What is Buddhism?

Buddhism is a religion to about 300 million people around the world. The word comes from 'budhi', 'to
awaken'. It has its origins about 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gotama, known as the Buddha, was
himself awakened (enlightened) at the age of 35.

• Is Buddhism a Religion?
To many, Buddhism goes beyond religion and is more of a philosophy or 'way of life'. It is a philosophy
because philosophy 'means love of wisdom' and the Buddhist path can be summed up as:

(1) to lead a moral life,

(2) to be mindful and aware of thoughts and actions, and
(3) to develop wisdom and understanding.

• How Can Buddhism Help Me?

Buddhism explains a purpose to life, it explains apparent injustice and inequality around the world, and it
provides a code of practice or way of life that leads to true happiness.

• Why is Buddhism Becoming Popular?

Buddhism is becoming popular in western countries for a number of reasons, The first good reason is
Buddhism has answers to many of the problems in modern materialistic societies. It also includes (for
those who are interested) a deep understanding of the human mind (and natural therapies) which
prominent psychologists around the world are now discovering to be both very advanced and effective.

• Who Was the Buddha?

Siddhartha Gotama was born into a royal family in Lumbini, now located in Nepal, in 563 BC. At 29, he
realised that wealth and luxury did not guarantee happiness, so he explored the different teachings
religions and philosophies of the day, to find the key to human happiness. After six years of study and
meditation he finally found 'the middle path' and was enlightened. After enlightenment, the Buddha spent
the rest of his life teaching the principles of Buddhism — called the Dhamma, or Truth — until his death at
the age of 80.

• Was the Buddha a God?

He was not, nor did he claim to be. He was a man who taught a path to enlightenment from his own
experience.

• Do Buddhists Worship Idols?

Buddhists sometimes pay respect to images of the Buddha, not in worship, nor to ask for favours. A
statue of the Buddha with hands rested gently in its lap and a compassionate smile reminds us to strive to
develop peace and love within ourselves. Bowing to the statue is an expression of gratitude for the
teaching.

• Why are so Many Buddhist Countries Poor?

One of the Buddhist teachings is that wealth does not guarantee happiness and also wealth is
impermanent. The people of every country suffer whether rich or poor, but those who understand
Buddhist teachings can find true happiness.
• Are There Different Types of Buddhism?
There are many different types of Buddhism, because the emphasis changes from country to country due
to customs and culture. What does not vary is the essence of the teaching — the Dhamma or truth.

• Are Other Religions Wrong?

Buddhism is also a belief system which is tolerant of all other beliefs or religions. Buddhism agrees with
the moral teachings of other religions but Buddhism goes further by providing a long term purpose within
our existence, through wisdom and true understanding. Real Buddhism is very tolerant and not
concerned with labels like 'Christian', 'Moslem', 'Hindu' or 'Buddhist'; that is why there have never been
any wars fought in the name of Buddhism. That is why Buddhists do not preach and try to convert, only
explain if an explanation is sought.

• Is Buddhism Scientific?
Science is knowledge which can be made into a system, which depends upon seeing and testing facts
and stating general natural laws. The core of Buddhism fit into this definition, because the Four Noble
truths (see below) can be tested and proven by anyone in fact the Buddha himself asked his followers to
test the teaching rather than accept his word as true. Buddhism depends more on understanding than
faith.

• What did the Buddha Teach?

The Buddha taught many things, but the basic concepts in Buddhism can be summed up by the Four
Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path.

• What is the First Noble Truth?

The first truth is that life is suffering i.e., life includes pain, getting old, disease, and ultimately death. We
also endure psychological suffering like loneliness frustration, fear, embarrassment, disappointment and
anger. This is an irrefutable fact that cannot be denied. It is realistic rather than pessimistic because
pessimism is expecting things to be bad. lnstead, Buddhism explains how suffering can be avoided and
how we can be truly happy.

• What is the Second Noble Truth?

The second truth is that suffering is caused by craving and aversion. We will suffer if we expect other
people to conform to our expectation, if we want others to like us, if we do not get something we want,etc.
In other words, getting what you want does not guarantee happiness. Rather than constantly struggling to
get what you want, try to modify your wanting. Wanting deprives us of contentment and happiness. A
lifetime of wanting and craving and especially the craving to continue to exist, creates a powerful energy
which causes the individual to be born. So craving leads to physical suffering because it causes us to be
reborn.

