Sakyong Mipham
“In the 8th Century, the great Buddhist Master, Padmasambava, predicted that in the future a dark age would come about. In addition to environmental and social degradation and war, there would be a coarsening of the human consciousness. As a result good attitude, good conduct, and good speech would wane. Rather than building society around dignified principles of humanity, we would become hardened by opinions and distracted by gadgets, mistaking possessions as a means to happiness when the true sun of happiness shines in our own hearts. Forgetting our basic goodness, we would feel less connection with others as the light of love and compassion dimmed.
In these challenging and chaotic times, I believe that such darkness is now upon us like a long shadow at the end of the day - A diminishing of light. The Shambala teachings say that this has come about because we are losing our power to determine what to accept and what to reject.”
The Lost Art of Good Conversation, Introduction
[In other words, we are losing our power of discrimination, the power to recognize right from wrong and to choose right. "I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him." Deuteronomy 30:19-20 ]
I think it could be broader than right and wrong. There is also a qualitative aspect, the inability to discriminate between the beautiful and the corrupt, the true and the false, the lasting and the fleeting. Those and other qualitative dichotomies are probably what you mean by the good and the bad. This is a powerful quotation and a frightening one because of Padmasambava's prescience. Peter
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