Nina Petek

Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana

https://www.ff.uni-lj.si/en/staff/nina-petek

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Nina Petek teaches several courses on South Asian philosophical and religious traditions, with a special emphasis on ancient Hindu philosophical schools, religious traditions and Buddhism. She is Director of the Institute for Monastic Studies and Contemplative Sciences. Her interests include studying the tradition of Tibetan Buddhist hermits. 

 

Nasuprot Zlu' – 'The Opposite of Evil'

 

Strategies of Striving for the Good in Buddhism:

Transcending Evil from the Inside Out

 

Man himself avoids evil –

he frees himself from it.

Dhammapada, XII.9

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In various schools of Buddhism, the concept of evil is at the heart of ontological and ethical issues, which are supported with the practical, i.e. soteriological dimensions based on the idea of the necessity of removing the inner obstacles – the so-called breeding ground of evil – which is a prerequisite for the possibility of any change in the external world in an effort to achieve the highest possible good.

In my talk I will present the question of evil as it is addressed in different schools of Buddhism, starting with early Indian Buddhism, the foundations of which were framed by the experiential aspects of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha himself. I will continue with the outline of the notion of evil in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, especially with reference to philosophical ideas in the tradition of Himalayan Buddhist hermits.

 

Abstract in Slovene:

V različnih šolah budizma je pojem zla v sržu ontoloških in etičnih vprašanj, pri čemer pa so praktične, tj. soteriološke dimenzije tradicije, osnovane na ideji o nujnosti odstranitve notranjih preprek, t. i. gojišču zla, kar je temeljni pogoj možnosti za kakršno koli spremembo zunanjega sveta v smeri najvišjega možnega dobrega.

V svojem prispevku bom predstavila vprašanje zla, kot je obravnavano v različnih tokovih budizma, začenši z zgodnjim indijskim budizmom, temelji katerega so bili zaznamovani z izkustvenimi vidiki Siddharthe Gautame Buddhe, nakar bo orisan pojem zla v budizmu mahayana in vajrayana, zlasti z ozirom na filozofske ideje v tradiciji himalajskega puščavništva.

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Questions for reflection, related to my topic:

 

1. What does the presence of evil and suffering say about God's existence, love, power and purpose? – Related question (or another version of it): What is the fundamental ontological and epistemological essence of evil?

2. How do you understand the question of the relation between the existence of evil and free will?

3. How do you understand the connection between the evil we inflict on ourselves and the evil we inflict on others?

 

Reliable sources for information:

Official web site of the researh project research project “Buddhism in the Himalayan Deserts: the Tradition of Yogis and Yoginis in Ladakh”, funded by Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (2023–2026) (English version of the web site: forthcoming): https://yogisinladakh.com/

 

Talks on different aspects of Buddhism:

https://prvi.rtvslo.si/podkast/kulturni-fokus/56190783/175061300

https://prvi.rtvslo.si/podkast/kulturni-fokus/56190783/174911310

 

My books and papers (slection):

https://ojs.zrs-kp.si/index.php/poligrafi/article/view/403

https://beletrina.si/avtor/nina-petek

https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/ZalozbaUL/catalog/book/588

https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/ZalozbaUL/catalog/book/356

https://journals.uni-lj.si/arshumanitas/article/view/13159

https://ebooks.uni-lj.si/ZalozbaUL/catalog/book/531

https://outsider.si/nina-petek-v-iskanju-praznine-s-himalajskimi-puscavniki/

https://www.metropolitan.si/odnosi/osebna-rast/skrivnosti-himalajske-puscavnice-nine-petek-vedno-so-me-navdihovali-robovi-sveta-druzb-institucij-filozofije/

https://tedenmozganov.si/2021/04/16/kratkih-pet-z-dr-nino-petek-filozofinjo/

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Nina Petek leads research project “Buddhism in the Himalayan Deserts: the Tradition of Yogis and Yoginis in Ladakh”, funded by Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency (2023–2026). The project focuses on the Buddhist eremitic tradition and the origins of eremitic meditation retreat practices in the Ladakh area. The research is based on

fieldwork (documentation of different types of hermitages, maps of eremitic spatial layout, photo-documentation, a data base of all types of hermitages in Ladakh) and analysis and philosophical interpretation of canonical religio-philosophical eremitic textual sources.

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