Good vs Evil Debate: What Truly Lives in the Heart of Darkness?
Nov 24, 2025
Throughout the whole of human history one of the recurring themes is the debate over ‘Good’ vs ‘Evil.’ At different times and in different places, the faces of Good and Evil change but the primary question remains ever present; why this constant tug of war between these two forces?
What is it in the human psyche that demands these two qualities are ever present in our societies? And has there ever been a society, which was simply, ‘Good?’
In Tantra, one of the main consciousness practices is to discover the magical alchemy that happens when we bring any two opposites together. This blog explores the interplay between Good and Evil and how we can find the nectar hidden in these powerful forces.
Word Play of Good Versus Evil and Persecution
It is interesting to do word play. For example, if we look at the word God, backwards, it becomes ‘Dog’, the humble follower and companion of humanity. Evil written backwards becomes ‘Live!’ And indeed, in some religions, our version of God is simply a replica of human foibles; a humble follower of our own lopsided ideas about right and wrong.
In many societies, the ones labeled as ‘evil’ were actually those who were most alive, and therefore not good followers of a repressive societal structure. An example of this is the widespread burning of ‘witches’ in Europe. Witch in its original meaning is ‘wise woman’ and usually denoted a healer, midwife and counselor. These women were branded as ‘evil’ by the Inquisition.
Another example was the widespread murder of Tantra practitioners in India by the Shankar Acharya, religious head of Hinduism. People who practice Tantra discover how to plug themselves directly to source and do not need spiritual heads acting as a go-between. Tantrikas are free as the wind and to an overbearing regime, this appears to be dangerous.
Cowboys and Indians
In my childhood, a bunch of us kids would gather to form one line of ‘cowboys’ and another line of ‘indians’. We would then fight terrible battles with each other, each side convinced the other was utterly evil. One day, someone explained to me what had actually happened with the indians, that our ancestors came uninvited and stole the land away from the indians, gave them diseases for which they had no immunity and butchered them by the thousands. These indians were then put into reservations (another form of concentration camp), where they live to this day.
I was so shocked on hearing this that I immediately said, “I refuse to live on land that was stolen by force. When I grow up, I will either go and live with the indians and become one with them, or I will leave this country and never come back. I refuse to be part of the legacy of such violence.” By age 19, I had renounced my American citizenship.
I carried a sort of schizoid split inside, by feeling shame for my own ancestors, an all-important part of my bloodline. Eventually, through meditation and healing, I was able to make peace within myself and to feel pride for my pioneer blood, which has inspired me to conquer new worlds within and to explore the majesty of the outer world in so many varied ways.
In many cases, those deemed evil are simply people who are in some way different from ourselves. Maybe their skin is a different color, or they worship a different God or they have customs that we don’t understand. We tend to demonize what is incomprehensible to us.
Abuse of Beautiful Words Through Lack of Lived Experience
The American Constitution has been lifted almost word for word from the constitution of the Iroquois, who were known as the peacekeeping nation among American indians. For many generations they had developed an exquisitely refined code of conduct in regards to living with respect and peacefulness with neighboring tribes and the earth. Their texts were used by the founding fathers of the United States who took credit where none was due.
The fact is, the Iroquois had honed their code of conduct, from centuries of experience, passed down through their oral tradition. Each succeeding generation learned not to repeat the mistakes of the past and to move progressively forward towards the greatest good of all beings. Because the text used by the founding fathers of America did not arise from their own wisdom and experience, they were not able to pass it down in a coherent way.
Thus, the beautiful constitution has been used to camouflage many twisted ways of governmental abuse. Sometimes, what appears as evil is simply human stupidity. And at other times, we may wonder if the perpetuators of various crimes against life, are really human beings at all? Some crimes are so cold blooded that they appear to us to be non-human in nature.
From Where Does Evil Spring?
But the question remains, from where does evil spring? It is well known that Hitler was refused entry into an art academy, due to perceived lack of talent by the administrators. Had they known the outcome of this rejection, they may have welcomed him in with open arms! In this sense, anyone who feels rejected or hurt badly enough is capable of what we would call ‘evil’.
