~ Reflections on Basic Goodness ~
Are human beings basically good or not?
At some point in our lives, most of us ask this question or something similar. Is human nature fundamentally kind and honorable, or is it that everyone is looking out only for themselves? As a species, are we inherently bad or defective or are we innately perfect and whole?
How we respond is important because it influences our attitude to life. If we believe that human beings are fundamentally selfish and unkind then we are likely to feel unsafe in the world. We’ll assume that others are unfriendly or hostile and life will become a struggle, a series of problems to be solved, or tasks to be completed, with little lasting contentment or joy. We’ll be constantly trying to improve our lives and make things better, but never really succeeding because of our underlying belief.
On the other hand, if we believe that human beings are fundamentally good, then we are likely to feel safe and happy in the world. This view doesn’t dispute that our goodness is often covered over with a lot of muck and mud - emotional armoring and baggage - but it sees these flaws as removable, like tarnish on silver. This is the view that Buddhism takes. There’s a true story that illustrates this very nicely:
In a large temple north of Thailand's ancient capital, Sukotai, there once stood an enormous and ancient clay Buddha. Though not the most handsome or refined work of Thai Buddhist art, it had been cared for over a period of five hundred years and had become revered for its sheer longevity. One day, the monks who tended the temple noticed that the statue had begun to crack and would soon be in need of repair. After a stretch of particularly hot, dry weather, one of the cracks became so wide that a curious monk took a flashlight and peered inside.
What shone back at him was a flash of brilliant gold! Inside this plain old clay statue, he discovered one of the largest and most luminous gold images of Buddha ever created in Southeast Asia. Now uncovered, the golden Buddha draws throngs of devoted pilgrims from all over Thailand. (The monks believe that the statue had been covered in plaster and clay to protect it during times of conflict and unrest).
Just as the people of Sukotai had forgotten about the golden Buddha, perhaps we too have forgotten our essential nature. Much of the time we operate from the protective layers of clay and forget about our inherent kindness, honesty and integrity.
Buddhism can help us to help us see beneath this armoring, this covering of clay, and uncover out our original goodness, also called “buddhanature.” For example, the Tibetan Book of the Dead says “O Nobly Born, O you of glorious origins, remember your radiant true nature, the essence of mind. Trust it. Return to it. It is home.”
In these difficult times, it can be easy to think of basic goodness as a concept that we need to persuade ourselves is true. Or we can think of it merely as a belief that helps us to feel good. But basic goodness is about much more. As Tibetan teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche said “Basic goodness is not just an arbitrary idea that the world is good, but it is good because we can experience its goodness.”
In this way, our lived experience of basic goodness gives us faith and strength. This doesn’t mean that we ignore what’s wrong or the enormity of people’s suffering. And it doesn’t mean that we are naïve and make ourselves vulnerable to unstable and perhaps violent individuals. But the experience of basic goodness – our own and others’ - can become an positive orientation to life that changes the way we see everything and the way we behave.
When we directly experience our truly golden nature, we will naturally act with kindness and respect towards those around us. And when we do this, we open a channel to their basic goodness. When people experience someone who values them, it gives them the ability to accept and acknowledge their own basic goodness. When we see what is good and noble in another, we create a space for the transformation of their hearts.
To see others in this way does not mean we ignore the need for development and change in ourselves or others. We still need to remove all the muck and mud. As Zen master Shunryu Suzuki remarked to a disciple, “You are perfect just the way you are. And… there is still room for improvement!”
I’ll end with a few words from Rumi, a 13th century Sufi mystic:
“You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don't.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly.”
How we respond is important because it influences our attitude to life. If we believe that human beings are fundamentally selfish and unkind then we are likely to feel unsafe in the world. We’ll assume that others are unfriendly or hostile and life will become a struggle, a series of problems to be solved, or tasks to be completed, with little lasting contentment or joy. We’ll be constantly trying to improve our lives and make things better, but never really succeeding because of our underlying belief.
On the other hand, if we believe that human beings are fundamentally good, then we are likely to feel safe and happy in the world. This view doesn’t dispute that our goodness is often covered over with a lot of muck and mud - emotional armoring and baggage - but it sees these flaws as removable, like tarnish on silver. This is the view that Buddhism takes. There’s a true story that illustrates this very nicely:
In a large temple north of Thailand's ancient capital, Sukotai, there once stood an enormous and ancient clay Buddha. Though not the most handsome or refined work of Thai Buddhist art, it had been cared for over a period of five hundred years and had become revered for its sheer longevity. One day, the monks who tended the temple noticed that the statue had begun to crack and would soon be in need of repair. After a stretch of particularly hot, dry weather, one of the cracks became so wide that a curious monk took a flashlight and peered inside.
What shone back at him was a flash of brilliant gold! Inside this plain old clay statue, he discovered one of the largest and most luminous gold images of Buddha ever created in Southeast Asia. Now uncovered, the golden Buddha draws throngs of devoted pilgrims from all over Thailand. (The monks believe that the statue had been covered in plaster and clay to protect it during times of conflict and unrest).
Just as the people of Sukotai had forgotten about the golden Buddha, perhaps we too have forgotten our essential nature. Much of the time we operate from the protective layers of clay and forget about our inherent kindness, honesty and integrity.
Buddhism can help us to help us see beneath this armoring, this covering of clay, and uncover out our original goodness, also called “buddhanature.” For example, the Tibetan Book of the Dead says “O Nobly Born, O you of glorious origins, remember your radiant true nature, the essence of mind. Trust it. Return to it. It is home.”
In these difficult times, it can be easy to think of basic goodness as a concept that we need to persuade ourselves is true. Or we can think of it merely as a belief that helps us to feel good. But basic goodness is about much more. As Tibetan teacher Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche said “Basic goodness is not just an arbitrary idea that the world is good, but it is good because we can experience its goodness.”
In this way, our lived experience of basic goodness gives us faith and strength. This doesn’t mean that we ignore what’s wrong or the enormity of people’s suffering. And it doesn’t mean that we are naïve and make ourselves vulnerable to unstable and perhaps violent individuals. But the experience of basic goodness – our own and others’ - can become an positive orientation to life that changes the way we see everything and the way we behave.
When we directly experience our truly golden nature, we will naturally act with kindness and respect towards those around us. And when we do this, we open a channel to their basic goodness. When people experience someone who values them, it gives them the ability to accept and acknowledge their own basic goodness. When we see what is good and noble in another, we create a space for the transformation of their hearts.
To see others in this way does not mean we ignore the need for development and change in ourselves or others. We still need to remove all the muck and mud. As Zen master Shunryu Suzuki remarked to a disciple, “You are perfect just the way you are. And… there is still room for improvement!”
I’ll end with a few words from Rumi, a 13th century Sufi mystic:
“You were born with potential.
You were born with goodness and trust. You were born with ideals and dreams. You were born with greatness.
You were born with wings.
You are not meant for crawling, so don't.
You have wings.
Learn to use them and fly.”
