Is it a sin to vacuum cobwebs & ants while cleaning?

score:8

Accepted answer

Buddhism doesn’t deal with sins, it deals with consequences of our actions (karma).

Your example seems like a trade off between feeling bad for the insects on one hand, and having a dirty home on the other. The former, being merciful towards other living beings (karuna) is considered a virtue in Buddhism as it can save us from feeling bad.

Sometimes life is about choosing the option giving us the least bad consequences for everyone involved, out of all the options. The effort to balance our actions (upekkha) is considered yet another virtue in Buddhism as it unifies others wellbeing with our own, saving us from destructive self-sacrifice on one hand and selfishness on the other.

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