ON THE THREE EVILS

(From a speech to the All-Burma Peasants Organization at Mandalay,

May, 1953)
Humanity has been led astray by three evils greed, hatred and
ignorance. Whether we are Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Christians,
Animists, or Atheists, we cannot escape the three inevitables: old age,
disease, and death. Nobody can deny that the five sense objects
pretty sight, delightful sound, fragrant smell, savory taste, and nice
touch are only fleeting phenomena. They are neither lasting nor
permanent.
Nor can anybody deny that property is transitory: no one can carry
away his property after death. Men have been chasing these transitory
pleasures with a dogged tenacity mainly because they hold false views
regarding property. They forget that this life is not even one millionth
part of the whirlpool of Samsara (the cycles of rebirth), and go on
amassing wealth even though it never brings them full satisfaction.
This insatiable greed for wealth results in the profit motive which is not
directed toward any utilitarian purpose. Once upon a time all
commodities were common property, and everybody had a right to use
them for his own benefit. But with the advent of the profit motive these
commodities became objects of exploitation. They became instruments
of wealth and stimulus for greed. This led to the following phenomena:
1. Human society was split into two classes: Haves and Have-nots
2. The Have-nots had to depend on the Haves for their living, and thus
the evil system of exploitation of one class by another emerged.
3. With class exploitation, the poor became poorer because they could
not get adequate returns for their work. They had to resort to evil ways
like stealing, looting, and prostitution.
4. The Lord Buddha has taught us that there are four causes of death:
kamma, frame of mind, weather, and food. Under the system of class
exploitation, how can the Have-nots enjoy good food and protect

themselves from extremes of weather? Can there be any sense of

happiness or contentment for them? Can even a good kamma favor
one who is cheerless? Thus one who is born into the class of Have-nots
is handicapped in all the above four factors, and disease is the
inevitable result.
5. How can the Have-nots care for education with their hard struggle
for a bare living? Lack of education breeds an ever-increasing band of
ignoramuses and Mr. Zeros.
6. How can a country abounding in ignoramuses and Mr. Zeros ever
progress?
It is evident that most of the evils in the world can be traced to the
advent of the profit motive. Do you remember the legend of the
Padaythabin (the tree of fulfillment) we heard as children?
According to the legend, there was once a time when men and women
could get whatever they wanted from the Padaythabin tree. There was
no problem of food or clothes or housing, and there was no crime.
Disease was comparatively unknown. In course of time, however, the
people fell victim to greed and spoiled the tree of fulfillment which
eventually disappeared. Then a class of people who could not afford to
eat well, dress well, or live well appeared, and crime became rampant.
Now I ask you to think of the Padaythabin as the natural wealth of our
country, both above and under the ground. If only this natural wealth is
used for the common good of mankind it will be inexhaustible, besides
satisfying the needs of everybody. But greed comes in the way. The
poorest of the poor wants to become rich; the rich want to become
richer, and the process goes on ad infinitum. Spurred on by greed,
people are apt to botanize on their mothers graves, so to say, in
order to become richer. Thus the distribution of wealth becomes
unequal. While some can amass wealth which cannot be spent in ten
lives, others have to wallow in extreme poverty with bare rags on their
bodies.