Before I left Indiana for this trip to Australia, I was asked about a phrase the person had read in Buddhist books, "Everything is perfect." Considering the state of the world, she was wondering how it could be possibly called "perfect."

The explanation was as she thought it might be.

Everything is perfect doesn't mean that everything is wonderful and could not be improved upon. It means that everything is exactly the way it is supposed to be. The rain is perfect because it is supposed to be raining. The sunshine is perfect because it is supposed to be cloudless day. So when it rains, I can relax and enjoy the rain; be it a soothing, gentle rain or a welcome downpour that will fill our water tanks. On sunny days, I can revel in the glorious, clear sunlight that almost glitters on the leaves of the tree outside my window.

Those two examples are fairly straightforward. But what about war? What about global warming? What about people who are starving? How can anyone possibly say these are "perfect"?

Again, perfect does not mean something is good, it means it was destined to be that way due to former thoughts, speech, and actions. As horrible as war, global warming, and starvation are, they are the appropriate consequence for the cause.

But saying the consequence fits the cause in no way means we can simply shrug our shoulders and say, "Oh well, it's their own fault." The first vow of bodhisattvas is to help all beings. Remember, the "perfect" consequence is not good, it is "appropriate." The phrase everything is perfect is said to help us understand why things have happened. As compassionate human beings, we need to try to help others. We need to find the way to end our anger, to help remove the cause of future wars. We need to live as modestly as possible to have a minimum impact on our environment. We who have more than enough need to share what we have with those who have little to help alleviate their hunger.

"Everything is perfect" can also serve to remind us that our consequences will likewise be "perfect." So if we want these consequences to be good, we need to choose our thoughts, speech, and actions wisely.