What's the Nichiren Buddhist take on abortion?
What's the Nichiren Buddhist take on abortion?
Thoughts?
In his writing, Hokkemongu (Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra), The Great Master Nichiren said, “If the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra wholeheartedly devote their life to the Lotus Sutra and practice according to its golden words, it is certainly needless to say that not only in the next life, but also in this lifetime they will overcome severe difficulty, prolong their life, receive the great, good fortune of unsurpassed enlightenment, and accomplish the great vow of the widespread, propagation of True Buddhism.”
Re: What's the Nichiren Buddhist take on abortion?
There aren’t hard and fast answers to the questions you’re asking. This isn’t Catholicism and there’s no catechism or a pope-like figure who issues edicts.
Buddhist sutras don’t generally have laundry lists of proscriptions, especially not for hot-button social issues in the 21st century.
Buddhist sutras don’t generally have laundry lists of proscriptions, especially not for hot-button social issues in the 21st century.
Re: What's the Nichiren Buddhist take on abortion?
I don't know if there is any historical relevance to abortion in Japan during Nichiren's life time for him to discuss such a thing.markatex wrote: ↑Mon Oct 22, 2018 3:05 pm There aren’t hard and fast answers to the questions you’re asking. This isn’t Catholicism and there’s no catechism or a pope-like figure who issues edicts.
Buddhist sutras don’t generally have laundry lists of proscriptions, especially not for hot-button social issues in the 21st century.
I do know when my wife got pregnant my father at the time asked me to get her an abortion. We were all soka gakkai members.
I was appalled so i asked some of the most senior leaders about the matter and how Buddhism would view it. They said it was akin to murder. It would bring down heavy karma and what they called Bocci ..(Spelling error possible) Bocci being a form of punishment brought about due to slander...
now this was mid seventies and they might not even use the term anymore...and i have no idea what they think of abortion at this time...they change so much of their doctrine over time....
I can still hear my mother scolding me about various things..."That's Slander my friend !!!! you'll bring down Bocci to this house!!!"
hilarious...thats the only thing i can think of now , to describe years of her using that phrase....
My present wife hated when she said that and i use it from time to time to bug my wife...sort of like trolling ...lol...
Well anyway...my take is>>>> it is murder. I'm pretty sure Buddhists do not believe in killing humans no matter what development stage they are in.
I loathe the whole line of justification and defence of roe vs wade...viability ...to me a convenient strategy
Abortion it's ALWAYS done for convenience sake..no excuses...just convenience..
Leonard Cohen wrote, from "You know who I am "
Sometimes I need you naked,
Sometimes I need you wild,
I need you to carry my children in
And I need you to kill a child.
You know who I am
Re: What's the Nichiren Buddhist take on abortion?
Same as Buddhists in general.
Human life is precious.
Human life is precious.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
Re: What's the Nichiren Buddhist take on abortion?
No one has offered any because they don’t exist. I have no problem with the mods locking the thread. No good can come of this discussion.
Re: What's the Nichiren Buddhist take on abortion?
Well as a Nichiren Buddhist, on and off as i go, i think the question is about what "Take" I and other Nichiren buddhists .
In the modern age after these teachings have been around for about 800 years, it's up to us as Nichiren buddhists to discuss our takes on modern dilemmas in society and what our take and approach can or should be.
In the modern age after these teachings have been around for about 800 years, it's up to us as Nichiren buddhists to discuss our takes on modern dilemmas in society and what our take and approach can or should be.
Re: What's the Nichiren Buddhist take on abortion?
After discussion among the moderators, our consensus is that this topic should be locked for the following reasons:
1. Nichiren Shonin never directly addressed the question of abortion.
My personal comment on this: Nichiren Shonin did hold traditional Mahayana views that our bodies form when male and female fluids come together during sexual union, and despite rhetoric that has sometimes been taken out of context, he observed the precept against killing throughout his life and assumed the truth about the teachings on the karmic consequences of taking life. He also, however, was a realist and understood that people are often faced with difficult circumstances that all but compel one to take one course of action or another, including taking life. In the Degenerate Age of Dharma, merely undertaking the Diamond Chalice Precept is the greatest act one can perform, bringing unbounded merit that will irreversibly result in Buddhahood. When faced with the question of terminating a pregnancy, just like any decision in one's life, one must look to their innate Buddha wisdom to determine the best course of action for them. For Nichiren Buddhists this means reciting the Daimoku to draw forth this wisdom from the depths of our lives. Beyond that, it is my opinion that we ought to respect people to make decisions about their life.
2. The topic of abortion has been discussed extensively across this site. If one is interested in the Buddhist view on the topic, we suggest you start with a search of past discussions.
My personal comment on this: the question of abortion is, by its very nature, one of the most intimate issues we as human beings face. This topic is very close to the heart for many people, and many of us have had close personal experiences with it. As such, when this topic is discussed, it has a tendency to elicit strong emotions that are often expressed in inartful ways that can have the effect of causing deep injury and pain. We are not here to make each other's lives more painful, but rather, we are here to discuss and share Dharma for all of our benefit.
We understand this moderation decision will not sit well with everyone. Please understand that it has been carefully considered and this is one of those decisions we make in the spirit of making this board an inviting place for all.
1. Nichiren Shonin never directly addressed the question of abortion.
My personal comment on this: Nichiren Shonin did hold traditional Mahayana views that our bodies form when male and female fluids come together during sexual union, and despite rhetoric that has sometimes been taken out of context, he observed the precept against killing throughout his life and assumed the truth about the teachings on the karmic consequences of taking life. He also, however, was a realist and understood that people are often faced with difficult circumstances that all but compel one to take one course of action or another, including taking life. In the Degenerate Age of Dharma, merely undertaking the Diamond Chalice Precept is the greatest act one can perform, bringing unbounded merit that will irreversibly result in Buddhahood. When faced with the question of terminating a pregnancy, just like any decision in one's life, one must look to their innate Buddha wisdom to determine the best course of action for them. For Nichiren Buddhists this means reciting the Daimoku to draw forth this wisdom from the depths of our lives. Beyond that, it is my opinion that we ought to respect people to make decisions about their life.
2. The topic of abortion has been discussed extensively across this site. If one is interested in the Buddhist view on the topic, we suggest you start with a search of past discussions.
My personal comment on this: the question of abortion is, by its very nature, one of the most intimate issues we as human beings face. This topic is very close to the heart for many people, and many of us have had close personal experiences with it. As such, when this topic is discussed, it has a tendency to elicit strong emotions that are often expressed in inartful ways that can have the effect of causing deep injury and pain. We are not here to make each other's lives more painful, but rather, we are here to discuss and share Dharma for all of our benefit.
We understand this moderation decision will not sit well with everyone. Please understand that it has been carefully considered and this is one of those decisions we make in the spirit of making this board an inviting place for all.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,