Life begins at conception
From Lama Jampa Thaye Sir: Your correspondent James Guest was correct about one thing in his letter concerning abortion (Letters, 9 April). God has certainly not spoken to us Buddhists. That could be because we do not believe in his existence. However, Buddha has spoken to us on this matter, and in some detail, explaining that abortion is a nonvirtuous action which must be avoided. Indeed, in the Vinaya (the monastic code) participation in abortion is specified as an act meriting immediate expulsion from the monastic order. Likewise, abortion has always been classed as a non-virtuous action for lay people.
The reasoning behind this condemnation derives from Buddhism’s assertion that a new life begins at conception, when a pre-existing stream of consciousness fuses with the sperm and ovum of the parents. Thus, there is no notion in Buddhism of any gradual ‘ensoulment’.
Of course, one might well acknowledge that the pressure of secularisation, the temptation to please Western followers and the popularity of carefully selected fragments of Buddhism among the ignorant and fashionable may temporarily obscure the actual teaching of the Buddha. However, the fundamental facts are unavoidable; Buddhism sees human life as an inestimable good to be cherished, and considers that regard for others, no matter how young or small, is the foundation of moral behaviour.
Lama Jampa Thaye
Sakya Centre, Bristol
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