Sin or Demerit Occurs in Three Ways
Sin or demerit arises from defilements which are inherent in the mind in the form of greed, anger, and ignorance. Defilements force human beings to commit misdeeds through the body, the word, and the mind. Once a misdeed is committed, the mind becomes troubled. A troubled mind is sad and gloomy. According to Buddhism, there are ten ways to commit misdeeds. These are called 'The Tenfold Unwholesome Course of Action.' It includes three physical acts, four verbal acts, and three mental acts, as follows:
1. The three physical acts are the three types of misdeeds which are committed through the body and include:
(1) Taking the life of another living being (Pana-tipata)
(2) Stealing (Adina-dana)
(3) Committing sexual misconduct (Kame-sumiccha-cara)
2. The four verba acts are the four types of misdeeds which are committed verbally and include:
(4) Lying (Musa-vada)
(5) Practicing divisive speech (Pisuna-vaca)
(6) Practicing offensive speech (Pharusa-vaca)
(7) Practicing nonsensical speech (Samphap-palapa)
Since there are three channels by which sin or demerit can occur, it should behoove us to be very careful and to restrain our body, words, and thoughts so as not to commit any misdeed by practicing 'The Tenfold Wholesome Course of Action. It consists of ten ways to practice honesty through our body, our words, and our thoughts as taught by the Lord Buddha in the Cunda Sutta.
Once, our Lord Buddha was staying in the mango grove belonging to Cunda-kammara-putra. This man was talking about cleanliness and the way Brahmins practiced cleanliness which was different from that of Ariyans or holy individuals.
The Lord Buddha answered that Ariyans or holy individuals become filthy as a result of dishonest deeds committed through the body, the words, and the thoughts.
The way Ariyans or holy individuals practice cleanliness through the body is by not killing, not stealing, not engaging in sexual misconduct.
The way Ariyans or holy individuals practice cleanliness through the words is by abstaining from lying, from practicing divisive speech, from practicing offensive speech, from practicing nonsensical speech.
The way Ariyans or holy individuals practice cleanliness through the thoughts is by the absence of covetousness, the absence of ill will, and having Right View.
This Sutta teaches that we can keep our self clean in three ways which include our body, our word, and our thought. In the same token, there are three main channels through which sin or demerit can occur.
