People have a difficult time determining both whether or not they should do something and whether a particular action is good or bad.
When you consider whether or not you should do something there’s a three-point system that you can use to double check your actions. What you can do is check before, during, and afterwards how you feel about the action. If at all points, you feel content and satisfied with what you have done, that your intention, action, and results are good, then that means that the action is good. But if, for example, before and during you feel good about the action but once the action has been done you feel badly about the results then that means that it is a bad action. If at any point, whether before during or after you feel badly about the action than that indicates that it is a bad action. No one can really tell you if your action is good or bad you are the one who gauges this.
As an example a practitioner once asked, “how do I know if it is wrong or right, what I’m doing. A friend asked to spend the night at my house. Their parents would only allow for this person to sleep over if it was at my house. And my friend really did sleep over. But there is a time when my friend went out and was using drugs, and got caught. I was then blamed by my friend’s parents for being a bad friend and for participating in the lie. I had no idea that my friend was this type of person. So then doesn’t that mean that I am not wrong?”
So was the practitioner wrong? Let’s look at the before, during, and after.
BEFORE: When the friend asked to sleep over.
DURING: When the friend came to house.
AFTER: When the friend got into trouble and you got blamed for being a bad friend.
Before and during the act of having your friend sleep over, it was not a bad act.
But the results that came afterwards indicate that it indeed was a bad act.
If the results turned out badly, then what? Then this incident can serve as a lesson and reference point for future decisions. However, as with all things, impermanence comes into play. In the case that the intention is good, the action isn’t so good, but the results turned out good, then that could still indicate a good action. It is up to us to discern.
Regardless, both good and bad actions are used to teach us how to think, act, and speak better. Better in this case denotes a choice that minimizes harm to all parties. Note that it minimizes, but does not eradicate harm. So long as we are one of the world’s citizens, we are bound to interact with others and create both good and bad feelings. We are here on earth to learn how to minimize our rebirths by minimizing these problems. That is why it is important that we learn from our successes and mistakes. Don’t be afraid to commit any actions, as sometimes even bad actions can teach us the most.
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