Buddhism - Section 4 - Matters of Life and death

what does the Agganna sutta say

spirits are floating above the earth/without form or name or sex/ the greed of eating and sex and indulgance causes their bodies to become solid

what does the agganna sutta mean

that desire and greed have formed our world

what does the Agganna sutta say

spirits are floating above the earth/without form or name or sex/ the greed of eating and sex and indulgance causes their bodies to become solid

what does the agganna sutta mean

that desire and greed have formed our world

what is the value of the earth

• provides challanges to cultivate wisdom and compassion

• appreciating the world is part of being mindful and aware of existance

• Provides the four requisites for monks/nuns: food, clothing, shelter, medicine.

• The Earth is part of the web of dependent origination—everything depends on everything else.

how did the world start

no creator god/ no divine plan / the world is cyclical with no begging or end

what do they believe about the big bang

it happened, but it was not the ultimate start point / because there is no beggining or end The dalai lama says this in “the universe in a signle atom“

parable of the poison arrow

it doesnt help to speculate about things that dont help to acheive enlightenment / trying to conceieve the inconseivable causes suffering

“the universe in a single atom“

adresses the big bang theory, claiming it was possible it happened, but because the universe is cyclical there was something “before“

anguttara nikaya

mans own health depends on the earth/ an unhealthy lifestyle would damage the earth - this promotes balance and self restraint towards nature, because it will make mankind happier

why is human life special

• only beings that have enlightenment

• in mahayan they have buddha essence

• they have moral choice

nichiren states what

being enlighteneed as a human is rare; there are only as many humans as dirt under a filgernail

whats the first preicept in the kuddakapatha

abstain from killing

what does therevada say is killing

• the being is living

• perception it is living

• thought of killing

• an action is taken to kill

• it dies

bhikku bodhi - says this

what does mahayana say about killing

Brahmajala suta says dont kill, or incourage others to kill, or praise killing, you should rescue and protect all beings

pali canon

the buddha says it is an unlikely as a blind turtle putting its head through a yoke

dhammapada on killing and life

all beings fear death, so shouldnt be killed.

cula malunkyovada sutta

the buddha declared the mistery of the origins of the earth undeclaired and the mistery of the origins of suffering declared, meaning that he didn’t specify these things for a reason

what are buddhist thoughts that abortion is unskillfull?

• goes against the first preicept, dont take life

• breaks ahimsa, non violence

• life arrises at conception

• ccauses bad kamma for feotus

what does buddhism say about buddhism being skillfull?

• aborting a child with dissability is karuna

• you need to apply upaya kasusala, meaning do the most skillfull thing

what does the dalai lama say in new york times?

if the child is disabled, or it removes accessive suffering for the parents, abortion is allowable

what do buddhists beleive about death

• Anicca (impermanence): Everything changes, including life — death is simply a transition, not an end.

• Anatta (no fixed self): There is no permanent soul; only karma carries on to the next life.

• Karma: A person’s actions (karma) influence what kind of rebirth they will have after death.

• Samsara & Rebirth: Death leads to rebirth until a person reaches enlightenment (nirvana), escaping this cycle.

what do zen buddhists bekeive about death

mahayana - believ they should focus on the present moment and let go of all attachments,

they are less likely to read or beleive texts

they focus on what they know in the present moment

what does the dhammapada say abou rebirth

“this body is his last“, there have been bodies before, reincarnation stops at nirvana

appraise rebirth

we are unsure how much of the buddhas teaching can be attributed to him / aganna suttra says organs were make of rice / we dont know what authority the people who edited his words have

Brahmajala 4

warns that talking too often about life after daeth may cause an attachemnt to things you cannot know

Divyavadana 21

• In a past life, he gave a small offering (half a myrobalan fruit) to a Buddhist monk with pure intention, even though he had very little.

• Because of this generous act, he was reborn into a wealthy, high-status life later.

shows that merit affects rebirth

vakkali sutta

a monk very close to enlightenemnt kills himself because he is very ill and still attains nibana

Buddhist Hospice Trust

eradicates bad mental states with councilling and disscusion, meaning that a person is prepared and happy for death

reasons for euthanasia

Compassion (Karuna)

If euthanasia is motivated by compassion, some Buddhists may see it as a lesser evil, especially if the person is in extreme pain.

Intention matters

In Buddhism, intention (cetana) is key — if the act is done with a pure heart, it may have different karmic effects.

Engaged Buddhism

Some modern Buddhists (e.g. Thich Nhat Hanh’s followers) support context-based decisions, using compassion and wisdom to reduce suffering.

reason against euthanisia

First Precept

"I abstain from taking life" — euthanasia involves intentionally ending a life, which breaks this precept.

Karma

Taking life (even to end suffering) can create negative karma, affecting future rebirths.

Samsara

Euthanasia might interrupt the natural process of dying, potentially leading to a worse rebirth.

Dukkha is part of life

Suffering is part of the human experience, and the goal is to overcome it through mental training, not escape it through death.

what do buddhists think about the environment

taking whats not given from furture generations / interdependance means any harm done to the environmnet is done also to yourself

dhammapada 270

he who harms living beings is not a noble one

declaration on nature assisi 1986

destruction of the environment results in greed ingorance and hatred

animal abuse??

• reborn as animals as a result of past misdeeds

• still bad for karma

• if the marma cancells out its fine