In Buddhist thought, evil is found in:

• A. Birth
• B. Death
• C. Dissociation from the pleasant
• D. None of these

Answer: (A)

Birth marks the entry into the cycle of samsara, where beings are subject to craving, ignorance, and hatred that drive unwholesome actions. In Buddhist thought, evil isn’t a fixed thing inhabiting the world; it arises from these mental states as soon as life begins and the conditioned patterns of desire and delusion take hold. Once born, a being experiences the full flow of suffering—birth, aging, illness, and death—and the karma generated by unwholesome intentions can lead to further harm for oneself and others. Death and the rest of the cycle are part of this ongoing process, but the rooting point at which the cycle of suffering and moral misdeeds begins is birth. Dissociation from the pleasant isn’t the primary source of evil in this view, since craving for pleasant experiences—attachment and aversion—are the forces that propel harm. None of these would miss the way birth initiates the conditions for suffering and ethical action in Buddhist thought.