Birth Control, Abortion and Suicide

节育.堕胎和自杀

Although man has freedom to plan his family according to his own convenience, abortion is not justifiable.

人类可以根据自己的条件而调整家庭的人口，但是，堕胎是一种不当的行为。

There is no reason for Buddhists to oppose birth control. They are at liberty to use any of the old or modern measures to prevent conception. Those who object to birth control by saying that it is against God's law to practise it, must realize that their concept regarding this issue is not reasonable. In birth control what is done is to prevent the coming into being of an existence. There is no killing involved and there is no akusala kamma. But if they take any action to have an abortion, this action is wrong because it involves taking away or destroying a visible or invisible life. Therefore, abortion is not justifiable.

节育：

佛教徒没有理由反对节制生育。他们可以自由的使用各种古老的或现代的方法来节育。有人说「节育」违反了「神」的旨意，因此反对「节育」，这些人必须了解，他们这种观点是不合理的。节育，是防止促成生命，不是杀生，因此不造成恶业。但是，堕胎是一种无可分辨的错误行为，这涉及摧毁或杀害一个看得见或看不见的生命，对佛教而言，堕胎是绝对不允许的。

According to the Teachings of the Buddha, five conditions must be present to constitute the evil act of killing. They are:

按照佛教戒律，造成触犯杀生戒的条件有五种：

a living being

一、必须是生命。

knowledge or awareness it is a living being

二、知道这生命是活的。

intention of killing

三、有杀害的意图。

effort to kill, and

四、有杀害的行为。

consequent death

五、造成生命的死亡。

When a female conceives, there is a being in her womb and this fulfills the first condition. After a couple of months, she knows that there is a new life within her and this satisfies the second condition. Then for some reason or other, she wants to do away with this being in her. So she begins to search for an abortionist to do the job and in this way, the third condition is fulfilled. When the abortionist does his job, the fourth condition is provided for and finally, the being is killed because of that action. So all the conditions are present. In this way, there is a violation of the First Precept 'not to kill', and this is tantamount to killing a human being. According to Buddhism, there is no ground to say that we have the right to take away the life of another.

当妇女怀孕时，生命已存在于她体内(第一条件)，两个月后，她知道这生命是活的(第二条件)，她为了某种理由，不想要肚里的生命(第三条件)，她去堕胎(第四条件)，肚里的小生命因此而被摧毁(第五条件)。这整个过程，五项条件都具足了，因此触犯了杀生戒。堕胎的整个过程，表面没有杀生的迹象，而事实就是在杀生。堕胎违反了佛陀的教义，佛教徒都不应该堕胎，对佛教徒而言，我们并没有权力去拿掉另一个生命。

Under certain circumstances, people feel compelled to do that for their own convenience. But they should not justify this act of abortion as somehow or other they will have to face some sort of bad karmic results. In certain countries abortion is legalized, but this is to overcome some problems. Religious principles should never be surrendered for the pleasure of man. They stand for the welfare of the whole mankind.

在环境的压迫下，人们为了自己的方便被迫去做这种不道德的事。但是，人类不应该认为堕胎是合理的，堕胎造成恶业，将来要受到果报。在某些国家，堕胎是合法化的。然而，不要把宗教牵扯进去。这是世界性的问题。宗教原则绝对不是为了某些人的个人享受或方便，而是为全人类的福址。

Committing Suicide

自杀：

Taking one's own life under any circumstances is morally and spiritually wrong. Taking one's own life owing to frustration or disappointment only causes greater suffering. Suicide is a cowardly way to end one's problems of life. A person cannot commit suicide if his mind is pure and tranquil. If one leaves this world with a confused and frustrated mind, it is most unlikely that he would be born again in a better condition. Suicide is an unwholesome or unskillful act since it is encouraged by a mind filled with greed, hatred and delusion. Those who commit suicide have not learnt how to face their problems, how to face the facts of life, and how to use their mind in a proper manner. Such people have not been able to understand the nature of life and worldly conditions.

Some people sacrifice their own lives for what they deem as a good and noble cause. They take their own life by such methods as self-immolation, bullet-fire, or starvation. Such actions may be classified as brave and courageous. However, from the Buddhist point of view, such acts are not to be condoned. The Buddha has clearly pointed out that the suicidal states of mind lead to further suffering.

