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Question
Hi Justin,
If life is suffering, what do Buddhists think about having kids?
Hi John,
Thank you for asking me.
If Aids are caused by sexual contacts, what do you think about having sex?
Not having kids is not going to solve OUR problems. Not having kids doesn't mean that we can stop beings from being born somewere else. This is not a solution to solve the problems of life. Furthermore there is no way that we can prevent life from being born.
The Buddha reminded us that life is subject to sickness, old age, and death. This natural process is not going to give us everlasting happiness, if ever we can be so fortunate to enjoy our lives throughout. His message was to encourage us to cultivate our lives to such heights that we need not have to be born again. The crux of our mission is to work towards this final liberation so that WE need not be born again. We have no power to stop suffering merely by not creating lives.
Hope you are satisfied with my answer. Please come back if you need further clarification.
Smile from justinchoo :-)
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Answers by Expert:
Justin Choo
Expertise
When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.
Experience
I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple.
My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @
http://www.ksridhammananda.com
Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.
Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/
Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)
Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)
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