Religion and Life: Religious Teachings

Evolution reflects the cycle of decay, death and rebirth which is a core Buddhist belief

Buddhism teaches that all things are dependent upon conditions ‘dependent arising’. Buddhism also teaches about the cycle of samsara, which is the repeating cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. Both of these teachings are relevant to Buddhist thinking about the origins of the universe

Buddhism does not include belief in a God or creator. In fact, it does not teach that the universe has any origin - a point in time when the universe suddenly came into being from nothing without any cause. Instead, Buddhist teachings view the universe a bit like the cycle of life. They suggest that universes come into existence, expand and evolve, and then wither and die, over and over again without beginning or end. One universe simply replaces the next one.

Origins of the universe not relevant to ending suffering

Story of the poisoned arrow: man died because he wanted to know who shot the arrow, what the bow was like etc, and didn’t let people attend to his wound

'Collaboration between religion and science is mutually beneficial...' (General Synod of the Church of England, 2010)

'Evolution in nature does not conflict with the notion of Creation...' (Pope Francis, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, October 27 2014)

'So God created mankind in his own image...' (Genesis 1:27 NIV)

Adam was made from 'the dust of the ground' when God breathed life into him. Eve was created out of one of Adam's ribs to provide company and help for Adam.

Genesis 1: Describes how God made the world in 7 days

Genesis 2: The story goes on to give more detail about the creation of humans, seen as two individuals, Adam and Eve

People were not concerned with global environmental change at the time of the Buddha, so he did not give teachings specifically on this subject. He did recognise that local communities could be affected by the behaviour of his followers and so, for example he set rules that monks and nuns should never relieve themselves in or near running water, ie where people would want to wash or drink. Similarly, he also ruled that monks and nuns should not disrupt the established habitat of any other creature, nor kill other living creatures, for example when building new quarters

Some forms of Chinese and Japanese Buddhists teach the idea of the interrelatedness of everything, and dependent arising. This means that humans depend on nature and nature depends on humans. Harming one part of this whole is the same as harming all of it. Therefore, if people learn to live simply and in harmony with the world, the whole of the environment will benefit

The Noble Eightfold Path - these are the eight guidelines taught by the Buddha to help humans escape suffering and approach enlightenment. These include ‘right mindfulness’. If you are ‘mindful’ of the effects of your actions on the world, this is an effective way to avoid causing damage to nature and other living things.

Five Precepts - these are guidelines about how to act properly. Two of these Precepts have a direct bearing on a Buddhist attitude to the environment: Buddhists should abstain from taking life, and this includes any form of life. This is linked to the idea of rebirth that can include the possibility of being reborn as an animal. Rather than taking life, Buddhists are encouraged to show metta and compassion to all creatures and believe that all life-forms are special, not just human beings. This first Precept relates to the concept of ahimsa . This is based on the idea of ‘do no harm’. A Buddhist may argue that destroying the natural habitats of animals is taking away something that does not belong to use and therefore breaks the second Precept. Therefore by not acting thoughtlessly, Buddhists can protect the environment from destruction and exploitation

If a person has the right mindset, Buddhists believe that the actions they perfror will be beneficial not just to themselves but to the whole world, including the environment. They believe that our actions affect the planet in a harmful way because we are selfish and we crave things. These actions will only result in more suffering in the future. The effects of karma will continue to work in a person’s rebirth, so by being compassionate, we will improve our own future and that of the environment. 

The Buddhist declaration at Assisi stresses the need for all people to have respect for wildlife and for the environment. The main threat to the world so far has been that human beings have been indifferent to the effects of their actions on other creatures. Most Buddhists believe that it is only when this indifference ends, and we become mindful and compassionate, that the world will return to peace, harmony and balance. This will then allow people to live positive lives and break free from the negative effects of craving

The Dalai Lama said: We are the generation with the awareness of a great danger. We are the ones with the responsibility and the ability to take steps of concrete action, before it is too late. This means Buddhists have to make themselves aware of the damage they do to the environment so that they can then act to change it

We could describe the whole of Buddhism as being about changing the way we see the world. This is completely compatible with an environmental agenda. Changing people’s attitudes about what they need, is a major step to changing how they treat the world and each other

Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh said: In order to effect change we must recover ourselves, one must be whole. Since this requires the kind of environment favourable to on’’s healing, one must seek the kind of lifestyle that is free from the destruction of one's humanness

One of the Three Poisons is greed, taking too much from this world causes suffering to others and oneself. The Buddha encouraged people to practise contentment, having just as much as they need for a simple but dignified life.