• What is the Third Noble Truth?

The third truth is that suffering can be overcome and happiness can be attained; that true happiness and
contentment are possible. lf we give up useless craving and learn to live each day at a time (not dwelling
in the past or the imagined future) then we can become happy and free. We then have more time and
energy to help others. This is Nirvana.
• What is the Fourth Noble Truth?
The fourth truth is that the Noble 8-fold Path is the path which leads to the end of suffering.

• What is the Noble 8-Fold Path?

In summary, the Noble 8-fold Path is being moral (through what we say, do and our livelihood), focussing
the mind on being fully aware of our thoughts and actions, and developing wisdom by understanding the
Four Noble Truths and by developing compassion for others.

• What are the 5 Precepts?

The moral code within Buddhism is the precepts, of which the main five are: not to take the life of
anything living, not to take anything not freely given, to abstain from sexual misconduct and sensual
overindulgence, to refrain from untrue speech, and to avoid intoxication, that is, losing mindfulness.

• What is Karma?
Karma is the law that every cause has an effect, i.e., our actions have results. This simple law explains a
number of things: inequality in the world, why some are born handicapped and some gifted, why some
live only a short life. Karma underlines the importance of all individuals being responsible for their past
and present actions. How can we test the karmic effect of our actions? The answer is summed up by
looking at (1) the intention behind the action, (2) effects of the action on oneself, and (3) the effects on
others.

• What is Wisdom?
Buddhism teaches that wisdom should be developed with compassion. At one extreme, you could be a
good hearted fool and at the other extreme, you could attain knowledge without any emotion. Buddhism
uses the middle path to develop both. The highest wisdom is seeing that in reality, all phenomena are
incomplete, impermanent and do not constitute a fixed entity. True wisdom is not simply believing what
we are told but instead experiencing and understanding truth and reality. Wisdom requires an open,
objective, unbigoted mind. The Buddhist path requires courage, patience, flexibility and intelligence.

• What is Compassion?
Compassion includes qualities of sharing, readiness to give comfort, sympathy, concern, caring. In
Buddhism, we can really understand others, when we can really understand ourselves, through wisdom.

• How do I Become a Buddhist?

Buddhist teachings can be understood and tested by anyone. Buddhism teaches that the solutions to our
problems are within ourselves not outside. The Buddha asked all his followers not to take his word as
true, but rather to test the teachings for themselves. ln this way, each person decides for themselves and
takes responsibility for their own actions and understanding. This makes Buddhism less of a fixed
package of beliefs which is to be accepted in its entirety, and more of a teaching which each person
learns and uses in their own way.

the buddhist centre: buddhism for today

 introduction

 the buddha
 teachings
 practice
 festivals

 what is buddhism?
 Buddhism is a path of practice and spiritual development leading to Insight into the true
nature of reality. Buddhist practices like meditation are means of changing yourself in
order to develop the qualities of awareness, kindness, and wisdom. The experience
developed within the Buddhist tradition over thousands of years has created an
incomparable resource for all those who wish to follow a path — a path which ultimately
culminates in Enlightenment or Buddhahood. An enlightened being sees the nature of
reality absolutely clearly, just as it is, and lives fully and naturally in accordance with that
vision. This is the goal of the Buddhist spiritual life, representing the end of suffering for
anyone who attains it.
Because Buddhism does not include the idea of worshipping a creator god, some people do
not see it as a religion in the normal, Western sense. The basic tenets of Buddhist teaching
are straightforward and practical: nothing is fixed or permanent; actions have
consequences; change is possible. So Buddhism addresses itself to all people irrespective
of race, nationality, caste, sexuality, or gender. It teaches practical methods which enable
people to realise and use its teachings in order to transform their experience, to be fully
responsible for their lives.

There are around 350 million Buddhists and a growing number of them are Westerners.
They follow many different forms of Buddhism, but all traditions are characterised by non-
violence, lack of dogma, tolerance of differences, and, usually, by the practice of meditation.

