In Buddhism, the words ‘soul’ or ‘spirit’ are rarely used; instead, teachings refer to ‘mind’ and ‘consciousness’. Because there is no creator God in Buddhism, no sense of a supreme Judge or Deity-in-charge, but rather an acceptance that life is determined by constantly evolving causes and conditions- karma- there is no concept of sin either, in the sense in which it is understood in most religions, as a transgression of God’s will. The emphasis instead is on personal accountability for moral conduct. Robina explains that guilt is dismissed as a function of the ego, anger turned inward, a destructive emotion; this is quite distinct from remorse, which requires true acceptance of responsibility for one’s actions and a sincere effort to discover what changes for the better are needed.

Robina is a Buddhist nun, a Ani, working in the British prison system.  From the book “The Saffron Road”,By Christine Toomey. Portobello…