For the use and abuse of the environment

‘Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything’ - dominion

Christians believe that they are made in the image of God, whereas other animals are not, therefore this gives them power over other animals

‘Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals…’ (Genesis 1:26 NIV) - dominion

Against the use and abuse of the environment

‘God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it’ (Genesis 2:15) - stewardship

‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it’ (Psalm 24:1)

Christian Declaration on Nature drawn up at Assisi in 1986: All creation, both with and without humans, has a close interdependence which was made in this way by God. This harmony of creation is to the glory of God. Humans have the role of protecting all created things, not abusing or destroying them. All types of exploitation of the world and its resources and all creatures are rejected. Humans must not do anything that risks damage to the world, including nuclear warfare.

Against the use and abuse of the environment

Roman Catholic Church: creation has value because it reveals something about God the creator, creation has value in itself, humanity depends on God but everyone has a responsibility for the world and the environment

‘...the dominion granted to man by the Creator is not an absolute power, nor can one speak of a freedom to ‘use and misuse’ , or to dispose of things as one pleases (Evangelium Vitae, Section 42 (1995)

‘Humanity’s dominion cannot be understood as licence to abuse, spoil, squander or destroy what God has made…’ (Christiand Declaration on Nature, Assisi 1986)

The damage humans do to the environment clashes with their role as stewards. Christian organisations such as CAFOD, Christian Aid and Tearfund are concerned with putting this responsibility into practice. They put pressure on governments and industry to think more about how people are abusing the planet

For eating meat

Buddhists who do eat meat might argue that:

The Buddha would have been clearer about his views on eating meat if he thought that vegetarianism was important for achieving enlightenment.

A person’s diet is not an important factor in spiritual enlightenment.

When a person eats meat, they are not directly responsible for the animal’s death (unless they have actually killed the animal they are eating themselves, which almost all Buddhists would refuse to do)

Against eating meat

The First Moral Precept says that you should not take life.

The Eightfold Path says you shouldn’t have a job which harms animals - Right Livelihood.

Treating animals cruelly is unskillful and will create bad karma and lead to suffering. Treating animals with kindness and compassion is skilful and will lead to happiness and even a favourable rebirth.

Buddhists believe all life is interconnected and you could be reborn as an animal. This means that any animal may have been a Buddhist in the past. Lots of Buddhists are vegetarian.

Against eating meat

‘All tremble at violence; all fear death. Comparing (others) with oneself, one should not kill or cause or to kill.’ The Buddha in the Dhammapada, verse 129.

Various Mahayana scriptures, including the Lankavatara Sutra and Mahaparinirvana Sutra argue that meat does not show compassion (an essential quality for achieving enlightenment), and that it spreads an atmosphere of fear among all living beings.

One of the Six Perfections of Mahayana Buddhism is the perfection of morality

Karuna (compassion) is very important for achieving enlightenment

One of the Three Poisons is greed

For eating meat

Everything that lives and moves will be food for you’ (Genesis 9:3).

Most Christians eat meat in modern Britain.

Christians believe God gave us free will and a conscience to make our own decisions.

Dominion gives humans the right to do what they want with animals.

Only human life is sacred, as only humans were created in the image of God.

The Bible talks about eating meat, so many Christians believe it’s fine.

Against eating meat

Some Christians believe that the original Garden of Eden was vegetarian and we should be too, as it is bad for animals and the environment to eat meat.

Stewardship means caring for God’s creatures.

Sanctity of life; however this mainly applies for humans

One of the Ten Commandments is ‘Thou shalt not kill’

For animal testing

Using animals to develop new drugs may benefit millions of people and save many lives. 

Important for developing medicines that help to reduce suffering, without causing any lethal side effects. 

Many Buddhists adopt the approach that animal testing is acceptable where it is absolutely necessary (i.e. there is no other safe alternative), and it is carried out as caringly as possible

Against animal testing

The first moral precept says that you should not take life.

The Eightfold Path says you shouldn’t have a job which harms animals - Right Livelihood.

Treating animals cruelly is unskillful and will create bad karma and lead to suffering. Treating animals with kindness and compassion is skilful and will lead to happiness and even a favourable rebirth.

Buddhists believe all life is interconnected and you could be reborn as an animal. This means that any animal may have been a Buddhist in the past. Lots of Buddhists are vegetarian.