What is Buddhism?
Buddha Shakyamuni, founder of Buddhism

The goal of Buddhism is a state of lasting,

unconditional happiness known as enlightenment.
To bring us to this state, Buddhism points us to lasting values in this
impermanent world, and gives us valuable information about how
things really are. Through understanding the law of cause and
effect, using practical tools like meditation to gain insight and develop
compassion and wisdom, we — all of us — can tap into our potential
to realize the ultimate goal of enlightenment.
“From a Buddhist perspective happiness and joy do not
depend on outer conditions, which change constantly, but
on the experiencer of all phenomena — mind itself.”
Lama Ole Nydahl, Buddha and Love

Lasting values in an impermanent world

If we really pay attention, we can see that everything in the outside
world is changing. Quickly like a candle flame or slowly like a
mountain, even the most “solid” things change. They have no truly
permanent essence.
Our inner world of thoughts and feelings is in the same state of
constant change. The more we realize how everything is impermanent
and dependent on many conditions, the healthier a perspective we
can keep on our lives, our relationships, possessions, and values —
focusing on what truly matters.
If everything comes and goes, is there anything that stays? According
to Buddhism, the only thing that is always present is the awareness in
which all these experiences and phenomena appear. This awareness
is not only timeless but also inherently joyful.
To recognize this timeless awareness here and now means to
become enlightened, and it is the ultimate goal of Buddhism.
Group meditation in the Berlin Buddhist center

Karma: What goes around, comes around

Buddhism inspires us to take responsibility for our own lives, without
moralizing, by understanding cause and effect (karma). Just like
gravity, the law of karma functions, everywhere and all the time.
Buddha explained in great detail how we shape our future through our
thoughts, words and actions. What we do now accumulates good or
bad impressions in our mind. Knowing this gives us great freedom and
puts us back in control of our lives. Karma is not fate. We can choose
not to do harmful actions, and thus avoid creating the causes of future
suffering. To sow the the seeds for good results, we engage in
positive actions.
Through Buddhist meditation, we can also remove the negative
impressions already accumulated in our mind from former
actions. Once we see how much suffering comes from simply not
understanding cause and effect, we naturally develop compassion for
others.

Stupas are physical symbols of enlightenment, our mind’s natural potential

Compassion and wisdom
In Buddhism, compassion and wisdom go together. Practicing
meditation regularly, we get more space in our mind, and distance
from difficult thoughts and feelings. This allows us to see that
everyone has the same basic problems as us, and we strengthen our
compassionate wish to try to do something to help others.
When we act from compassion, focusing on others rather than
ourselves, we get better feedback from the world. The disturbing
emotions that we all have, like anger, pride, attachment, and jealousy,
loosen their grip. Where there is space that we don’t instantly fill with
our own concerns any more, wisdom has a chance to appear
spontaneously.
Thus, wisdom and compassion grow and support each other on the
path.

Enlightenment
The Buddha was special because he was the first person to attain full
enlightenment in recorded history. But there is no essential difference
between the Buddha and us. We all have a mind, and we can all attain
liberation and enlightenment by working with our minds.
Our body, thoughts, and feelings are constantly changing. Buddhism
views them as “empty” — empty of any lasting essence, meaning that
they are no basis for a real, separate ego or self. The state
of liberation comes when we not only understand this intellectually but
experience it in a deep, lasting way. With no solid ego we stop taking
things personally. We gain an enormous space for joyful development,
without the need to react to every negative emotion that comes by.
 Enlightenment is the ultimate goal in Buddhism. All positive qualities
— especially joy, fearlessness, and compassion — are now fully
perfected. Here, our awareness is all-encompassing, and not limited in
any way. With no confusion or disturbance in our minds, we benefit
others spontaneously and effortlessly.
If you’re interested in getting to know more about Buddhism, you
can visit a Buddhist center near you, or continue reading about what it
means to be a Buddhist.
 who was the buddha?
 Buddhism started with the Buddha. The word ‘Buddha’ is a title, which means ‘one who is
awake’ — in the sense of having ‘woken up to reality’. The Buddha was born as
Siddhartha Gautama in Nepal around 2,500 years ago. He did not claim to be a god or a
prophet. He was a human being who became Enlightened, understanding life in the
deepest way possible.

