Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

You MUST learn two contrasting religious views about ABORTION. Abortion the Buddha said unskilful behaviour is behaviour which does not lead towards the happiness, wisdom and compassion of enlightenment Most Buddhists see abortion as a form of killing and therefore unskilful – some believe that a new consciousness comes into being at conception, others that consciousness is an unbroken flow from life to life However, the Buddha wanted people to apply the five moral precepts thoughtfully and with flexibility, depending on the situation – so some Buddhists may allow abortion in some cases in order to minimise suffering – this shows wisdom and compassion. Personal choice is also valued in Buddhism Exam question: Explain two contrasting beliefs in contemporary British society about ABORTION. You should refer to ‘the main religious tradition of Great Britain (Christianity) and one other religious tradition’ (Buddhism). (4 MARKS) - Give a belief/teaching, explain how it applies to the issue and how it affects a person’s decision about that issue. Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

You MUST learn two contrasting religious views about EUTHANASIA. Euthanasia the Buddha said that it is important to have a calm and positive state of mind at the moment of death, as this influences your rebirth Many Buddhists are against euthanasia as it breaks the first moral precept and the principle of ahimsa – this means it builds up negative kamma. Since personal choice is valued, some Buddhists believe that a person should be able to choose when they die or that treatment can be withdrawn (passive euthanasia) since this shows compassion. However when a person is reborn, they experience the consequences of skilful and unskilful actions in their previous lives according to the law of karma – so they may suffer if they end their own life. Because of this, euthanasia might be compassionate in the short-term, but not in the long-term. Exam question: Explain two contrasting beliefs in contemporary British society about EUTHANASIA. You should refer to ‘the main religious tradition of Great Britain (Christianity) and one other religious tradition’ (Buddhism). (4 MARKS) - Give a belief/teaching, explain how it applies to the issue and how it affects a person’s decision about that issue. Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

You MUST learn two contrasting religious views about ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION. Use and abuse of animals the Buddha said “All tremble at violence; all fear death…one should not kill or cause to kill.” Most Buddhists will try to show living-kindness and compassion towards animals because of: the 1st precept – do not harm others the Eightfold Path (right livelihood) The belief that we may be reborn as animals, and animals may have been Buddhists in a past life The concept of dependent arising – treating animals cruelly will have a negative effect on society as a whole However… Some Buddhists accept animal testing if it is necessary as it will reduce people’s suffering – application of skilful means. Most Buddhists, particularly Mahayana Buddhists, are vegetarian or vegan but some will eat meat as they are not directly killing the animals Exam question: Explain two contrasting beliefs in contemporary British society about ANIMAL EXPERIMENTATION. You should refer to ‘the main religious tradition of Great Britain (Christianity) and one other religious tradition’ (Buddhism). (4 MARKS) - Give a belief/teaching, explain how it applies to the issue and how it affects a person’s decision about that issue. Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

Origins of the Universe the Buddha said this question was unanswerable and irrelevant to escaping suffering – see the story of the poisoned arrow Buddhism does not teach that the universe has any origin – rather universes exist, expand, evolve, wither and die in an endless cycle (like samsara) Buddhists can accept BBT (we do not know what was before the BB); some scientists believe in multiverses (several universes where one universe grows out of another) which is similar to Buddhist teachings The idea of dependent arising – all things are dependent on conditions – means that anything can come into existence when all the necessary conditions exist – at one point the right atmospheric conditions caused the Earth to exist Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

Origins of human life the Buddha said that anything can come into existence when all the necessary things are there Most Buddhists accept the theory of evolution The idea of dependent arising – all things are dependent on conditions – means that anything can come into existence when all the necessary conditions exist – at one point certain conditions caused the human to evolve The Earth is on a constant process of change as conditions on Earth continue to change Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

Value of human life the Buddha said that Buddhists should live by the Five Precepts, which value life Act with kindness, compassion and wisdom towards sentient beings so as not to cause suffering (the sanctity of life – but without the ‘belongs to God’ part) All sentient beings are valuable because of their potential to be reborn with a more sophisticated consciousness. Human life is the most valuable because we are the most self-aware – we can reflect on our behaviour and make moral choices – so have greater potential to develop the perfect wisdom and compassion of enlightenment Good quality of life is important – this means living with an awareness of oneself, others and the world (and suffering), which develops a feeling of connectedness, giving a sense of meaning to our existence Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

Value of human life the Buddha said that there are other worlds in which we may be reborn – we are lucky to be born into the world where the Buddha explained how to escape suffering The world belongs to nobody but is everybody’s responsibility to protect it and care for other living things (1st precept and part of reaching enlightenment) The world contains all the conditions (challenges and help) that are needed to develop perfect wisdom and compassion and reach enlightenment The idea of dependent arising means we live in a huge web of interconnectedness with nature – this shows its value to us and others Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

Check out the Holy Isle Project Use and abuse of the environment the Buddha said that greed, hatred and ignorance are the main causes of suffering The concept of dependent arising teaches that everything depends on other things – this complex network needs a healthy planet to survive The second noble truth – suffering is caused by greed – we should not take too much from the environment 1st moral precept – avoid causing harm to any other living being Check out the Holy Isle Project Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life

Death and the Afterlife the Buddha said that he had lived many lives before he reached the life in which he became the Buddha – once he became enlightened he broke the cycle of samsara Death is a process of transition (rather than a final moment) – consciousness passes on from the body into another (rebirth) as part of progress towards enlightenment A person must die as peacefully as possible and the body should be left in peace for many hours after ‘death’ Skilful behaviour builds up a store of merit which leads to a good rebirth (the law of karma) Buddhist Beliefs: Religion and Life