‘All tremble at violence; all fear death. Comparing (others) with oneself, one should not kill or cause or to kill.’ The Buddha in the Dhammapada, verse 129.

Against animal testing

Various Mahayana scriptures, including the Lankavatara Sutra and Mahaparinirvana Sutra argue that meat does not show compassion (an essential quality for achieving enlightenment), and that it spreads an atmosphere of fear among all living beings.

One of the Six Perfections of Mahayana Buddhism is the perfection of morality

Karuna (compassion) is very important for achieving enlightenment

The principle of non-violence apply to animals as well as humans. Testing on animals inevitably entails pain and discomfort and ultimately death. The Dalai Lama stated: ‘the life of all beings – human, animal, or otherwise – is precious, and all have the same right to happiness’

For animal testing

Christians believe that all human life is sacred and a gift from God, they would rather an animal die than a human

Dominion gives humans the right to do what they want with animals

Only human life is sacred, as only humans were created in the image of God

The Catechism of the Catholic Church accepts this ‘within reasonable limits’ and providing there is no cruelty

The Catholic Church tolerates animal testing, but only if it benefits manking (e.g. if the experiments lead to the development of life-saving medicines)

‘Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives. It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2417-2418)

Against animal testing

Christians are against cloning as they believe it devalues life, and goes against God as the creator, or ‘Father’

Stewardship means caring for God’s creatures

The book of Proverbs teaches that a good man is kind to his animals. Some Christians believe that to inflict any suffering or discomfort on animals that are not in the animals’ interests is not an act of kindness. It is exploiting animals’ defencelessness for human benefit.

For abortion

Some Buddhists accept abortion if the child would be born with serious disability. This shows application of wisdom and compassion (karuna) as the child might undergo terrible suffering. The Dalai Lama said that there are cases, such as disability, when abortion might be approved.

Against abortion

The First Moral Precept is ‘refrain from taking life’ 

The Buddha stated that any monk who assisted in an abortion would no longer be a member of the monastic sangha

For abortion

The Church of England believes that abortion is permissable in certain circumstances, such as when the pregnancy puts the mother’s life at risk. The Society of Friends (the Quakers) argues that the life of the unborn child cannot be valued above that of the woman. 

Many Christians argue that allowing a woman to choose is a way of showing Christian compassion - whether they agree with the choice made or not

The Bible doesn’t actually mention abortion, but it connects life with breath, e.g in the creation of Adam - so it could be argued that the foetus is only alive when it breathes independently 

Jesus said, 'The second most important commandment is this: Love your neighbour as you love yourself.' Mark 12:31. Here the mother could be thought of as the neighbour

Against abortion

God gives life.

Only He can decide when to take it away. 

God has a plan for every life. 

Children are a blessing from God. 

Sanctity of life

Psalm 139 speaks of God seeing ‘my unformed body’, so from conception, the embryo is precious to God. Abortion is the wrongful destruction of a human being with potential

‘...all direct abortion …[is] to be absolutely excluded as lawful means of regulating the number of children’ Humanae Vitae, section 14

Against abortion

Ten Commandments: ‘Thou shalt not kill’

Abortion is wrong because God cares a lot about children. Jesus said ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these (Luke 18:16 NIV)

Christian writings (e.g. Didache, a 2nd century manual of Christian teaching) are quite specifically against it

Jesus said, 'The second most important commandment is this: Love your neighbour as you love yourself.' Mark 12:31. Here the fetus could be thought of as the neighbour

For euthanasia

One of the Six Perfections of Mahayana Buddhism: The perfection of morality. This means that sometimes rules need to be broken to do what is right

Personal choice - Buddhism emphasises personal choice and responsibility. Some Buddhists argue that if a person has a clear mind and is not affected by any outside pressure, they should be allowed to choose what to do with their own life, including whether to end it or not

Compassion - an important quality for Buddhists. Some Buddhists would argue that it is compassionate to help someone to die, to end their suffering

State of mind - Buddhism teaches that it is important to have a calm and positive state of mind at the moment of death, as this is something that influences a person’s rebirth. If a person, is helped to die quickly and peacefully, it could be argued that this is beneficial for their future consciousness

The Dalai Lama has said ‘where a person is going to die, and keeping them alive leads to more suffering, then the termination of life is permitted under the Mahayana Buddhism’.

