The foundation of Buddhist ethics for laypeople is the Pancasila: no killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, or intoxicants. That is, in becoming a Buddhist--or affirming one's commitment to Buddhism--a layperson is encouraged to vow to abstain from these negative actions, in order to avoid accumulating negative karma. Karma ( Sanskrit: कर्म, kárman - "act action performance" Pali: kamma) is the concept of "action" Buddhist monks and nuns take hundreds more such vows (see vinaya). The Vinaya (a word in Pāli as well as in Sanskrit, with literal meaning 'leading out' 'education' 'discipline' is the regulatory framework for the Buddhist

Contents 1 Issues 1.1 Abortion 1.2 Death penalty 1.3 Euthanasia 1.4 Homosexuality 1.5 Vegetarianism 2 See also 3 References

Issues

Abortion

Main article: Religion and abortion

There is no single Buddhist view concerning abortion. Many religious traditions have taken a stance on Abortion, and these stances span a broad spectrum from acceptance to rejection San'en-zan is a Buddhist Temple in the Shiba neighborhood of Minato in Tokyo, Japan. officially, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices ^[1] Those practicing in Japan and the United States are said to be more tolerant of abortion than those who live elsewhere. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[2] In Japan, women sometimes participate in Mizuko kuyo (水子供養 — lit. is a Japanese ceremony for those who have had a Miscarriage, Stillbirth, or Abortion. ) after an induced abortion or an abortion as the result of a miscarriage. Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or spontaneous end of a Pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving generally defined The Dalai Lama has said that abortion is "negative," but there are exceptions. The Dalai Lama is the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people according to Tibetan Buddhism. He said, "I think abortion should be approved or disapproved according to each circumstance. "^[3]

Death penalty

Main article: Religion and capital punishment

As a religion Buddhism places great emphasis on the sanctity of life. Most major world religions take an ambiguous position on the morality of Capital punishment. However there is disagreement among Buddhists as to whether or not Buddhism forbids the death penalty. The first of the Five Precepts (Panca-sila) is to abstain from destruction of life. Chapter 10 of the Dhammapada states:

Everyone fears punishment; everyone fears death, just as you do. The Dhammapada ( Pāli; Prakrit: Dhamapada; Sanskrit Dharmapada; sometimes translated into English as Path of the Therefore do not kill or cause to kill. Everyone fears punishment; everyone loves life, as you do. Therefore do not kill or cause to kill.

Chapter 26, the final chapter of the Dhammapada, states "Him I call a brahmin who has put aside weapons and renounced violence toward all creatures. Brahmin ( Brāhmaṇa, sa ब्राह्मणः is the class of educators scholars and preachers in Brahminical Hinduism. He neither kills nor helps others to kill". These sentences are interpreted by many Buddhists (especially in the West) as an injunction against supporting any legal measure which might lead to the death penalty. However, as is often the case with the interpretation of scripture, there is dispute on this matter. Thailand, where Buddhism is the official religion, practices the death penalty, as do many other countries where the majority of the population are Buddhist, such as Sri Lanka, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. The Kingdom of Thailand (ˈtaɪlænd ราชอาณาจักรไทย, râːtɕʰa-ʔaːnaːtɕɑ̀k-tʰɑj Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. Taiwan ( Taiwanese: Tâi-oân/Tāi-oân (historically 大灣/台員/大員/台圓/大圓/台窩灣 is an Island in East Asia. Moreover, almost throughout history, countries where Buddhism has been the official religion (which have included most of the Far East and Indochina) have practiced the death penalty. The Far East is a term often used by people in the Western world to refer to the countries of East Asia. Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. One exception is the abolition of the death penalty by the Emperor Saga of Japan abolished in 818. Emperor Saga (嵯峨天皇 Saga-tennō) (786&ndash842 was the 52nd emperor of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. Events By Place Asia The State of Je falls to the Tang - Silla Alliance This lasted until 1165, although in private manors executions conducted as a form of retaliation continued to be conducted.

The first precept of Buddhism focuses mainly on direct participation in the destruction of life. This is one reason that the Buddha made a distinction between killing animals and eating meat, and refused to introduce vegetarianism into monastic practice (see Vegetarian section of Buddhism). Siddhārtha Gautama ( Sanskrit; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual Teacher from Ancient India and the founder Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices In the Jataka, which tell stories of the past lives of the Buddha, Bodhisattva (a previous incarnation of the Buddha) actually kills someone to save another person's life, though because of this action, he was no longer able to achieve enlightenment in that particular life. The Jātaka Tales ( Sanskrit जातक and Pali, Malay: jetaka Lao: satok refer to a voluminous body of Folklore -like literature Therefore, few (if any) Buddhist groups issue blanket decrees against Buddhists being soldiers, police officers or farmers (which in Buddhism is classified as a profession involved in destruction of life), and some argue that the death penalty is permissible in certain circumstances. In general, Buddhist groups in secular countries such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan tend to take anti-death penalty stance while those in Thailand, Sri Lanka and Bhutan where Buddhism has strong political influence, the opposite is true. Almost all Buddhist groups, however, oppose the use of the death penalty as a means of retribution. Retributive justice is a Theory of Justice that considers that proportionate punishment is a morally acceptable response to Crime, with