Siddhartha was born into the royal family of a small kingdom on the Indian-Nepalese
border. According to the traditional story he had a privileged upbringing, but was jolted out
of his sheltered life on realising that life includes the harsh facts of old age, sickness,
and death.

This prompted him to puzzle over the meaning of life. Eventually he felt impelled to leave
his palace and follow the traditional Indian path of the wandering holy man, a seeker after
Truth. He became very adept at meditation under various teachers, and then took up
ascetic practices. This was based on the belief that one could free the spirit by denying the
flesh. He practised austerities so determinedly that he almost starved to death.

Buddhism at a glance
 Standing Buddha in Bangkok,
Thailand.

Buddhism is a spiritual tradition that focuses on personal spiritual development and the
attainment of a deep insight into the true nature of life. There are 376 million followers
worldwide.

Buddhists seek to reach a state of nirvana, following the path of the Buddha, Siddhartha
Gautama, who went on a quest for Enlightenment around the sixth century BC.

There is no belief in a personal god. Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent
and that change is always possible. The path to Enlightenment is through the practice and
development of morality, meditation and wisdom.

Buddhists believe that life is both endless and subject to impermanence, suffering and
uncertainty. These states are called the tilakhana, or the three signs of existence. Existence
is endless because individuals are reincarnated over and over again, experiencing suffering
throughout many lives.

It is impermanent because no state, good or bad, lasts forever. Our mistaken belief that
things can last is a chief cause of suffering.

The history of Buddhism is the story of one man's spiritual journey to enlightenment, and
of the teachings and ways of living that developed from it.
 The Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born into a royal family in present-day Nepal over
2500 years ago. He lived a life of privilege and luxury until one day he left the royal
enclosure and encountered for the first time, an old man, a sick man, and a corpse.
Disturbed by this he became a monk before adopting the harsh poverty of Indian
asceticism. Neither path satisfied him and he decided to pursue the ‘Middle Way’ - a life
without luxury but also without poverty.

Buddhists believe that one day, seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening),
Siddhartha became deeply absorbed in meditation and reflected on his experience of life
until he became enlightened.

By finding the path to enlightenment, Siddhartha was led from the pain of suffering and
rebirth towards the path of enlightenment and became known as the Buddha or 'awakened
one'.

Schools of Buddhism

There are numerous different schools or sects of Buddhism. The two largest are Theravada
Buddhism, which is most popular in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Burma
(Myanmar), and Mahayana Buddhism, which is strongest in Tibet, China, Taiwan, Japan,
Korea, and Mongolia.

The majority of Buddhist sects do not seek to proselytise (preach and convert), with the
notable exception of Nichiren Buddhism.

All schools of Buddhism seek to aid followers on a path of enlightenment.

Key facts

 Buddhism is 2,500 years old

 There are currently 376 million followers worldwide

 There are over 150,000 Buddhists in Britain

 Buddhism arose as a result of Siddhartha Gautama's quest for Enlightenment in around

the 6th Century BC

 There is no belief in a personal God. It is not centred on the relationship between

humanity and God

 Buddhists believe that nothing is fixed or permanent - change is always possible

 The two main Buddhist sects are Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism, but
there are many more

 Buddhists can worship both at home or at a temple

 The path to Enlightenment is through the practice and development of
morality, meditation and wisdom.
Buddhism and abortion

There is no single Buddhist view on abortion:

...Most Western and Japanese Buddhists come away believing in the permissibility of
abortion, while many other Buddhists believe abortion to be murder.
James Hughes
Buddhists believe that life should not be destroyed, but they regard causing death as
morally wrong only if the death is caused deliberately or by negligence.

Traditional Buddhism rejects abortion because it involves the deliberate destroying of a life.

Buddhists regard life as starting at conception.

Buddhism believes in rebirth and teaches that individual human life begins at conception.
The new being, bearing the karmic identity of a recently deceased individual, is therefore as
entitled to the same moral respect as an adult human being.
Damien Keown, Science and Theology News, April 2004
Modern Buddhists, however, are more divided about the morality of abortion.

It's personal

Buddhists are expected to take full personal responsibility for everything they do and for the
consequences that follow.

The decision to abort is therefore a highly personal one, and one that requires careful and
compassionate exploration of the ethical issues involved, and a willingness to carry the
burden of whatever happens as a result of the decision.

