The Positions of Eastern Religions on Contraception

It is a complex subject and we will discuss it openly from a Christian point of view. In our approach, we hope not to offend the followers of Eastern religions; our only goal is to shed a constructive light on the matter.

Since this site is primarily intended for a western audience, it is necessary to analyze the meaning of "Eastern religions" before talking about their stance or any other further interpretation.

Eastern Religions

Their history begins in China, where we are introduced to the God Creator^[1], Shang-Ti (Lord of Heaven, Sovereign Lord.) He is the supreme God, worshiped by the ancient Chinese in times of the Shang (1766 to 1122 B.C.) and Zhou (1122 to 221 B.C.) dynasties. The Chinese stories on Shang-Ti match those of the beginning of Genesis: Shang-Ti created heaven, earth, plants, animals and men. He had placed a "tree of Wisdom," he who ate it would be as wise as Him. But man sinned and was expelled from Heaven, and Shang-Ti placed an angel to protect the door. Several Chinese classical texts also mention the flood and the migration from the region of Babel.

Shang-Ti lives in heaven where he receives those who have been virtuous on earth, He holds in his hands the destiny of the world and determines the law, He is omniscient and all men are advised to turn to Him at all times. He alone is who administers rewards and punishments. He is never to be represented with images or idols. Because of sin, man’s relationship with Him is based on sacrifices, as in the relationship of the Hebrews and Yahweh. One of the oldest stories on the Sacrifice of the Frontier is in the Shu Jing (Book of History), compiled by Confucius, where it is said that Emperor Shun (who reigned from 2256 to 2205 B. C. during the first known dynasty) « offered sacrifices to Shang-Ti. » We can still find in Beijing the Temple of Heaven, 450 years old. Until 1911, emperors sacrificed, on an annual basis, a bull on the Altar of Heaven.

The problem was that during the Zhou dynasty, between 1066 and 770 B. C., the emperor was the only person considered worthy of offering this sacrifice to Shang-Ti and the worship of Shang-Ti was replaced by that of Heaven, a lot more impersonal. The reason being that the ruling class had decided that ordinary people were not worthy of worshiping Shang-Ti. The emperors considered themselves direct descendants of the gods, intermediaries between the people and Shang-Ti. The Zhou overthrew the Shang on the basis of the Mandate of Heaven^[2] and considered themselves the Sons of Heaven. They claimed the sole-right to worship Shang-Ti, placing themselves as the only mediators between God and the people. This monopoly diverted the people from God the Creator. Thus, in order to fill the spiritual vacuum, people turned to other gods, and a period of great chaos began.
The religions that prevailed at that time were Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Confucianism was a Shang-Ti based moralistic humanism. As its cult was reserved to the emperor, it was replaced with the cult to the ancestors. Taoism was a reaction to the Confucianism promoted by the ruling class and proposed a mix of magic, philosophy and mystical formulas. Buddhism was imported with difficulties from Thailand during the 1^st and 2^nd centuries AD.

We find everywhere in this region, the shift from the original monotheism to various idolatries and mysticisms, unlike the smoky theories which had been made by the theorists of the religious evolutionism like Auguste Comte and Edward B. Tylor, followed by Durkheim and Freud. After the work carried out by Wilhelm Schmidt^[3] (1868-1954), any reliable scientist would reject the theory of religious evolutionism.

In China we have gone over the centuries from the original monotheism to a sophisticated polytheistic materialism. This change is consistent with the universal logic of corruption common to all mankind: God the Creator loves purity and justice, and when men are corrupt, they are afraid of Him and prefer to deal with intermediate deities they imagine are easier to manipulate.

In Korea we observe the same phenomenon with the cult of Hananim (Master of Heaven) which was combined with Shamanism. Later on, in the 4th century AD, it was also combined with Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.

In India, the process is similar; Max Müller showed the increase in the number of gods throughout history. Monotheism is pre-Vedic, and we find traces of it more clearly in specific tribes like the Bhil tribe of central India, in which we also find the story of temptation and the fall of man in relation to God the Creator, Bagwan. Also, in the Santal people (north of Calcutta) who worshiped Takhur Jiu, the creator of all things, but who abandoned him to serve inferior spirits. Or among Naga and Nizo tribes, etc.
We also find a trace of the one God and Creator in Brahman (alias Prajapati, alias Purusa,) which is the divine Absolute: all the gods of the Hindu religion are merely facets, incarnations of Brahman.

