either way, but here we are discussing the spiritual dimension... In that context, we just expose our mind to what the search for truth reveals and where it leads to by that internal necessity. That is the spiritual way.

This is what true confidence is: when someone is sincerely searching for truth, the Truth itself begins to guide and direct that very search. It’s important to understand that Truth is not the same as ‘information’. It is a mode of continuously active sincere intuitive search and discernment - subjective knowing by identification - not the mere absorption, memorization and rational comparison of objective information.

How many times have I allowed myself to be fooled in the past, only to look back in wonder in how I let it happen?

How about ignorance?
And ignorant cognition. This is a fundamental problem. Ignorant modes of cognition yield ignorant results. This is why spiritual people meditate, because it supersedes the mental/intellectual modes that are inherently ignorant as a cognitive means. Meditation practice conditions to normalcy a more gnostic intuitive receptive modality that isn't otherwise predominantly available in the conscious being.

But people also spend a lot of time becoming enamored of their own cleverness for its own sake too. That is also a type of ignorance. It’s not necessarily evil, but it is ultimately a diversion. Why waste precious time?


~ J

[BigJohn]

Evil is relative. What one calls evil another migth say innocent, safe, benign, etc.

[Altair]

Originally Posted by BigJohn

Evil is relative. What one calls evil another migth say innocent, safe, benign, etc.

It's not relative. You may refer to different perspectives we can have when committing deeds. I think most people are unwilling to admit that evil is or can be a part of them, so they come up with excuses when they hurt others. At that moment they may think it was necessary or there was no other way, but it does not change the impact it has on the recipient.