The ethical consequences of the decision will also depend on the motive and intention
behind the decision, and the level of mindfulness with which it was taken.

Buddhism and killing

According to the teachings of Buddha, five conditions must be present to constitute an act
of killing.

 the thing killed must be a living being

 you, the killer, must know or be aware that it is a living being

 you must have the intention to kill it

 there must be an effort to kill

 the being must be killed as the result
Here's an example of how an abortion might constitute an act of killing:

 When a baby is conceived, a living being is created and that satisfies the first condition.
Although Buddhists believe that beings live in a cycle of birth death and rebirth, they
regard the moment of conception as the beginning of the life of an embodied individual.

 After a few weeks the woman becomes aware of its existence and that meets the second
condition.

 If she decides she wants an abortion that provides an intention to kill.

 When she seeks an abortion that meets the fourth condition of making an effort to kill.

 Finally the being is killed because of that action.

Therefore the First Precept of Buddhism - not to kill - is violated and this is tantamount to
killing a human being.

Lives in the balance

Buddhists face a difficulty where an abortion is medically necessary to save the life of the
mother and so a life will be lost whether there is or isn't an abortion.

In such cases the moral status of an abortion will depend on the intentions of those carrying
it out.

If the decision is taken compassionately, and after long and careful thought then although
the action may be wrong the moral harm done will be reduced by the good intentions
involved.

Abortion for the sake of the baby

There are cases where not having an abortion may result in the birth of a child with medical
conditions that cause it to suffer.

Traditional Buddhist thinking does not deal with these cases, but it has been argued by
some Buddhists that if the child would be so severely handicapped that it would undergo
great suffering, abortion is permissible.

The Dalai Lama has said:

Of course, abortion, from a Buddhist viewpoint, is an act of killing and is negative, generally
speaking. But it depends on the circumstances.
If the unborn child will be retarded or if the birth will create serious problems for the parent,
these are cases where there can be an exception. I think abortion should be approved or
disapproved according to each circumstance.
Dalai Lama, New York Times, 28/11/1993
Karma

While it's pretty obvious why abortion is considered to generate bad karma for the mother
and the abortionist it may not be so obvious why it generates bad karma for the foetus.

The foetus suffers bad karma because its soul is deprived of the opportunities that an
earthly existence would have given it to earn good karma, and is returned immediately to
the cycle of birth, death and rebirth. Thus abortion hinders its spiritual progress.

Japan

Japanese Buddhists have had to make significant efforts to reconcile abortion with their
religion, as abortion is common in Japan, and has been used as a form of birth control.

Some followers of Japanese Buddhism who have had an abortion make offerings to Jizo, the
god of lost travellers and children. They believe that Jizo will steward the child until it is
reborn in another incarnation.

They do this in a mizuko kuyō, a memorial service for aborted children that became popular
in the 1970s. (The service can also be used in cases of miscarriage or stillbirth.) The ritual
includes elements of folk religion and Shinto as well as Buddhism.

The writer William R. Lafleur has pointed out some difficulties with this tradition:

...within the Japanese Buddhist community the discussion of abortion is now limited largely
to criticisms of those temples and temple-like organizations which employ the notion of
'foetal retribution' to coerce the "parents" of an aborted foetus into performing rituals that
memorialize the foetus, remove its 'grudges,' and facilitate its rebirth or its Buddhahood.
Many Buddhists find repugnant such types of manipulation of parental guilt - especially
when expressed in the notion that a foetus in limbo will wreak vengeance (tatari) on
parents who neglect to memorialize it.
William R. Lafleur, Contestation and Consensus: the Morality of Abortion in Japan,
Philosophy East and West Vol. 40, 1990
Buddhism and capital punishment

Because Buddhism exists in many forms, under many organisations, there is no unified
Buddhist policy on capital punishment.

In terms of doctrine the death penalty is clearly inconsistent with Buddhist teaching.
Buddhists place great emphasis on non-violence and compassion for all life. The First
Precept requires individuals to abstain from injuring or killing any living creature.
 The Buddha did not explicitly speak about capital punishment, but his teachings show no
sympathy for physical punishment, no matter how bad the crime.