Therefore, we find now in current Eastern religions a pantheist core:

Every living being is part of the deity but he is not aware of it, because he lives in an illusion (maya.) At his death, he is reincarnated in another being, according to his "karma": actions contrary to duty (dharma) lead to a bad karma that causes the reincarnation in an inferior animal. To break this cycle of perpetual reincarnation, the Hindu must follow one of the three planned paths: the path of action to seek a better reincarnation, the path of knowledge through meditation and ascetic practice to understand reality and reject illusion, and the path of devotion that involves the identification of the devotee with a particular deity.

Hindus believe that the ultimate goal of all life is the moksha, liberation from the illusion (maya), stopping the cycle of rebirth and achieving dissolution in the deity, and unity with the cosmic consciousness. Therefore, it is not about the salvation of the creature by the Creator.

Buddhism shares the same worldview. It sees ignorance as a poison and a veil to the mind. Buddha proposes to wake up from the nightmare that is the cycle of reincarnation, chase away the clouds of confusion and illusion to be illuminated by reality (according to which, man is part of the almighty deity.) Thus, suffering and the karmic cycle will be interrupted. The ultimate goal of its teaching is defined as being the «liberation,» the «freedom from the knot of the vexations of karmas,» «the liberation from suffering» or Nirvana, by practicing various activities and disciplines.

These are Gnostic religions (knowledge is the way to salvation). Men are the architects of their own salvation, understood as considering themselves as divine. This is consistent with the false promise that the serpent made to Eve in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:5).

Eastern religions include a myriad of non-dogmatic religions, generally of an ethical relativist nature, with an amazing mythological creativity.

Thus, one of their most recent avatars is the "New Age," initiated with the Theosophical Society in 1875 by the spiritualist Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Inspired by Hinduism and Buddhism, she created an entirely new mythology with a "Secret Doctrine," which she uses to explain the origins of Atlantis and the superiority of the Aryan race!

Different opinions

Hinduism

Soul and matter forming the fetus are considered an inseparable unit from conception. According to the doctrine of reincarnation, a fetus is considered a person from the beginning of existence, and not according to its stage of development. It contains a soul that is reborn and should be treated accordingly. All life is considered sacred because all creatures are manifestations of the Supreme Being.

Thus, from the earliest times, the tradition and the Hindu scriptures condemn the practice of abortion, unless the mother’s life is in danger. Abortion is considered an act against the rita (cosmic law) and the ahimsa (non-violence.) The Hindu mysticism teaches that the fetus is a living, conscious person who needs and deserves protection. The Hindu scriptures refer to abortion as a garha-batta (killing in the womb) and a bhroona hathya (killing the undeveloped soul.)
A Rig Vedic hymn [7.36.9, RvP, 2469] calls for the protection of the fetus.
The Upanishad Kaushîtaki (3.1 UpR, 774) describes abortion as equivalent committing parricide.
The Atharva Veda (6.113.2 HE, 43) mentions the killer of fetuses (brunaghni) as being among the greatest sinners. The Gautama Dharma Shastra (3.3.9 HD, 214) considers that whoever makes such practice has lost their caste.
The Sushruta Samhita, a medical treaty (~100 AD.), stipulates what must be done in case of serious problems during childbirth (Chapter Chikitsasthana, Mudhagarbha), first describing the various stages that must be followed to try to save the mother and the child. "If the fetus is alive, we must try to remove it from the mother’s womb alive..." (sutra 5.) If it is dead, it can be removed. In cases where the fetus is alive but cannot be delivered safely, surgical removal is forbidden because « the mother and the child could be hurt. In an irremediable situation, it is better to cause the miscarriage of the fetus, because no means should be spared to prevent the loss of the mother" (sutras 10-11.)

However, Hinduism generally lets the individual decide for himself whether abortion is right or wrong, despite the fact that it is associated with bad karma.
We observe in India the practice of selective abortion by women. The eugenics policy of Indira Gandhi violently imposed abortion and sterilization, allowing the strongest to eliminate the weakest, thus harming both the child and the woman. This law of the fittest also changed the principle of the dowry: instead of having a husband who gives a capital obtained through his work to the bride as a sign of his commitment, the reverse is practiced since the 19th Century, the husband demands a capital to the family of the bride, which ruins families who have daughters, so girls are aborted!
As a consequence of its relativism, Hinduism has no moral authority to stop this barbarity.

