What are the "sins" of Buddhism

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alexYaYy
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What are the "sins" of Buddhism

Post by alexYaYy »

I've been practicing Buddhism since I was born but never really thought about what are the sins - just kept following the 5 precepts. Now that I think about it, are sins/bad karma considered as lobha, dosa, and moha? And if lobha is a sin, does that mean wanting to have money or having desire is already considered as a sin? (I know that desire does not lead to nirvana)
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DNS
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Re: What are the "sins" of Buddhism

Post by DNS »

It depends on how you define "sin." Using the traditional definition of a transgression against God and God's commandments, then no, Buddhism doesn't have sin. People violate precepts out of confusion, ignorance, greed, attachment not because they are evil or "sinful."

Precepts are voluntary, not commandments from a creator-God.
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DooDoot
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Re: What are the "sins" of Buddhism

Post by DooDoot »

alexYaYy wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 5:30 pm Now that I think about it, are sins/bad karma considered as lobha, dosa, and moha? And if lobha is a sin, does that mean wanting to have money or having desire is already considered as a sin?
Welcome Alex

For laypeople, the suttas teach many types of sins (transgressions) against the Dhamma Law, as found in DN 31. In respect to the sin of lobha (or abhijjhālu), it is described as follows:
(8)“He is full of longing. He longs for the wealth and property of others thus: ‘Oh, may what belongs to another be mine!’

https://suttacentral.net/an10.211/en/bodhi
Therefore, the sin of lobha does not mean to want to have money but appears to mean wanting to make money in immoral ways (such as the livelihood of usury). There are many suttas about this, such as:
And what is the bliss of having? There is the case where the son of a good family has wealth earned through his efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of his arm, and piled up through the sweat of his brow, righteous wealth righteously gained. When he thinks, 'I have wealth earned through my efforts & enterprise, amassed through the strength of my arm, and piled up through the sweat of my brow, righteous wealth righteously gained,' he experiences bliss, he experiences joy. This is called the bliss of having.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitak ... .than.html
The wise and virtuous shine like a blazing fire.
He who acquires his wealth in harmless ways
like to a bee that honey gathers,
riches mount up for him
like ant hill's rapid growth.

With wealth acquired this way,
a layman fit for household life,
in portions four divides his wealth:
thus will he friendship win.

One portion for his wants he uses,
two portions on his business spends,
the fourth for times of need he keeps.

DN 31
Last edited by DooDoot on Mon May 03, 2021 3:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Nicolas
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Re: What are the "sins" of Buddhism

Post by Nicolas »

Sāleyyaka Sutta (MN 41) wrote: Householders, there are three kinds of bodily conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct. There are four kinds of verbal conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct. There are three kinds of mental conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct.

And how, householders, are there three kinds of bodily conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct? Here someone kills living beings; he is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. He takes what is not given; he takes by way of theft the wealth and property of others in the village or forest. He misconducts himself in sensual pleasures; he has intercourse with women who are protected by their mother, father, mother and father, brother, sister, or relatives, who have a husband, who are protected by law, and even with those who are garlanded in token of betrothal. That is how there are three kinds of bodily conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct.

And how, householders, are there four kinds of verbal conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct? Here someone speaks falsehood; when summoned to a court, or to a meeting, or to his relatives’ presence, or to his guild, or to the royal family’s presence, and questioned as a witness thus: ‘So, good man, tell what you know,’ not knowing, he says, ‘I know,’ or knowing, he says, ‘I do not know’; not seeing, he says, ‘I see,’ or seeing, he says, ‘I do not see’; in full awareness he speaks falsehood for his own ends, or for another’s ends, or for some trifling worldly end. He speaks maliciously; he repeats elsewhere what he has heard here in order to divide those people from these, or he repeats to these people what he has heard elsewhere in order to divide these people from those; thus he is one who divides those who are united, a creator of divisions, who enjoys discord, rejoices in discord, delights in discord, a speaker of words that create discord. He speaks harshly; he utters such words as are rough, hard, hurtful to others, offensive to others, bordering on anger, unconducive to concentration. He is a gossip; he speaks at the wrong time, speaks what is not fact, speaks what is useless, speaks contrary to the Dhamma and the Discipline; at the wrong time he speaks such words as are worthless, unreasonable, immoderate, and unbeneficial. That is how there are four kinds of verbal conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct.

And how, householders, are there three kinds of mental conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct? Here someone is covetous; he covets the wealth and property of others thus: ‘Oh, may what belongs to another be mine!’ Or he has a mind of ill will and intentions of hate thus: ‘May these beings be slain and slaughtered, may they be cut off, perish, or be annihilated!’ Or he has wrong view, distorted vision, thus: ‘There is nothing given, nothing offered, nothing sacrificed; no fruit or result of good and bad actions; no this world, no other world; no mother, no father; no beings who are reborn spontaneously; no good and virtuous recluses and brahmins in the world who have themselves realised by direct knowledge and declare this world and the other world.’ That is how there are three kinds of mental conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, unrighteous conduct. So, householders, it is by reason of such conduct not in accordance with the Dhamma, by reason of such unrighteous conduct that some beings here on the dissolution of the body, after death, reappear in states of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, even in hell.
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Re: What are the "sins" of Buddhism

Post by justindesilva »

alexYaYy wrote: Sun May 02, 2021 5:30 pm I've been practicing Buddhism since I was born but never really thought about what are the sins - just kept following the 5 precepts. Now that I think about it, are sins/bad karma considered as lobha, dosa, and moha? And if lobha is a sin, does that mean wanting to have money or having desire is already considered as a sin? (I know that desire does not lead to nirvana)
Sins are different from klesha citta. To understand difference it is essential to understand paticca samuppada. Tanha or desires arise with loba,dosa, moha akusala mula' (roots). It is sankara ( kaya, vaci, citta) that gives rise to punya or merits or apunya
or sins. Yet punya or apunya gives rise to good or bad kamma. But with aryashtanga marga, beings are meant to reach a state, where consciousness does not meet with karma. (Kammak kayo nibbanam).
We must understand that merits only do not lead us to nibbana.
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seeker242
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Re: What are the "sins" of Buddhism

Post by seeker242 »

The tenfold unwholesome courses of action could be called the "sins" of Buddhism. :smile:

http://www.palikanon.com/english/wtb/g_ ... _patha.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kammapatha
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