An action, even if it brings benefit to oneself, cannot be considered a good action if it causes
physical and mental pain to another being.
The Buddha
If a person foolishly does me wrong, I will return to him the protection of my boundless
love. The more evil that comes from him, the more good will go from me.
The Buddha
Buddhism and punishment

Buddhism believes fundamentally in the cycle of birth and re-birth (Samsara) and teaches
that if capital punishment is administered it will have compromising effects on the souls of
both offender and the punisher in future incarnations.

As far as punishment in this world is concerned, Buddhism has strong views:

 inhumane treatment of an offender does not solve their misdeeds or those of humanity in
general - the best approach to an offender is reformatory rather than punitive

 punishment should only be to the extent to which the offender needs to make amends,
and his rehabilitation into society should be of paramount importance

 punishing an offender with excessive cruelty will injure not just the offender's mind, but
also the mind of the person doing the punishing

 it is impossible to administer severe punishment with composure and compassion

 if the crime is particularly serious, the person may be banished from the community or
country
Buddhist countries and capital punishment

Despite these teachings several countries with substantial Buddhist populations retain the
death penalty, and some of them, for example Thailand, continue to use it.

These are no states that have Buddhism as their official religion.

Alarid and Wang (see below) suggest that this apparent paradox partly stems from the
difference between popular and monastic Buddhism. The majority of lay Buddhists in these
countries follow Buddhist practices and are entirely sincere in their commitment, but "the
genuine study of Buddhism, its rituals, and carryover to daily life is superficial for most
Buddhist followers."

Other reasons Buddhist countries retain the death penalty are:

 belief by politicians that capital punishment is necessary for retribution, cultural customs,
or for deterrence value

 a long tradition of capital punishment in a particular country

 keeping order in society is seen as more important than Buddha's teaching

 reaction to long periods of political unrest or economic instability

Reference: Material in this sub-section is largely taken from Mercy and Punishment:
Buddhism and the Death Penalty; Alarid and Wang

Buddhism, euthanasia and suicide

Buddhists are not unanimous in their view of euthanasia, and the teachings of the Buddha
don't explicitly deal with it.

Most Buddhists (like almost everyone else) are against involuntary euthanasia. Their
position on voluntary euthanasia is less clear.

States of mind

The most common position is that voluntary euthanasia is wrong, because it demonstrates
that one's mind is in a bad state and that one has allowed physical suffering to cause
mental suffering.

Meditation and the proper use of pain killing drugs should enable a person to attain a state
where they are not in mental pain, and so no longer contemplate euthanasia or suicide.

Buddhists might also argue that helping to end someone's life is likely to put the helper into
a bad mental state, and this too should be avoided.

Avoiding harm

Buddhism places great stress on non-harm, and on avoiding the ending of life. The
reference is to life - any life - so the intentional ending of life seems against Buddhist
teaching and voluntary euthanasia should be forbidden. Certain codes of Buddhist monastic
law explicitly forbid it.

Lay-people do not have a code of Buddhist law, so the strongest that can be said of a lay
person who takes part in euthanasia is that they have made an error of judgement.

Karma

Buddhists regard death as a transition. The deceased person will be reborn to a new life,
whose quality will be the result of their karma.
This produces two problems. We don't know what the next life is going to be like. If the next
life is going to be even worse than the life that the sick person is presently enduring it
would clearly be wrong on a utilitarian basis to permit euthanasia, as that shortens the
present bad state of affairs in favour of an even worse one.

The second problem is that shortening life interferes with the working out of karma, and
alters the karmic balance resulting from the shortened life.

Euthanasia as suicide

Another difficulty comes if we look at voluntary euthanasia as a form of suicide.

The Buddha himself showed tolerance of suicide by monks in two cases. The Japanese
Buddhist tradition includes many stories of suicide by monks, and suicide was used as a
political weapon by Buddhist monks during the Vietnam war.

But these were monks, and that makes a difference. In Buddhism, the way life ends has a
profound impact on the way the new life will begin.

So a person's state of mind at the time of death is important - their thoughts should be
selfless and enlightened, free of anger, hate or fear.

This suggests that suicide (and so euthanasia) is only approved for people who have
achieved enlightenment and that the rest of us should avoid it.

Buddhism and war

Non-violence is at the heart of Buddhist thinking and behaviour. The first of the five
precepts that all Buddhists should follow is "Avoid killing, or harming any living thing."