Hell and Heaven: A Zen Story
A Samurai came to a Zen Master and asked to receive clarification about heaven and hell. The master replied, “Why should I waste my time on such an ignorant buffoon as yourself?” The Samurai immediately pulled his sword in anger, ready to cut the head of the master. The master spoke with calmness and clarity, “Here lies the gate to Hell.” The Samurai understood and began sheathing his sword. “And here is the gate to Heaven,” said the Master.
The Intent To Kill
I once flew into such a blind rage that I became a murderer to all intents and purposes, even though no murder happened. I was experimenting with an ‘open relationship’ with my then husband. One of his lovers contracted gonorrhea and as a result both my husband and me had to go for treatment. As we were entering the clinic for treatment, the woman in question was coming out! I was engulfed by red, then black rage, and hurled myself at her with the intent to kill. Luckily, some people pulled me away before I could do any damage.
I then collapsed in tears of shame and guilt at my fall from grace. I had entered the domain of hell in that moment, a space where all consciousness was given over to the killing instinct. The shock that this was possible for me, a devout meditator, became a very important lesson.
Satori
Later on the same day, I was cleaning Osho’s dining room on my hands and knees, when suddenly I experienced a complete meltdown of my inner split. I realized with authentic wisdom, that “I am both. I contain both good and evil. I am the blend of the whole human being.”
My awareness expanded to become all-inclusive instead of exclusive. Simultaneously, I dissolved into the space of Satori, being one with all that is. This state of being all-inclusive, gives birth to great compassion. Having tasted the greatest unconsciousness and the healing of that into wholeness, how could I then be the judge of others who are unconscious?
Osho’s Insight On Good and Evil
Osho has a beautiful discourse wherein he tells us that good and evil do not exist in reality. All that can be said on the subject is that as human beings, we have a choice to live in consciousness or in unconsciousness. If someone does something in their sleep, which is strange, we do not blame them.
We simply say, “He was asleep and didn’t realize what he was doing.” In the same way, the enlightened ones say to us that we are creating so many painful and difficult situations in this world because we are not aware, we are living in samsara, illusion. On the cross, Jesus is reported to have said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”
Awakening From Sleep
The Kogi Indians of Columbia call the people of our so called civilized world, “the younger brother.” They call themselves the “elder brother” because they are more aware and awake, while our society is still asleep. In that sleep, we are being extremely destructive to our mother earth.
They have created films to try to jolt us awake before our planet is destroyed through this unconsciousness. They offer us a beautiful meditation with water to bring about personal and planetary equilibrium.
Brain Signals
When pondering over Good and Evil, it is helpful to realize that crimes of passion originate in the reptilian part of our brain. For some people, the cortex, or top layer of the brain, is less dominant and there may be a meltdown into the reptilian brain, the first layer of the brain. Vikings used to provoke entry into that part of the brain which unlocks the berserker mode, by using a certain type of mushroom.
By taking this substance, they were able to access the drive to kill or be killed with ruthless abandon. In modern times, we know that soldiers fighting in Iraq have been listening to extremely violent and abusive sounds and words played through headphones in order to access the desire and capability to drop bombs on innocent civilians.
There are other aspects of our brain that wish to be and do ‘Good.’ An example of this is ‘love hormones’, (oxytocin from the Hypothalamus and Pituitary glands) engulfing us with feelings of love, cuddliness and gratitude. ‘Good’ can be described as conscious, empathic feelings, whether those be directed at another human, at animals or with plants and the whole natural world.
How Meditation Nurtures Balance
By practicing both active and passive meditation, we are able to release inner stress before it becomes violence and destructive tendencies and to live in tune with a loving way of life. Having the ‘fight to survive’ instinct is necessary. However, when it takes over and begins functioning like an ‘auto immune disease’ a malady where the body self destructs, we need to seek radical healing and balance.
