[regfortruegoo]

Dear Cobalt

'Victim blaming' is very common in Buddhism. It is a belief that has developed over the centuries.

However, the Buddha himself did not teach this way. The Buddha taught bad things happen because the perpetrators of harmful actions have minds affected by greed, hatred & delusion.

For example, the Buddha said:

Killing living beings is unwholesome; taking what is not given is unwholesome; sexual misconduct is unwholesome; false speech is unwholesome; malicious speech is unwholesome; harsh speech is unwholesome; gossip is unwholesome; covetousness is unwholesome; ill will is unwholesome; wrong view is unwholesome. This is called the unwholesome.

"And what is the root of the unwholesome?

Greed is a root of the unwholesome; hate is a root of the unwholesome; delusion is a root of the unwholesome. This is called the root of the unwholesome.

Sammaditthi Sutta: Right View The Buddha also advised happiness & suffering are not due to what has occurred in the past:

"There are priests & contemplatives who hold this teaching, hold this view: 'Whatever a person experiences — pleasant, painful or neither pleasant nor painful — that is all caused by what was done in the past.'

"Having approached those priests & contemplatives,' I said to them:

'Then in that case, a person is a killer of living beings because of what was done in the past.

A person is a thief... unchaste... a liar... a divisive speaker... a harsh speaker... an idle chatterer... greedy... malicious... a holder of wrong views because of what was done in the past.'

When one falls back on what was done in the past as being essential, monks, there is no desire, no effort [at the thought], 'This should be done. This shouldn't be done.'

When one can't pin down as a truth or reality what should & shouldn't be done, one dwells bewildered & unprotected.

This was my first righteous refutation of those priests & contemplatives who hold to such teachings, such views.

Tittha Sutta: Sectarians Kind regards