在任何环境或条件下，摧毁自己的生命，无论在精神或道德，都是一种错误的行为。

因受到挫折或绝望而自杀，将造成更大的苦难。以自杀来结束生命是一种懦弱的行为，如果一个人的心识是纯净和镇定的，他就不会自杀。如果一个人以离乱和挫折的心情离开人世，他将得不到好的因缘而转世。自杀是一种不健全和低级的行为，因为，自杀者心里充满了贪、嗔、痴。自杀者不知道如何面对自己的问题，如何面对生活，如何正确和适当的运用自己的心识。这些人不明了生命的本质和世间的缘起。

有些人为高贵的理由而奉献自己的生命。有些人以自己的生命做为祭祀。有些人采取饮弹、绝食等方式来断送生命的勇敢行为，可是，这毕竟是出自人类的盲从和冲动。从佛教的角度来看，这种行为无法抵消它所造成的恶业。佛陀清楚的指示，自杀会导致更多的痛苦。 

Why Does the World Population Increase?

为何世界人口会剧增

There is really no ground to think that this is the only period in which the population of the world has increased.

我们没有证据证明，目前是世界人口剧增的唯一时代。

If Buddhists do not believe in the soul created by god, how are they going to account for the increase of population in the world today? This is a very common question that is asked by many people today. People who ask this question usually assume that there is only one world where living beings exist. One must consider that it is quite natural for the population to increase in such places where good climatic conditions, medical facilities, food and precautions are available to produce and to protect living beings.

很多人都要问一个很普通的问题：如果佛教不相信人类或灵魂是「神」的「产品」，那么，如何解释今天世界人口剧增的问题？他们之所以会问这个问题，是因为他们假定了生物所居住的世界只有一个。同时他们也可以认为人口剧增是一件非常自然的事，因为，这个时代有好的生存条件、好的气候、医疗普及、物质资源和食物丰富，以及各种有效的防抑自然灾害的方法，来捍卫生命和助长生命力。

One must also consider that there is really no ground to think that this is the only period in which the population in the world has increased. There are no means of comparison with any period of ancient history. Vast civilizations existed and have disappeared in Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Ancient America. No census figures on these civilizations are even remotely available. Population, as everything else in the universe, is subject to cycles of rise and fall. In cycles of alarming increases of birth rate, one might be consequently tempted to argue against rebirth in this or other worlds. For the last few thousand years, there has been no evidence to prove that there were more people in some parts of the world than there are today. The number of beings existing in the various world systems is truly infinite. If human lives can be compared to only one grain of sand, the number of beings in the universe is like the grains of sand all the beaches in the world. When conditions are right and when supported by their good kamma, a few of these infinite number of beings are reborn as human beings.

我们没有证据证明，目前是世界人口剧增的唯一时代，但是，我们也没有足够的资料来与古代的历史做比较。中亚、中东、非洲、古美洲，都有大量的文明存在，而后来都消失了。对于这些古文明的研究，我们连一点关于古代人口的资料也没有发现。人口与世间其他事物一样，也有起落循环的规律。在这循环规律中，人口惊人的增长。有些人反对这种观点，也反对有其他世界生命轮回再生的观念。近几千年来，我们没有证据证明，世界某个地方的人口曾经比今天还要多。在宇宙中拥有数不清的生命，就好像全世界海滩的沙一样多。当因缘条件具足和善业的果报成熟时，在这些众多的生命当中，有一部份会转世为人。

The advancement of medicine especially in the 19th and 20th centuries has enabled human beings to live longer and healthier lives.

This is a factor that contributes to population increase. Population can further increase unless sensible people take measures to control it. Hence, the credit or responsibility of increasing the population must be given to medical facilities and other circumstances available today. This credit or responsibility cannot be allotted to any particular religion or any external sources.

在十九、二十世纪医学发达，使人类的健康和寿命获得延长。这就是造成人口剧增的原因。除非有人设法控制，否则人口将越来越多。因此，人口的剧增是由于医学的发达和生存环境所造成的，不能归咎于任何宗教或任何外在的因素。

There is a belief among certain people that all unfortunate occurrences that destroy human lives are created by god in order to reduce the population of the world. Instead of giving so much suffering to his own creatures, why cannot he control the population? Why does he create more and more people in thickly populated countries where there is no proper food, clothing and other basic and necessary requirements? Those who believe that god created everything cannot give a satisfactory answer to this question. Poverty, unhappiness, war, hunger, disease, famine are not due to the will of god or to the whim of some devil, but to causes which are not so difficult to discover.

有些人相信，所有不幸的事件，导致生命的摧毁，是「神」的安排，「神」这么做是为了减低世界的人口。「神」为自己创造的生命制造苦难，为何不去控制「生命」的「产量」。为何「神」要为那些贫困、落后的国家，大量的「生产」人口。那些相信「神」是万能的造物者，无法给予人口问题一个满意的答覆。贫穷、不幸、战乱、飢饿、疾病、粮荒都不是「神」的旨意或魔鬼的杰作，真正的原因不难发现。