Euthanasia

Main article: Euthanasia

In Theravada Buddhism, for a monk to praise the advantages of death including simply telling a person of the miseries of life or the bliss of dying and going to heaven in such a way that he/she might feel inspired to commit suicide or simply pine away to death is explicitly stated as a breach in one of highest vinaya code regarding prohibition of harming life, hence it will result in automatic expulsion from Sangha. Euthanasia (literally "good death" in Ancient Greek) refers to the practice of ending a life in a painless manner This article concerns the concept of Sangha in Buddhism. For information on other senses see Sangha (disambiguation. ^[4] In caring for the terminally ill, no one should subject a patient to treatment designed to bring on death faster than it would if the disease were simply allowed to run its course.

Homosexuality

Main article: Homosexuality and Buddhism

The Third (or sometimes Fourth) of the Five Precepts of Buddhism states that one is to refrain from "sexual misconduct". Asian societies shaped by Buddhist traditions take a strong ethical stand in human affairs and sexual behavior in particular Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Sexual misconduct is Misconduct of a sexual nature In legal sense for a person in a position of authority it includes in particular any sexual activity between Among the manifold Buddhist traditions there is a vast diversity of opinion about homosexuality and in interpreting the precedents which define "sexual misconduct".

Buddhist teachings are usually disdainful towards sexuality and distrustful of sensual enjoyment and desire in general^[5]. Buddhist monks and nuns of most traditions are not only expected to refrain from all sexual activity but take vows of celibacy. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective A Nun is a Woman who has taken special vows committing her to a religious life Clerical celibacy is the practice in various religious traditions, in which Clergy, Monastics and those (of either sex in religious orders adopt a Though, there is no explicit condemnation of homosexuality in Buddhist scripture be it Theravada, Mahayana or Mantrayana; societal and community attitudes and the historical view of practitioners have established precedents: Yielding some sangha that equate homosexuality with scriptural sexual misconduct prohibited by the Five Precepts; and other sangha which hold that if sexuality is compassionate and/or consensual and does not contravene vows, then there is no dharmic infraction irrespective of whether it is same-sex or not. History Origin of the school The Theravāda school is ultimately derived from the Vibhajjavāda (or 'doctrine of analysis' grouping which was a continuation Mahayana ( Sanskrit: mahāyāna, Devanagari: महायान 'Great Vehicle' is one of the two main existing schools of Buddhism and a term for Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and This article concerns the concept of Sangha in Buddhism. For information on other senses see Sangha (disambiguation.

Vegetarianism

Main article: Vegetarianism in Buddhism

Many Buddhists, especially in East Asia, believe that Buddhism advocates or promotes vegetarianism. In Buddhism, the views on Vegetarianism vary from school to school Vegetarianism is the practice of a diet that excludes Meat (including game and slaughter by-products Fish (including Shellfish and other sea While Buddhist theory tends to equate killing animals with killing people (and avoids the conclusion that killing can sometimes be ethical, e. g. defense of others), as a practical matter most Buddhists do eat meat outside of the Chinese and Vietnamese monastic tradition^[6]. There is some controversy surrounding whether or not the Buddha himself died from eating rancid pork ^[7]. While most Chinese and Vietnamese monastics are vegetarian ^[8], vegetarian Tibetans are rare indeed ^[9] (and not only for lack of vegetables in Tibet, since Tibetan exile monks in India actually consume more meat). The same applies to the scarcity of Japanese Buddhist vegetarians ^[10]. The Dalai Lama (who himself tried to become a vegetarian but caught Hepatitis B and was advised by doctors to switch to a high animal-protein diet) once engaged in an amusing ethical discussion with some Theravadan Buddhists who believed that as long as one was determined to eat meat, seafood was preferable to red meat. Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (born Lhamo Döndrub ( 6 July 1935 in Qinghai) He is the head of the Tibetan government-in-exile The Dalai Lama responded that one bowl of shrimp would kill multitudes of sentient beings, but one sheep or cow would feed many people. The Dalai Lama eats vegetarian every second day, so is effectively vegetarian for 6 months of the year. ^[11]

The first lay precept in Buddhism is usually translated as "I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures. " Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals. However, this is not necessarily the case. There is a divergence of views within Buddhism on the need for vegetarianism, with some schools of Buddhism rejecting such a claimed need and with most Buddhists in fact eating meat. Many Mahayana Buddhists - especially the Chinese and Vietnamese traditions - strongly oppose meat-eating on scriptural grounds^[12]. Mahayana ( Sanskrit: mahāyāna, Devanagari: महायान 'Great Vehicle' is one of the two main existing schools of Buddhism and a term for

