# Evil

Source: https://buddhisma2z.com/evil/  
Author: Bhante S. Dhammika, *Guide To Buddhism A To Z*  
Licence: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

Evil (*pāpa*) is a force or a presence of extreme negativity. In many religions evil is believed to originate from a particular being called the [**Devil**](https://buddhisma2z.com/devil-the/) or Satan, who is said to cause disasters and to tempt people into doing wrong. According to Buddhism, evil certainly exists in the form of cruelty, murder, avarice and theft, but it is caused by the greed, hatred and ignorance that reside in the human [**heart**](https://buddhisma2z.com/heart/), not by an external agent. Thus, for Buddhists, countering evil is done through moral education — personal and social — not by exorcisms, charms, prayers or ceremonies that are supposed to keep the Devil at bay.

**Further reading:** Buddhism and the Mythology of Evil, T. Ling, 1965.

Subjects: Contemporary Issues