Expert: Justin Choo - 1/6/2006

Question
hi im hannah i have read 2 books on buddhism and have decided that i will convert once i reserched it untill i know i am positive it is right for me but for now the books i have read are about  buddha's teaching and since that was several thousands years ago and he might not have forseen what 22nd century life is like i was wondering how buddhism generally feels about the contraversial subjects abortion and gay rights and casual sex. also i would like to know how in buddhism you are supposed to live every moment with great intensity but then how do deal with the monatony and the great social expectations of western civilization?

thank you so much for your time,
                    
                   greatly appreciated hannah
p.s i was wondering if about once aweek i could email you a question? thank you!  

Answer
Hi Hannah,

Thank you for asking me.  You can ask as many questions and as many times as you like.  I am here specifically for this purpose.  But please limit to 3 questions each time so that I can respond quickly.

Welcome to the journey of truth and peace.  This is what the Buddha taught.  His teachings are universal truths which transcend race, culture, nationality, time and space.  They were relevent then, and are relevent now and in the future.  The Buddha propounded universal laws and discovered the true nature of this world and this life.  He pointed out that this world is by nature not permanent and dependent on other factors to exist.  When things are not permanent there cannot be permanent happiness.  When things are dependent, they cannot be perfect by themselves. The whole world strives on this impermanence and as such is very unsatisfactory.  Life is existing in this unsatisfactory conditions causing agony and miseries, suffering of all beings, going through the cycle of births and deaths.  His message is how to escape from this cycle of miseries.  The crux of Buddhism is that this world is full of miseries, and how to escape from this misery.

Buddhism deals with the nature of the mind.  The nature of the mind was the same then, and same now, and will be the same in future.  Physical things change, but principles of science never change.  When we come to realize the power of the mind and how to train this mind to be our servant instead of our master, then we discover and experience inner peace and happiness.  It is our ignorant mind that cause us a lot of problems.  We can be very clever and advance in science, but we are bankrupt in knowing our true selves.

The Buddha encouraged us to use our common sense and human intelligence to solve problems.  We have a very powerful mind, when correctly harnessed can give us perfect peace and happiness.  You are correct to say that abortion, gay rights and casual sex are controversial subjects.  They are so because people have differing views.  The Buddha taught harmlessness, compassion, peace and respect for live.  Naturally, Buddhists follow certain principles so that they can live in peace and harmony.  If we misbehave ourselves, can we have peace?  If we destroy lives unnessarilly, can we have compassion?  We fear being killed; so we should not kill others.  If we do not want to risk our lives, then we should not go around like animals having sex with all and sundry.  Everyone is entitled to certain rights and freedom, whether gay or not.  Do we need God or even Buddha to tell us all these?  We know what is good and what is bad, if we allow our intelligence and conscience to guide us.  But do we?

The Buddha taught us to be mindful so that we can be in control of oursleves.  It is quite impossible to be mindful at all times.  When we are mindful of the true nature of this world and this life, we can conduct our lives in a more skilful manner, avoiding a lot of problems for ourselves.  It is a life-long journey, trying to better ourselves for inner peace and happiness.  We need to maintain a balance of spiritual maturity with mundane activities.

Smile from justinchoo :-)