When Bad Things Happen to Good People

One of the most common issues that comes up during discussions of karma – cause and effect (or cause and result) is how can seemingly good people suffer such negative consequences. Likewise, we could be asking why success and fortune come to someone who is seemingly such a “bad person.”

Mind you, when it really comes down to it, there is no one that is 100% bad. Even the most vicious people had someone who loved them, had someone that they helped and did good. But this is the subject of this talk. It is just important to mentioned this so that we do not get confused and think that I am saying that there is anyone who is a bad person. There are people who tend to do really terrible things. But the Buddhist View is that they are not a bad person. They are a person who is trapped with misunderstanding and confusion as to how to gain happiness and avoid suffering.

I recently have been studying a new book released on the preliminary practice (Ngondro) of the Dudjom Lingpa New Treasure. The commentary composed by Dungse Thinley Norbu Rinpoche is entitled “A Cascading Waterfall of Nectar.” As part of the Ngondro, there is the standard contemplation on the four foundations of Buddhist practice: Precious Human Birth, Impermanence, Karma, and Nature of Suffering.

In speaking on Karma, Rinpoche writes:
“From a lack of understanding about the order of cause and result, some may wonder why there are those who make the effort to abandon negativity in this life and accumulate virtue but still experience suffering. Then there are those who have no faith or confidence in the karma of cause and result [presumably doing bad things], yet who are happy and successful in this life. Because of this, if one thinks that the karma of cause and result is therefore untrue, this is a sign of not knowing the order of cause and result, owing to the strength of non-believing nihilist habit. Some people who abandon negativity and accumulate virtue but still suffer in this life are cleansing the suffering from previous lives. This is said by sublime beings to be a sign that in the future they will no longer need to experience this suffering. Then there are those who are fearlessly accruing negativity in this life and yet experience very positive happy phenomena. This is exhaustible virtue, which is the result of small virtuous causes accumulated in previous lives. Once the result of virtue is used up, they again must follow whatever negative causes they have created from previous lives.”

Rinpoche continues by reminding us that the seeds planted through our actions, words, thoughts in this life may not ripen in this lifetime. They will surely be experienced in future lifetimes. This goes for both negative karma and positive karma. We are reminded that once the seeds are planted, the result will occur sometime in the future when the conditions are right.

Buddhist teachings do have methods for Purifying karmic seeds before they come forth. The purification process as I have been explained is discussed in “Purifying our Negative Actions, Words, and Thinking.”

This has all been said before, I am only restating what my teachers have said much better than me. However, here is something that I think might help us in dealing with understanding karma: As we contemplate the karma of cause and result, it is best that we look primarily to ourselves. It is very easy to redirect our attention to some hypothetical child somewhere in the world. However, when it really comes down to it, I really do not know about their life.

It is not for me to figure out their karma or try to reconcile apparent injustices of another person’s life…especially a hypothetical child somewhere in the world. If someone is suffering and there is something that I can do to help, then I can offer help, assistance, love and compassion.

The focus of Buddhist training is to train our mind. To study, contemplate and meditate within our lives. Situations that arise for us are the opportunities to practice what we have been taught. Others who are suffering are opportunities to offer help and assistance with love and compassion.

Through training and practice, I can become a more loving and compassionate person. These positive qualities are then applied to assist all sentient beings.

If we can look at each situation that arises a opportunity to do good, as Khenpo Choga Rinpoche often says and approach negative circumstances with love and compassion, we can truly improve the lives of all sentient beings as well as assure fruitful results for us as well.

Many Dharma Blessings,

Geoff