Buddhism is essentially a peaceful tradition. Nothing in Buddhist scripture gives any support
to the use of violence as a way to resolve conflict.

In times of war
Give rise in yourself to the mind of compassion,
Helping living beings
Abandon the will to fight.
One of Buddha's sermons puts this very clearly with a powerful example that stresses the
need to love your enemy no matter how cruelly he treats you:

Even if thieves carve you limb from limb with a double-handed saw, if you make your mind
hostile you are not following my teaching.
Kamcupamasutta, Majjhima-Nikkaya I ~ 28-29
Figures like the Dalai Lama (who won the Nobel Peace Prize) demonstrate in word and deed
Buddhism's commitment to peace.

"Hatred will not cease by hatred, but by love alone.

This is the ancient law."
Many Buddhists have refused to take up arms under any circumstances, even knowing that
they would be killed as a result. The Buddhist code that governs the life of monks permits
them to defend themselves, but it forbids them to kill, even in self-defence.

For Buddhist countries this poses the difficult dilemma of how to protect the rights and lives
of their citizens without breaking the principle of nonviolence.

The pure Buddhist attitude is shown in this story:

A Vietnam veteran was overheard rebuking the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat
Hanh, about his unswerving dedication to non-violence.
"You're a fool," said the veteran - "what if someone had wiped out all the Buddhists in the
world and you were the last one left. Would you not try to kill the person who was trying to
kill you, and in doing so save Buddhism?!"
Thich Nhat Hanh answered patiently "It would be better to let him kill me. If there is any
truth to Buddhism and the Dharma it will not disappear from the face of the earth, but will
reappear when seekers of truth are ready to rediscover it.
"In killing I would be betraying and abandoning the very teachings I would be seeking to
preserve. So it would be better to let him kill me and remain true to the spirit of the
Dharma."
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Buddhism and martial arts

Buddhist monks have been leaders in developing various forms of martial arts. The Shaolin
Order is perhaps the best known of these, famed for their fighting prowess.

Martial arts would seem to be about as far from non-violence as you can get, but Buddhist
forms of martial arts have very strict rules about how violence can be used.

The Shaolin teaching forbids the monk from ever being the aggressor, and instructs him to
use only the minimum necessary defensive force. By becoming skilled in physical conflict
the monk has a better understanding of violence and is able to use sophisticated techniques
to avoid harm, ranging from simple parrying of clumsy blows to paralysing grips and
knockout blows in the face of extreme violence - but always using only the amount of force
needed to refuse the violence that is being offered to them.
 Most martial arts traditions have strong spiritual and philosophical elements, and insist on a
responsible and minimalist attitude to violence.

Buddhism and violence

But Buddhism, like the other great faiths, has not always lived up to its principles - there
are numerous examples of Buddhists engaging in violence and even war.

 in the 14th century Buddhist fighters led the uprising that evicted the Mongols from China

 in Japan, Buddhist monks trained Samurai warriors in meditation that made them better
fighters
In the twentieth century Japanese Zen masters wrote in support of Japan's wars of
aggression. For example, Sawaki Kodo (1880–1965) wrote this in 1942:

It is just to punish those who disturb the public order. Whether one kills or does not kill, the
precept forbidding killing [is preserved]. It is the precept forbidding killing that wields the
sword. It is the precept that throws the bomb.
Sawaki Kodo
In Sri Lanka the 20th century civil war between the mostly Buddhist Sinhalese majority and
the Hindu Tamil minority has cost 50,000 lives.

Buddhism and animals

Buddhists believe souls are reborn as animals because of past misdeeds

Although Buddhism is an animal-friendly religion, some aspects of the tradition are

surprisingly negative about animals.

The positive

Buddhism requires us to treat animals kindly:

 Buddhists try to do no harm (or as little harm as possible) to animals

 Buddhists try to show loving-kindness to all beings, including animals

 The doctrine of right livelihood teaches Buddhists to avoid any work connected with the
killing of animals
 The doctrine of karma teaches that any wrong behaviour will have to be paid for in a
future life - so cruel acts to animals should be avoided

 Buddhists treat the lives of human and non-human animals with equal respect
Buddhists see human and non-human animals as closely related:

 both have Buddha-nature

 both have the possibility of becoming perfectly enlightened

 a soul may be reborn either in a human body or in the body of a non-human animal
Buddhists believe that is wrong to hurt or kill animals, because all beings are afraid of injury
and death:

All living things fear being beaten with clubs.

