What is evil? Killing is evil, lying is evil, slandering is evil, abuse is evil, gossip is evil, envy is evil, hatred is evil, to cling to false doctrine is evil; all these things are evil. And what is the root of evil? Desire is the root of evil, illusion is the root of evil.

Siddhartha Gautama (c. 563–c. 483 BCE), also known as the Buddha, was an ancient Indian philosopher, spiritual teacher, and religious leader whose teachings are the basis of the religion of Buddhism today. Born into an aristocratic family, his discovery of the nature of suffering and his attempts to follow various spiritual disciplines of the time led him to ultimately discover “The Middle Way” between sensual indulgence and spiritual asceticism, which brought him to spiritual enlightenment.