Humans Are Wolves to One Another

From the old saying that still sends chills down the spine, we are led into the world of the malicious mind—from its coarse to its subtle forms. This is a journey to recognize and uproot the seeds of hell within our own hearts.

The rhythmic sound of the pestle pounding rice echoed from the end of the village, but the old woman sitting on the porch did not hear it. Her eyes were fixed on the red dirt road, where twenty years ago, a band of soldiers had swept through, burning every house to the ground. They took her three sons and violated her youngest daughter to death. She had witnessed them beheading her resisting neighbors, blood spraying onto the bamboo bushes, and the cries of agony filling the air. Since then, a phrase from the West has haunted her: "Humans are wolves to one another."

She was not the only one to carry such horror. Looking back through human history, from ancient battles where people stabbed and slashed each other with swords, to public executions where crowds cheered and danced as the condemned struggled on the gallows before falling still. Spectators watched, unmoved, even finding delight in it. This is the malicious mind revealing itself in its coarsest form: the readiness to inflict suffering, even to kill, to satisfy a vengeful heart or simply for amusement.

Yet the malicious mind does not stop at brutal acts. It has subtler, more insidious forms, which even a Buddhist who observes precepts might unwittingly nurture. For instance, when seeing another’s suffering, feeling indifferent; when seeing another’s failure, feeling a secret flicker of joy; when someone angers us, secretly wishing them pain, regret, and torment. This is the malicious mind. Though it may not become action, it is a seed that leads us toward hell.

A young Buddhist, sitting in a retreat, felt a sharp pang in his heart upon hearing this teaching. He recalled a time he had chuckled inwardly when a colleague was scolded by their boss, even knowing that colleague was dealing with a family tragedy. He wondered, "Am I an evil person?" He asked his teacher, "I do not kill or steal, so why do I still have such unwholesome thoughts?"

The teacher gazed at him thoughtfully. "Malice is causing suffering to others. The malicious mind is *wanting* others to suffer. You did not act, but if you feel joy at another’s pain, the malicious mind is still within you. It is the seed of hell."

The student suddenly remembered a story the teacher had shared about a Catholic friend who did not believe in reincarnation. This friend had once been in prison and, in the camp, met a vegetarian who practiced meditation. He began to imitate him. One day, he saw his past lives: his very first life was as a star deer standing on a mountaintop, gazing at the vast sky and earth. In later lives, he was born human, but still carried the nature of a gentle herbivore. He realized that a person’s gentle or fierce nature today often stems from past lives as animals. Those who were once predatory beasts, like leopards or tigers, when reborn as humans, tend toward violence and bloodshed. Those who were once gentle animals, like deer, are more likely to encounter the Dharma and find it easy to practice.

The teacher added, "Some souls are reborn from heavenly realms; they are sages like Confucius, Laozi, or Socrates. Others, reborn from hell or the hungry ghost realm, often carry minds of selfishness, greed, and malice, and are constantly pulled downward again. This is the cycle of rebirth through karma, very difficult to break."

Listening, the student felt a shiver. He looked at himself: his quick temper, his strong reactions when opposed, his fondness for meat, his competitive nature. He asked, "Was I a fierce animal in a past life?"

The teacher seemed to read his thoughts. "If you see in yourself a tendency to anger easily, to act aggressively, then you must be vigilant. But do not be afraid. What matters is that you practice, that you know how to cleanse these old seeds. Saints see people differently than we do. They see the good points, the virtuous seeds, and know that person can rise. Whereas we, when we look at someone, if we focus only on their flaws, our own mind still holds malice."

He fell silent. He remembered once speaking ill of a friend simply because that friend was better than him. He felt ashamed. He understood that to uproot the malicious mind, one must not only avoid unwholesome actions but also train oneself to look upon others with love and acceptance, just as the saints do.

From that day, he began to practice. Whenever he saw someone act in a way that displeased him, he would remind himself, "Perhaps they have their own suffering." He trained himself to notice others' good points first. Gradually, he felt his heart grow lighter, less judgmental, less prone to anger. He no longer wished for anyone to suffer to satisfy himself.

Years later, he met the old friend who had once angered him. He smiled in greeting, his heart calm and clear. He realized that when the mind is free of malice, one not only avoids the hell realms but finds peace right here in this life.

**The Meaning of the Story**

The teaching that the Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang wishes to convey is this: The malicious mind is not only about killing or stealing. It also includes subtle thoughts like feeling joy at another's suffering, indifference to their pain, or the habit of focusing on others' flaws. These are the seeds leading to hell. A Buddhist practitioner must recognize and completely uproot the malicious mind, replacing it with compassion, acceptance, and the willingness to see others through eyes of loving-kindness. In this way, we can transcend the painful cycle of rebirth.

*Compiled from a dharma talk by the Most Venerable Thích Chân Quang.*