Current Ethical Buddhism Issues Term Paper

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Buddhist Ethical Concerns

There are numerous ethical issues that have tended to dominate and generate debate in the world during the last decade. Issues such as abortion, ecology, genetic engineering and animal experimentation are ethical problems that deeply concern all religious persuasions. These issues are of particular importance with regard to Buddhist views and practices. One of the central areas that have evoked a wide ranger of ethical responses from both Western and Eastern religions is the question of cloning and stem cell research. All of these issues confront the practicing Buddhist and all demand a response from the Buddhist viewpoint in contemporary life.

Underlying much of the Buddhist approach to contemporary ethical problems is the principle of Karma and the fundamental emphasis on actions that are non-harmful to other sentient beings. This foundational precept is based on the belief in the intrinsic value of all living things. This refers to the sanctity of life of all living entities, and not only human beings. This important principle is known as Ahimsa and it emphasizes respect for all living entities in themselves and " ... not merely for their usefulness to us as tools or means to ends." (Epstein R. 1998 )

From this view of the respect for all forms of life, the Buddhist concept of compassion developed as a central and guiding principle of all human actions. (ibid) It is from this fundamental basis that most Buddhists approach modern ethical dilemmas. It should also be noted however that there is no single unified Buddhist ethical doctrine and views in ethics and ethical situations may differ from school to school and for region to region.

Another important issue that must be taken into account when discussing Buddhist ethics in a contemporary context is the view of modern science.

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Unlike many Western perspectives, Buddhism sees science and scientific research as only one description of reality among many, and does not conceive of science as the ultimate measure of truth. Buddhists tend to see all life and living entities as being interdependent in a complex and holistic way.

The Buddhist teaching of interdependence and its corollary that all experience is karmic in nature jointly suggests that ... The scientifically 'real' and 'objective' world is -- like all other worlds -- an expression of certain consistently held values, a cultural artifact, and not truly neutral ground. (Hershock 10)

In other words, the general Western belief in the veracity of science is not accepted as the final and only worldview from the Buddhist point-of-view. This in turn has repercussions for the solving of ethical problems in the modern world; for example with regard to bioengineering and stem cell research.

An example of current ethical problems that confront Buddhism is the recent research and debate on cloning. The issue of cloning and stem cell research has raised many ethical problems due to the scientific breakthroughs that have occurred recently -- particularly in the field of stem cell research. Stem cell research presents the exciting and positive prospect of actually curing diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, as well as spinal cord injuries and degenerative heart conditions. In terms of the medical benefits that stem cell research can produce and the alleviation of human suffering, this is obviously welcomed in Buddhist theology.

Given the emphasis that Buddhism places on the central virtues of knowledge and compassion, the recent advances in scientific understanding and the prospect of the development of cures and treatments which alleviate….....

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