The Origin of Sin According
to the Lord Buddha’s Teachings
The Lord Buddha, who penetrated the reality of existence and possessed true knowledge about the working mechanism of the law of nature, allowed Him to know the nature of defilements and the fact that defilements are the cause of all sin or demerit. He also knew how these defilements could be completely destroyed.
The Lord Buddha summarized the origin of sin or demerit succinctly, as follows:
Sin cannot be incurred by someone who does not commit it.
Whoever commits a misdeed, his mind will be sad and gloomy.
Whoever does not commit a misdeed is pure.
These sayings of the Lord Buddha confirm the fact that sin or demerit is personal and cannot be inherited. Whoever commits a misdeed will receive its ill consequences. Whoever does not commit a misdeed is free from its ill consequences. If the father commits a misdeed, the demerit incurred is his alone and cannot be passed on to his children. It is in the same manner that when a father eats, his children cannot become full. Buddhism teaches that demerit is incurred as a result of the individual's misdeed which is in turn caused by the defilements in his mind. His misdeed will eat away at his mind and cause it to become sad, gloomy, and clouded. A tormented mind will lack efficiency.