Against euthanasia

One of the Five Moral Precepts: Do not take life (kill any living creature)

Karma, rebirth and suffering - Buddhism teaches that when a person dies, their consciousness passes on into a new life. According to the teaching of karma, in this new life a person will experience the consequences of the skilful or unskillful actions in their previous lives. This could mean that the person being reborn would suffer as a consequence of the forced ending of their previous life

One of the Six Perfections of Mahayana Buddhism: Be patient. This also means to ‘withstand’ and ‘endure hardship’

Compassion - an important quality for Buddhists. Some Buddhists would argue, also out of compassion, that ending a persons’ life may relieve their suffering in the short term, but lead to more suffering in the future

Against euthanasia

State of mind - there may be other times when euthanasia is chosen for the wrong reaosn, because a person’s suffering is negatively influencing their stae of mind. In such instances, it might be better to use meditation, combined with strong painkillers, for example, to manage pain while gradually approaching a natural death

Dalai Llama said in 1993, to avoid euthanasia except in exceptional circumstances (such as when a person is in a coma with no hope of recovery), and that it should be considered on a case-by-case basis

Euthanasia breaches the principle of non-violence (ahimsa). It therefore builds up negative kamma. The Vinaya Pitaka states: ‘A monk who intentionally deprives a human being of his life, or provides the means for suicide, or praises death, or incites one to commit suicide... commits an offence entailing loss of monkhood’

For euthanasia 

God has given us a conscience and free will to make our own decisions

‘Love thy neighbour’ - some Christians believe that ending pain and suffering, even if this means ending a life before God decides, to be an act of love and compassion

Against euthanasia

Sanctity of Life – All life is sacred and is a gift from God. We are all made in the image of God and He has a plan for each of his creations

When Jesus was being crucified on the cross, we are told in the Gospel of Mark (Mark 15:23) that he refused the mixture of 'wine and gall' which could have eased his pain. Following this example, many Christians believe that suffering is an inevitable part of life that should be endured and offered up to God in union with Jesus's suffering

Ten Commandments - ‘Thou shalt not kill’

Life does not belong to us, it belongs to God - euthanasia is playing God

Against euthanasia

Many Christians believe suffering is part of life. Job was made to suffer by Satan, but refused to end his life: ‘Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ (Job 2:10 NIV)

Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2277 ‘...an act or omission...which….causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitures a murder gravely contrarty to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his creator’

For life after death

Buddhists believe that there is life after death, they believe in the transmigration of the soul, karma and samsara. 

Buddhists do believe in anatta - they believe that there is a continuation of karmic energy, which means that the energy that is a person’s karma passes on into another being. 

Buddhists believe in life after death as they think that it takes more than one life to reach enlightenment, each good favourable rebirth, due to good karma, brings an individual closer to reach nirvana. 

For life after death

Karma is logical, it is the merit or goodness that is created due to good actions, the more merit/karma you have, the more likely you are to be reborn as a favourable thing e.g. a human, as it is easier to reach enlightenment when you are human. 

When the Buddha broke the cycle of samsara, once he reached enlightenment and then he died, he was not reborn in a physical body. Nothing more can be said about what happens to an enlightened Buddha after death, because nobody knows what happens; the Buddha himself refused to say what happens after death to someone who has been enlightened.

So although Buddhists do believe in life after death, after enlightenment, things are a bit vaguer, so opinions are likely to differ.

For life after death

Christians believe that there is life after death, some believe in bodily resurrection, and some also believe in heaven and hell. 

They believe that those who are good will go to heaven, and will be able to spend eternity with God, and those who are sinful, will spend an eternity without God, as shown in the parable of the sheep and goats. 

Many Christians believe in life after death due to Jesus’s resurrection, which proved God’s omnipotence and omnibenevolence. 

‘I believe in the resurrection and life everlasting’ (Apostles Creed). 

‘He who believes in me will live even though they are dead’ (John 11:25-26).

Christians believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection are part of God’s divine plan for humankind. 

For life after death

Through his death on the cross, Jesus atoned for humanity’s sins and reconciled the relationship between man and God. 

God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’(John 3:16)

Christians believe that three days after the crucifixion, God raised Jesus from the dead and he once again appeared to his disciples. This is taken to mean that Jesus’ sacrifice was a victory over sin and death. Although physical death still happens, those who believe in Christ and live good lives will be given eternal life in Heaven. 

‘He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit’ (1 Peter 3:18 NIV). 

Christians believe that those who have faith in God, and who live good lives will be resurrected, and receive some form of judgement. ‘The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable...it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.’ (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).