All living things fear being put to death.
Putting oneself in the place of the other,
Let no one kill nor cause another to kill.
Dhammapada 129
The negative

Buddhist behaviour towards and thinking about animals is not always positive.

The doctrine of karma implies that souls are reborn as animals because of past misdeeds.
Being reborn as an animal is a serious spiritual setback.

Because non-human animals can't engage in conscious acts of self-improvement they can't
improve their karmic status, and their souls must continue to be reborn as animals until
their bad karma is exhausted. Only when they are reborn as human beings can they resume
the quest for nirvana.

This bad karma, and the animal's inability to do much to improve it, led Buddhists in the
past to think that non-human animals were inferior to human beings and so were entitled to
fewer rights than human beings.

Early Buddhists (but not the Buddha himself) used the idea that animals were spiritually
inferior as a justification for the exploitation and mistreatment of animals.

Experimenting on animals

Buddhists say that this is morally wrong if the animal concerned might come to any harm.
However, Buddhists also acknowledge the value that animal experiments may have for
human health.
 So perhaps a Buddhist approach to experiments on animals might require the experimenter
to:

 accept the karma of carrying out the experiment

 the experimenter will acquire bad karma through experimenting on an animal

 experiment only for a good purpose

 experiment only on animals where there is no alternative

 design the experiment to do as little harm as possible

 avoid killing the animal unless it is absolutely necessary

 treat the animals concerned kindly and respectfully

The bad karmic consequences for the experimenter seem to demand a high level of
altruistic behaviour in research laboratories.

Buddhism and vegetarianism

Not all Buddhists are vegetarian and the Buddha does not seem to have issued an overall
prohibition on meat-eating. The Mahayana tradition was (and is) more strictly vegetarian
than other Buddhist traditions.

The early Buddhist monastic code banned monks from eating meat if the animal had been
killed specifically to feed them, but otherwise instructed them to eat anything they were
given.

Buddhism and contraception

Buddhist attitudes to contraception are based on the idea that it is wrong to kill for any
reason.

The most common Buddhist view on birth control is that contraception is acceptable if it
prevents conception, but that contraceptives that work by stopping the development of a
fertilised egg are wrong and should not be used.

Buddhists believe that life begins (or more technically: a consciousness arises) when the
egg is fertilised. That is why some birth control methods, such as the IUD, which act by
killing the fertilised egg and preventing implantation are unacceptable since they harm the
consciousness which has already become embodied.

Unlike some other religions, Buddhism is not strongly pro-family and does not regard having
children as a religious duty.
Although Buddha's teachings do not condemn non-reproductive sexual activity, they do
object to the pursuit of sensual desire, which suggests that Buddhists actively seeking
enlightenment should not use birth control in order to pursue sexual pleasure.

Top

Buddhism and organ donation

There are no rules in Buddhism for or against organ donation, but central to Buddhism is a
wish to relieve suffering.

There may also be occasions when organ donation may be seen as an act of charity.

In Buddhism the decision for or against organ donation relies very much on an individual's
decision. People may decide for or against it, without one choice being seen as right, and
the other wrong.

The needs and wishes of a potential donor should not be compromised by the wish to save a
life.

The death process of an individual is viewed as very important, and a body should be
treated with respect. However, there are no beliefs that say the body should be preserved in
its entirety, so removing organs is not an issue from this point of view.

A dead body, however, should only be disturbed for appropriate reasons, and with special
care.

It is also important to consider the consciousness of the dead person, and whether this
might be adversely affected by organ donation, as the surgery takes place immediately after
the donor takes their last breath.

Some Buddhists, including those who are followers of Tibetan Buddhism, believe the
consciousness may stay in the body for some time after the breath has stopped.

Until the consciousness leaves the body it is important the body remains undisturbed, so
Tibetan Buddhists may have some concerns that an operation so soon after death may
damage their consciousness and cause harm to their future lives.

But others may decide this final act of generosity can only have positive ramifications.