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by HasntBeen on April 1st, 2009
There's no "official Buddhist view". One aspect of Buddhism is that individuals are expected to think for themselves, not merely parrot the group's official position.
While the leaders of some sects have expressed their opinions about abortion, that does not constitute formal dogma.
One issue that is relevant, however, is that Buddhism challenges the black-and-white thinking which underlies most of the abortion debate -- e.g. a fetus is either human life or it's not, mothers have absolute rights to choice or not, all human life has an absolute right to life or not, etc. That sort of binary / dualistic thinking is at the heart of the mind's confusion.
Reality simply isn't like that: reality does not divide itself up into neat little categories with labels, that's something we do with our thoughts and definitions. Buddhism is in large part about learning to tell the difference between reality and our concepts about it. Since the argument about when life begins is really an argument about absolutist semantics, if you drop the delusions which underly that thinking, the entire question goes away.
If someone reachs Nirvana in the buddhist belief and becomes free from rebirth what happens to the energy if the person can't be reborn.
by jmb516 on October 27th, 2011
| 1 person likes this
What is your opinion of Buddhism?
by Masaharu on July 7th, 2011
| 2 people like this
If everyone reached enlightenment and were no longer reborn like in the buddhist faith wouldn't the world cease to exist
by jmb516 on September 21st, 2011
| 1 person likes this
If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him!" Why do the Buddhists say this?
by anil m on October 6th, 2011
| 3 people like this
What tradition of Buddhism do you follow and why?
by rmtn on November 7th, 2011
| 1 person likes this
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Comments
Having said that, since Buddhism does not have a central authority to condemn abortion, it is "allowed". It is "allowed" in that you can be Buddhist and think that it is acceptable, and you can be Buddhist and think that it is not.
by Anonymous on April 3rd, 2009
Yes, I would agree with that.
by HasntBeen on April 3rd, 2009