Yesterday on tv was the case of a mother who killed her two children. She was always very caring. But some day developed a depression and took medicine, a antidepressend. Probably these medicine have triggered agression and her violence against her own children.
Can she be held responsible? There are circumstances in which also common law respects that one cannot be held responsible for every deed.
What about children getting brainwashed by IS ideology or sektarian ways of thinking? Those children are loyal to parents, like older kids, called adults, are in the same way loyal to family, country, company, etc. They only want to do good. So they kill do to good, to get a compliment, to proove one is a good child. They even get credit for misdeeds.
How can people be held responsible for such when there has not even yet developed a personal conscience, or right view? How can one say the blind are responsible? The blind cannot be held responsible.
What about a teenager, burning with lust hormones. This poor boy or girl can hardly be seen as a human anymore. She/he has become an animal and is not anymore his/herself. It has become a victim of kilesa’s.
Buddha-dhamma teaches that this is common practise. To think we are so free and wise is a big mistake. Kilesa’s rule our thinking, speaking and acting. There is almost no blamesless thinking, speaking and acting for buddhist and other people.
Can we say we are responsible for not seeing the truth?
Siebe