Marriage and the Family - Buddhism Flashcards
What is a Buddhist’s overall view on marriage
It is a secular matter and regarded a personal choice
Give 3 reasons why a Buddhist should get married
- prevents the breaking of the third precept ( sex before marriage - promiscuity)
- positive relationships help cultivate metta and karuna
- buddha did not condemn marriage explicitly
Give 3 reasons why a buddhist would be against marriage
- aim of buddhism is to rid oneself of attachment - marriage does not do this
- buddha left his family for enlightenment
- causes desire which should be avoided as it prevents one from nibbana
- ideal is celibacy
Give 3 reasons why celibacy is an ideal.
- the buddha lived a celibate life ( left his family to reach enlightenment)
- prevents the breaking of the 3rd precept
- sexual relationships inhibits nibbana therefore to reach enlightenment, one should be celibate
Give 2 atheist arguments in favour of marriage
- marriage shows a significant commitment to one another
- shows responsibility for one another
Give 2 atheist arguments against marriage
- love is what matters not a legal ceremony
- cohabitation is just as good
What is a humanist view on marriage?
the principles of marriage are what is most important , eg freedom of choice or equality in a relationship
Give 3 Buddhist attitudes towards cohabitation ( 2P/1N)
- permitted as long as it follow the key principle of ahimsa
- cultivates metta and karuna
- could be breaking the third precept ( sex before marriage)
What is Buddhagosha’ s interpretation of the Third Precept?
provides a conservative interpretation
- forbids sex outside of marriage and homosexual sex
What is Sangharashita’s interpretation of the Third Precept?
- provides a liberal interpretation
- avoid sexual activity that harms others
Theravada monks view on sexual relationships
monks are not permitted to have any sexual relationships and should remain celibate and rather focus on attaining enlightenment
Jodo Shinshu monks’ view on celibacy
monks are permitted to marry and have children
Give 3 Buddhist views in favour of homosexual relationships
- no buddhist teachings which explicitly state that homosexuality is wrong
- way to cultivate good kamma if metta and karuna are shown
- permitted if the relationship avoids dukkha
Give 3 buddhist views against homosexual relationships
- breaks the 3rd precept - Buddhagosha
- the sigalovada sutta references only heterosexual relationships
- relationships leads to attachment which inhibits nibbana
Give one atheist view in favour of homosexuality and a buddhist response to it
for : two consenting adults should do what they want
response : ‘ be a refuge unto yourself’ use your own judgments about moral teachings ( your choice)
Give one atheist view against homosexuality and a buddhist response to it
- a child should have both a mother and a father
response: agrees - the sigalovada sutta references only heterosexual relationships
What is a humanist’s view on homosexuality?
- no issue with it as they believe inn freedom of choice and equality
Name 5 family models and briefly define them
- nuclear family- mother ,father, children
- single parent family
- same sex family
- extended family- children, grandparents, aunts, uncles
- blended family - divorced parents marry, their children
Give 3 views on the importance of having a family in buddhism- its benefits
- families donate to the monastic sangha, without this , monks would not survive
- children can learn about buddhism
- Having a family helps grow the Sangha
Give 3 reasons against having a family in buddhism- mention Theravada)
- inhibits the chances of achieving enlightenment.
- In Theravada Buddhism the celibate life who is unrestricted by family obligations is more likely to reach enlightenment
- The Buddha left his family to focus on gaining enlightenment.
What are the three refuges?
- the buddha
- the dhamma
- the sangha
Give three ways the Sangha helps families
- Many viharas provide meditation classes for Buddhists and non-Buddhist
- they provide counselling for adults
- They teach the dhamma to children
Give three reasons why the sangha should help families
- monastic sangha are most likely to be enlightened and so should teach others to show metta and karuna
- should encourage others to join the monastic community as it leads to enlightenment ( Theravada )
- they rely on the donations of families to survive therefore should aid families in return with spiritual growth
Give the difference between contraception and conception
contraception = birth control. The deliberate prevention of conception. Conception = the action of conceiving a child.
When do Buddhists believe life begins
Buddhism teaches that life or consciousness begins at conception
Give 3 buddhist views in favour of contraception
- practices the third precept as you are having sex sensibly by protecting yourself.
- reduces dukkha as it prevents STIs, unwanted pregnancies
- shows metta and karuna if having another child were to be a burden
Give 3 buddhist views against contraception
- It should be avoided as it allows desires to be fulfilled , preventing enlightenment
- easier to commit adultery due to lack of consequences
- leads to an increase in promiscuity - potential breaking of the third precept
Give an atheist view for and against contraception and a buddhist response
for: health benefits as it reduces the risk of STIs
against: makes adultery easier due to the lack of consequences
buddhist response: a buddhist would argue that the prevention of STI’s reduces dukkha but as it makes adultery easier it does also cause dukkha
Give a humanist view on contraception
Most Humanists have no ethical objections to birth control as long as it used responsibly
Give a situation ethicist’s theory on contraception and divorce and a Buddhist response to it
When faced with an ethical problem, we should “Do the most loving thing in a given situation”
This is similar to the Buddhist view of showing metta and karuna and avoiding dukkha therefore one should use contraception or divorce depending on the situation
What is a utilitarianist view when making decisions on contraception or divorce
utilitarianist view is ‘The Greatest Happiness for the Greatest number’
- this can be applied to contraception or divorce depending on whether it benefits the majority of people.
Give 3 buddhist views that accept divorce
- An unhappy marriage could cause dukkha for the couple so it is more loving (metta) to allow a divorce
- The Buddha did not explicitly condemn divorce.
- no religious obligation to get married therefore the divorce is not a religious problem
Give 3 buddhist views against divorce- reference to SOA
- A divorce could cause dukkha to the family so it may be better to show metta and stay married
- the buddha taught that husbands should be loyal to their wives in the sigalovada sutta
- if metta and karuna were practised properly then divorces would not need to occur
What is a humanist view on divorce?
- support liberal divorce laws.
- Some Humanists even conduct divorce ceremonies
What was the role of woman at the time of the buddha
- women were seen as inferior
- subjected to domestic roles
give 3 buddhist teachings that are in favour of gender equality ( reference to certain soa) include counter
- the buddha taught that both men and women are capable of spiritual development and enlightenment
- the buddha allowed women to become monastics
counter: he did, however, first deny this three times and argued that his teachings would only last half as long if women were to be ordained - the sigalovada sutta shows that men and women are equal and should share authority
give 2 buddhist teachings that do not support gender equality and counter them
- the sigalovada sutta shows that women and men have different roles - counter- influenced by culture - doesnt make men and women unequal
- nuns have an additional 8 rules called the guru dhammas which demonstrates buddhism supports gender equality in belief but not in practice
counter- some believe that the guru dhammas were written by later followers to suit traditional gender models
how does the belief in buddha nature link to gender discrimination?
- Mahayana Buddhists believe that we should all be treated equally as we all have the ability to become enlightened
Give an example of gender equality in action in buddhism and what it shows - case study
- Karuna Trust
- it is a charity which alleviates the suffering of women and teaches them vocational skills.
- which shows how metta and karuna in practice can fight against gender inequality
Give three buddhist beliefs that promote gender equality?
- the belief in upekkha - an equal attitude towards everyone whether male or female
- the belief in anatta- as an individual has no permanent identity , gender is unimportant
- the 1st precept - a buddhist should avoid any form of discrimination that would cause harm or dukkha as it would break it
