Does Buddhism have original sin?

Does Buddhism have original sin?

No, original sin is a Christian belief. It says (to the best of my knowledge) that since Adam and Eve ate from the apple of the tree, then people have inherited that sin. That leads to needing a savior, Jesus Christ, who can be our connection to the divine. That is simple but the best I remember and have heard from others recently.

So why am I bringing this up if it is not in Buddhism? I have found that some undercurrents in our culture have affected students, especially if they were raised with this belief. While I believe you can hold Christian or other beliefs and practice meditation, I find that when beliefs are unconscious then they are more problematic. For me there are 2 major parts that show up for students

• Sin is a factor, and can be passed down

• Outside savior is very important, even essential

Let’s start with sin. I don’t find that the idea of sin translates very well into the Buddhist system. There are skillful actions, not skillful actions, and ways to improve our actions. The foundation of this is knowing things as they are, in a deep awareness of action and impact. I don’t even like translating the Noble 8 fold path with the word ‘right’. There are other options like skillful, easeful, or with growth that feel more in line with how the overall tone is.

Does that mean we are not responsible? No it means that we are expected to continually grow in our understanding. There is not a list that we can check off, in order to feel like we did it all. I will say that I do not have Christian friends that take it casually however.

I have had some Christian friends tell me that if you look at someone with lust then that is a problem. Here is a BIG difference to me. Buddhists talk about having 6 senses. There are

• Smell

• Taste

• Sensation

• Hearing

• Vision

• The mind

Yes the mind is considered a sense. This is a really fundamental difference that can underlie our practice of meditation. The mind like any other sense, wants to distract us. So it throws up thoughts, boring thoughts, challenging thoughts, sensual thoughts, angry thoughts, and you can continue the list. Just like sometimes your skin itches for no reason, the mind has a mind of its own. The thoughts it creates are not our responsibility for arising. NOW we are responsible for the environment we create that contributes to those thoughts. And this is a growth process of cultivating supportive lifestyle and weeding out those that encourage more challenging thoughts. So are we responsible for a lustful thought arising? As the Satthipathana sutta says, we know a lustful thought as just that. Then we look at our intentions, do we encourage this with our behavior, indulge in it, or act on it. If no then it is just a thought that arises and we should know it as it is. This can be a stumbling block if you believe a thought arising is the same as action, and make it hard to see a thought as simply a thought. Understanding this difference helps us to see thoughts simply as they are, without emotional charge.

A quick thought on how I will admit that I don’t understand how the Adam and Eve thing affects people today. I have heard it is very beneficial to some people to know they are not expected to be perfect, and I don’t want to discount that value. However I will say that I feel passed down trauma can be very real. Native Americans talk about it. People who were kidnapped from Africa and had generations of enslavement know this. I have even heard Jewish people who have been places in Germany and had the feeling they needed to hide or run away. One thing the Buddha did was to not follow the caste system. So people who were considered ‘untouchable’ could seek the teachings like everyone else. He also counseled rulers on wise practices. With knowing things as they are, I have to respect this generational trauma. It would be wise to work with an experienced teacher who knows about trauma, and develop wise skills to address this when it comes up.

That brings us to the savior idea. This is something that is not in Buddhism that I have seen in the same way. First of all Buddha said he was ‘awake’ and he could teach suffering and the end of suffering. He was also a mortal man who had back pain, and lived a long time, and died of apparently natural causes. We also have fantastic magic stories of the Buddha and magical happenings. Well I love stories so I have fun with them. That does not change my understanding that he was a guy who had a family, became a great teacher, and chose to share his knowledge. This is why I am not hesitant to recommend his teachings to people of various faiths, he is not replacing a god you already have. The teachings help you slow down and listen very carefully.

What is good, and challenging, is that we have karma. That means there are causes and effects basically. If you agree with it we also have multiple lifetimes to work with. That does not mean you did something specific to ‘earn’ a consequence. The causes and conditions can be much larger, on a societal or world scale. The rise in the rate of cancer is not your personal fault, however certain things we put in our water, air and food are contributing factors. While it is possible to see a challenging life as a consequence, I prefer to see it as a way to develop equanimity in many places. Now the challenge, if you want to ‘give something over’ then you don’t have an image to focus on. For me I can imagine qualities of Buddha or great teachers, connect with nature and my sangha. So give yourself some time, and it is okay to have images that reflect what you want to emulate

Let me know if I missed something important to you, and we will continue to go deep on what is different.