Now that the Labor Day holiday is over and order in my home has been restored, I am happy to be back to my computer in a quiet, clean, intact home! It’s times like these that I am reminded of how much humans share with animals in terms of our behavioral patterns and personal preferences. We like the familiar, we establish routines. While we crave stimulation and variety, we also get a little unglued when our daily rhythms and comfortable patterns get too disjointed and unpredictable.

As my disquietude was growing after what felt like a week of home chaos (banging, pounding, dust, dirt, objects and furniture out of place, tools everywhere), yesterday I felt like checking in with my Vipassana teacher, Goenka. By “checking in,” though, I really mean just listening to a set of CD recordings I have of his evening talks that he gives on 10-day meditation retreats.

I have written elsewhere about my father’s explanation of Napoleon’s four classifications of men: smart and lazy, smart and energetic, dumb and lazy, and dumb and energetic. Napoleon had good use for the men of the first three categories, but strongly advised having nothing to do whatsoever with the “dumb and energetic.” Good advice, I think!

But according to my teacher, Buddha also had four classifications for human beings. These classifications did not refer to their personalities or their usefulness in the military, however, but rather to their spiritual orientation. He classified people as people going from darkness to darkness, from darkness to light, from light to darkness, and from light to light.

We all know about the people moving from darkness to darkness. They “start out” bad, and they end up the same way! Constant negativity, suffering within themselves, and causing suffering to others is the theme of these unfortunate peoples’ lives. Crime shows enhance and sometimes glamorize these people, but their crimes are real and the effects of their crimes linger on and contaminate the generations.

People moving from darkness to light are the ones who spend time in darkness, but get a glimmer of hope, of light, of the possibility that they can live their lives differently. They somehow figure out that they can come out of their suffering and misery, and that with time and practice, and probably a lot of faith thrown in too, they can live a peaceful life. They learn that they can help others and live with joy and inner happiness. These are the people who get the treatment and “work the steps,” or find Jesus in prison not as a cynical ploy to manipulate the parole board, but because it really makes sense to them. These people can, and do, truly reform and rehabilitate. They are able to drop their anger, and gain insight, awareness and inner freedom. They do not have to be a slave to their sensations, cravings or aversions as much as they were before.

People moving from light to darkness make up scandalous stories in the newspaper. Prominent politicians, entertainers, and sports figures are common among these types, since at the apparent level they seem to “have” everything. They have money, fame, success, material wealth, power. They “have” everything, usually including a “beautiful” wife and “charming” children. However, these people make the headlines because while they seem to have so many positive things in their lives, they are hell-bent on destroying them all. They do foolish things based on their addiction to sensation: extramarital affairs, drug abuse, financial wrongdoings, even murder. The public watches in bafflement. Why would someone who has so many blessings just throw them away like that? The answer is simple: they are just humans moving from light to darkness, nothing more.

Finally, there are the people who are moving from light to light. These are the ones who, for one reason or another, have many good things in their lives. The difference is, they are aware of it, are grateful for it, and take care to preserve it. However, they also realize that nothing is permanent. As the Buddha says, “all component things decay.” As such, they use their assets wisely when they have them to do good in the world. If they are materially successful, they share their wealth by planting seeds that will bear fruit for their families, their community and the world. If they are artistically or intellectually gifted, they keep doing their work and contributing to the betterment of mankind. They realize that they must not rest on their laurels, looking down at others for their relative lack of success, but remember clearly, “there but for the grace of God go I.” They spend the good times in their lives sharing their success with others, and when bad times come, as they inevitably will, they remain peaceful, content, and hopeful. They realize that bad times are also transitory, and do not crave the past or curse the present. Rather, they maintain their equanimity and carry on, continuing to be their peaceful, positive selves. They are in the light and moving towards the light simultaneously.

Which category are you in, today? And which category would you like to be in? It is always your choice. It is your responsibility. It is your karma that you create for yourself– no one else will do it for you. As nothing is permanent, neither is your state of being. You can change it if you wish. It is your choice.

Good luck!