When the Buddha left the world, there was evil in the world. There’s been evil all along. The problem is that if you try to wipe evil out of the world, you can become pretty evil yourself.

"I was talking recently to a group of people who were very wound up in the politics of the world right now. One of them was saying, “You can’t just let evil survive in the world.” Well, evil has been surviving for a long time in the world. When the Buddha left the world, there was evil in the world. There’s been evil all along. The problem is that if you try to wipe evil out of the world, you can become pretty evil yourself. You have to realize that there’s a lot in the world that’s beyond our power."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Metta Isn’t Love"

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