Chapter 9: Evil
Evil deeds accumulate gradually but bring suffering; good deeds bring lasting happiness.
13 argumentative units
- 01Alignment of thought with good and evil
Those who want to progress toward good must keep their thoughts away from evil; those who perform good deeds without commitment will find their mind dwelling in evil instead.
- 02Imperative to abandon and avoid delighting in sin
When one commits a sin, one should not repeat it or take pleasure in sinful behavior, for pain inevitably follows evil.
- 03Imperative to repeat and delight in good deeds
One should perform good deeds repeatedly and find joy in doing them, since happiness naturally flows from good actions.
- 04The law of ripening for evil deeds
An evil-doer experiences temporary happiness until the consequences of the evil deed ripen, at which point suffering becomes apparent.
- 05The law of ripening for good deeds
A good person may experience suffering until their good deed ripens into full consequence, at which point happiness manifests.
- 06Warning against underestimating gradual accumulation of evil
One should not dismiss evil as insignificant, for just as water drops gradually fill a pot, small evils accumulate to fill a fool with evil.
- 07Teaching on gradual accumulation of good
Similarly, one should not dismiss good deeds as insignificant, for the wise person gradually accumulates goodness through small, repeated good actions.
- 08Analogy of merchant and poison for evil avoidance
One should avoid evil deeds with the same vigilance a merchant avoids dangerous roads or a person avoids poison.
- 09Teaching on unvulnerability without prior damage
One without wounds can handle poison safely; similarly, one who does not commit evil is not affected by evil.
- 10Principle that evil returns to the wrongdoer
When someone harms an innocent and pure person, the evil rebounds upon the perpetrator like dust thrown against the wind.
- 11Classification of destinations according to deeds
The chapter catalogues the consequences of actions: some people are reborn, evil-doers go to hell, righteous people to heaven, and those free from desire attain Nirvana.
- 12Teaching that evil deeds have inescapable consequences
No place in the world—sky, sea, or mountain—offers escape from the consequences of one's evil deeds.
- 13Universal teaching on inescapability of death
Similarly, no location in the world can provide refuge from death, which is universal and inescapable.