In the Pali version of the Tripitaka, there are number of occasions in which the Buddha ate meat as well as recommending certain types of meat as a cure for medical conditions. Pali ( ISO 15919 / ALA-LC: Pāḷi is a Middle Indo-Aryan language or Prakrit of India. The Tripiṭaka ( Sanskrit; Devanagari: त्रिपिटक lit On one occasion, a general sent a servant to purchase meat specifically to feed the Buddha. The Buddha declared that

meat should not be eaten under three circumstances: when it is seen or heard or suspected (that a living being has been purposely slaughtered for the eater); these, Jivaka, are the three circumstances in which meat should not be eaten, Jivaka! I declare there are three circumstances in which meat can be eaten: when it is not seen or heard or suspected (that a living being has been purposely slaughtered for the eater); Jivaka, I say these are the three circumstances in which meat can be eaten.

-- Jivaka Sutta

The Buddha, on one particular occasion, specifically refused suggestions by a monk to institute vegetarianism in Sangha. This article concerns the concept of Sangha in Buddhism. For information on other senses see Sangha (disambiguation. According to Kassapa Buddha (a previous Buddha of legend not Shakyamuni Buddha) "[t]aking life, beating, wounding, binding, stealing, lying, deceiving, worthless knowledge, adultery; this is stench. Not the eating of meat. " (Amagandha Sutta). There were, however, rules prohibiting consumption of 10 types of meat. Those are humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, leopards, bears and hyenas because these animals can be provoked by the smell of the flesh of their own kind.

Theravada commentaries explain the Buddha was making distinction between direct destruction of life and eating of already dead meat. Moreover, they point out that any act of consumption would involve proxy killing, including the farming of crops, so the idea that meat eating amounted to proxy killing while eating vegetables does not is ignorance. For this reason, they discourage gluttony or any other act of craving which lead to over consumption. However, some Therevadan monks suggest that it is possible to make some case for vegetarianism starting from brahmavihara. The four Brahmavihāras are a series of virtues and Buddhist meditation practices designed to cultivate those virtues Interestingly, this, in addition to their Mahayana scriptural sources, is how many Mahayana Buddhists make the case for vegetarianism,

While there is no mention of Buddha endorsing or repudiating vegetarianism in surviving portions of Pali Tripitaka and no Mahayana sutras explicitly declare that meat eating violates the first precept, certain Mahayana sutras vigorously and unreservedly denounce the eating of meat, mainly on the ground that such an act violates the bodhisattva's compassion. The Tripiṭaka ( Sanskrit; Devanagari: त्रिपिटक lit Historicity and Background Place in the Canon Various Mahayana Sutras have been included in the Tibetan Canon and the Chinese Canon. The sutras which inveigh against meat-eating include the Mahayana version of the Nirvana Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra, the Brahmajala Sutra, the Angulimaliya Sutra, the Mahamegha Sutra, and the Lankavatara Sutra, as well as the Buddha's comments on the negative karmic effects of meat consumption in the Karma Sutra. In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, which presents itself as the final elucidatory and definitive Mahayana teachings of the Buddha on the very eve of his death, the Buddha states that "the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of Great Kindness", adding that all and every kind of meat and fish consumption (even of animals found already dead) is prohibited by him. Mahayana and the Nirvana Sutra Sasaki (1999 in a review of Shimoda (1997 conveys a key premise of Shimoda's work namely that the origins of Mahayana Buddhism He specifically rejects the idea that monks who go out begging and receive meat from a donor should eat it: ". . . it should be rejected . . . I say that even meat, fish, game, dried hooves and scraps of meat left over by others constitutes an infraction . . . I teach the harm arising from meat-eating. " The Buddha also predicts in this sutra that later monks will "hold spurious writings to be the authentic Dharma" and will concoct their own sutras and lyingly claim that the Buddha allows the eating of meat, whereas in fact he says he does not. A long passage in the Lankavatara Sutra shows the Buddha speaking out very forcefully against meat consumption and unequivocally in favor of vegetarianism, since the eating of the flesh of fellow sentient beings is said by him to be incompatible with the compassion that a Bodhisattva should strive to cultivate. The Laṇkāvatāra Sutra ( Chinese: 楞伽經 is a Sutra of Mahayana Buddhism. In several other Mahayana scriptures, too (e. g. , the Mahayana jatakas), the Buddha is seen clearly to indicate that meat-eating is undesirable and karmically unwholesome. The Jātaka Tales ( Sanskrit जातक and Pali, Malay: jetaka Lao: satok refer to a voluminous body of Folklore -like literature

See also

• Buddhist monasticism
• Buddhist vegetarianism
• Cultural elements of Buddhism
• Ethic of reciprocity
• Forgiveness in Buddhism

References

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