As we learn to find a dynamic balance of the energies of conscious and unconscious within, we discover that the ever-sustaining reality of this world is bliss. It is that ever-present reality that lives within the meeting of contradictions and is simultaneously, transcendental of all dual states. All else, as mystics have been telling us for so long, is linked with our unconsciousness, our belief in Maya, illusion.
All we need to do is wake up from the dream! Here are practices you can do to wake up! And as you wake up, simultaneously, the world is experienced as more glowing, alive and blissful. This quality spreads as we begin sharing the knack for bliss with others.
We have seen over thousands of years that religious commandments and punishments to ‘uproot evil’ do not work. What works, are experiential practices that nurture transformation and deeply lived understanding.
Some Methods to Catalyze Awakening
- Own the fact that you, as every human being, contain both ‘good’ and ‘evil’ within.
- Release destructive tendencies through the practice of active meditations such as Dynamic Meditation, Chakra Breathing Meditation, Becoming the Emotions Meditation, Pillow Beating Meditation, No Mind Meditation, Lion’s Heart Meditation and Mystic Rose Meditative Therapy.
- Practice non-judgmental Witnessing Meditation, becoming a witness of your body, mind and emotions, 40 minutes sitting with straight back followed by slow conscious walking in nature or soft dance, 20 minutes.
- Practice 21 days of Atisha’s Heart Meditation.
- Practice the Kogi Indian Meditation on Water.
FAQ
What is the concept of good vs evil?
The concept of good vs evil is one of humanity’s oldest mirrors, an echo that has followed us from the caves to the temples to the shifting landscape of the modern world. Ancient philosophers, mystics, and many religions have tried to explain why human beings are pulled between light and darkness. But Tantra reveals a deeper truth that good and evil are not two separate forces waging an eternal war, but two currents inside the human being, asking to be witnessed, held, and ultimately integrated.
What we often call “evil forces” arise when unconsciousness takes the throne, when a human acts from fear, self-interest, or deep unresolved pain. What we call “good” springs from awareness, empathy, and innate goodness, the basic values that blossom when we are awake to the sacredness of life.
In this sense, the good versus evil debate is not about a supreme being punishing or rewarding us, but about the human experience itself, our capacity to choose consciousness over sleep, presence over illusion, and love over numbness.
What does good vs evil symbolize?
Good vs evil symbolizes the inner battle every human being carries, the epic yet intimate dance between our higher awareness and our forgotten wounds. It reflects the moral tension that arises when humans forget their own wholeness and begin to judge themselves through the lens of right and wrong.
Symbolically, “good” is the movement toward awareness, compassion, justice, and the ultimate good of all beings. “Evil” is simply unconsciousness, actions born from the dark side of our psyche, where trauma, fear, and unhealed fractures live.
In myth and story, these polarities become characters: gods and devils, warriors and demons, light and shadow. But in Tantra, we discover that all these archetypes exist within us, not as enemies but as forces longing for integration.
Why is good vs evil important?
The importance of the good versus evil theme lies in its ability to awaken us. Without this inner conflict, most people would remain asleep, drifting through life without ever questioning their morality, their truth, or the meaning of their existence.
The tension between good and evil forces us to confront the places where we have given our power away, where we have let society, religion, or fear define what is “right” or “wrong” for us. It is through this struggle that personal growth is ignited.
Good vs evil is important because it exposes the fragility and the potential of the human heart. It teaches us that morality is not a fixed definition handed down by religious institutions or ancient texts, but a living, breathing compass shaped by consciousness.
Can goodness exist without evil?
In the mystical sense, goodness cannot exist without evil, because one gives meaning to the other. How could a human being recognize the warmth of light without ever having touched the cold edges of darkness? How could we speak of hope without acknowledging despair?
But this does not mean we must worship the shadow or fear it. Instead, we meet it with awareness. Tantra teaches that what is widely considered “evil” is often simply unconsciousness, humans acting without awareness of their own essence.
Goodness becomes radiant when contrasted with its opposite. The moment we drop into the illusion that only light should exist is the moment we begin to split ourselves, judge ourselves, and attempt to cut away the parts of humanity we have deemed unworthy.
