Buddhism on paying for previous bad Karma I am only a Lay practitioner of Buddhism.  However, I recently read a view point of someone who had been at a Buddhist school for 8 years.  And it was slightly worrying.

He said a young person at th is school had had trouble learning and taking on information.  She had asked some of the buddhist monks why she struggled.  Now, as an educator his thought process was "The teaching type for you is wrong.  Let's review how you learn, and try a different approach".

However, the monks advised her she must of been an evil person who burned or destroyed books in a past life; in this life therefore, she was through karma destined to struggle so she could learn and develop for her past mistakes.  Obviously, this was very stressful for the young person. 

I understand that the monks are far more informed in buddhism than I.  And that obviously there may be more to the story.  I also appreciate that they where seeking to offer a spiritual answer to her questions.  

But surely as a Buddhist one can look beyond a previous life?  As none of us are certain beyond a shadow of a doubt what we done in a previous life. Instead of speculation, could we not instead say "what is done is done.  Instead, this is how we combat this new situation"?

In the given example, it would of saved the young person pain - she felt her - for lack of a better word 'soul' - was scarred and mared then and it would affect her ability to develop irretrievably.

Surely better to have said "You may be struggling from some past transgression.  But that's not you now.  Instead, let's look at how we can help you now and bring you on"?

Any input advice or guidance would be very greatly appreciated.  Thank you.
I understand that the monks are far more informed in buddhism than I.


The above is wrong view. Many monks are idiots. 


  I also appreciate that they were seeking to offer a spiritual answer to her questions.


The above is wrong view. The monks were offering a superstitious (rather than spiritual) answer to her questions.


  But surely as a Buddhist one can look beyond a previous life?


Buddhism became extinct in India because the Buddhism after the Buddha developed an obsession with past &amp; future lives, which made it the same as Hinduism. It invented superstitions such as the Jataka Stories &amp; added dodgy suttas into the suttas, such as the unique MN 135; which obviously justified the status quo of the society and supported the monks who pandered to the ruling classes for political support &amp; financial donations. As a result, this corrupted Buddhism became extinct; absorbed into Hinduism. 

Real Buddhism teaches about suffering &amp; its cessation. When the Buddha taught about "kamma" ("action"), he taught about unwholesome &amp; wholesome kamma that leads to "suffering" ("hell") &amp; "happiness" ("heaven"). 

Obviously, a lack of a "worldly" quality cannot be explained by past lives. Our academic skills or intelligence, our ability to make money, our ability to play sport, our ability to play music, our physical beauty or ugliness, is obviously unrelated to "suffering" &amp; "happiness". It is quite obvious many highly academically intelligent people are evil; such as the evil people who work in evil governments or evil industries that create evil things, such as wars &amp; weapons of mass destruction. Or the many greatest musicians, most beautiful movie stars &amp; champion sports people who die of drug addictions &amp; unhappiness.  

In summary, there is no correlation between what is "spiritually wholesome" and "worldly qualities". Since the Buddha taught Dhamma  was not something "worldly", there can never been any correlation between what is "spiritually wholesome" and "worldly qualities". In fact, a hypothesis could be pursued or researched about whether the majority of high level university graduates end up working in immoral unethical industries.  

To end, similar to many current Western Christian schools, it appears the primary goal of this Buddhist school is not to make the students good people but to make the students high academic achievers for the gaining of worldly financial rewards. Similar to the dodgy MN 135, the impression is these religious schools are teaching narcissistic "spiritual materialism".