I’ll grant that Buddhism doesn’t offer a transcendental superior being who can forgive sin and redeem someone. The thing is, Buddhism doesn’t actually provide the concept of “sin,” either, not even original sin. All Buddhism teaches is that there is ignorance of the way things work, and suffering that is a consequence of that ignorance. There are some things which lead to greater peace of mind, and others which lead to less peace of mind. Practicing the things which lead to peace of mind really only does one thing: it gives you greater peace of mind.
Right up there on the list of things that lead to losing peace of mind is illicit wick-dipping, which is why one of the Buddhist precepts is “avoid sexual misconduct.” This isn’t necessarily a demand for celibacy — where would little Buddhists come from? — but it is a suggestion that there are times when it’s important to know when to keep it zipped…
Hume’s right that Buddhism doesn’t offer Tiger forgiveness from a deity or redemption. All Buddhism can do is remind him that he’s responsible for his actions and the consequences of those actions (the real meaning of karma) and remind him that his suffering now is one of those consequences. With that comes the recognition that you need to make amends to those you’ve hurt and try to remedy your behavior in the future.
Maybe that’s not as good as being forgiven and redeemed, but to me it seems a lot more productive.
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