Contraception is controversial among Hindus and no firm position has been taken. It is generally believed that contraception is undesirable, but not forbidden. In the time of Vedas, it was not available in its present forms, so the Vedas do not speak about it.
Some Hindus do not allow contraception because the purpose of sexuality is procreation; others believe that contraception is a good thing because children should be a joy and that contraception does not affect the soul; others allow only the pill and sterilization because other contraceptive methods kill the sperm, which is prohibited by the ahimsa.
But those who study the issue seriously will find that hormonal contraceptives and IUDs, in particular, have abortifacient effects and should be, therefore, categorized as abortion.

Buddhism

Traditionally for Buddhists, life of sentient beings starts at the moment of conception, when the consciousness of a being "enters" both the egg and sperm of the parents. Since life begins at fertilization, we think that there is no qualitative difference between an abortion in the first quarter and a late abortion. Although the fetus is not considered as having a "fully developed personality," in the Western sense of the word, it is considered a "person," with the five characteristics that determine the person’s identity: form, feelings, perceptions, karmic formations and consciousness.
According to the first of the five Buddhist precepts (refrain from killing both insects as well as humans), abortion is prohibited. Life is considered to begin when consciousness arises, and fetuses are regarded as having a conscience. Abortion, as a result of killing a fetus, poses a serious personal dilemma on a moral and spiritual level. In the Indian Buddhist texts, to "kill" is understood as terminating the life of a "sentient" being, a being with consciousness and, therefore, with the potential to attain enlightenment.

The ruling of Buddha to his community of monks also prohibits recommending abortion.

Buddhist texts do not establish any legal rights for the fetus, nor do they mention abortion in cases of rape, incest, severe deformity, or in case of mental, physical or emotional abuse. The 14th Dalai Lama^[4], Tenzin Gyatso, expressed in 1992 a controversial and unorthodox opinion:
«There might be situations in which, if the child will be so severely handicapped that it will undergo great suffering, abortion is permissible. In general, however, abortion is the taking of life and is not appropriate. The main factor is motivation.»

From a Buddhist perspective, such position would require the power to discern past and future lives of a being, and such ability is rare; and the generalization of the Dalai Lama is unreasonable. The traditional Buddhist view takes into account the happiness of the unborn child and of the pregnant woman, not only in this life, but in all his future rebirths, and this exceeds the capacity of ordinary people.

Buddha taught an ethics of personal responsibility, where everyone assumes full responsibility for his actions and the results of these actions. To determine if an action is good or bad, Buddhist ethics takes into account three elements involved in a karmic action. The first is the intention behind the act, the second is the effect on the person as consequence of the act, and the third is the effect on others as a result of that act. These moral Buddhist precepts are based on the Dharma (natural law of the holy life) and they reflect eternal values such as compassion, respect, temperance, honesty and wisdom.
In this system, individuals exercise the freedom of choice in ethical decision making, knowing that good deeds lead to happiness and bad actions lead to misfortune, unless they are purified by spiritual practices.

Regarding contraception, Buddhism does not find any reason to oppose it, given the fact that as long as there is no fertilization, there is no life at stake. Contraceptives with abortifacient effects (such as IUDs and hormones) do not fall into this category but rather in the abortion category.

Overview

Faced with the threats that abortion and contraception represent for people, and mainly for women and children, Buddhism and Hinduism have an inevitable weakness: they are religions that define morality, duties and ideals, but without specifying to whom man is responsible. In fact, there is no real law, no real God, only powerless divinities, and flexible and human precepts.

All abuses are possible. A typical example of abuse is the mizuko kuyo which is practiced mainly in Japan.
The victorious Americans (Mac Arthur), under the influence of eugenicists (Margaret Sanger), have introduced the "Eugenic Protection Law" that legalized abortion in Japan after the Second World War. Rather than defend the Japanese population and fight this genocide, followers of Zen Buddhism offered the following (false) solution: Abortion was to be considered as inevitable. And in order to cope with the resulting grief, shame and guilt, women were invited to make an offering to a minor deity (Jizo Bodhisattva). And to pray to this deity to take care of the spirit of the aborted child and prepare him a more propitious reincarnation, by buying a statuette on the way out. Some unscrupulous people exploit and dramatize the negative influences of the avenging spirits of mizuko in order to charge expensive rituals to exorcise and pacify the spirits. This represents considerable sums of money!

Where is grace in that? Women do not heal, their guilt remains and they have about 6 abortions in their lives!

Societies based on Eastern religions have a delicate balance^[5]. They ignore the grace of God Creator and Supreme Legislator, and this is what the Bible says about those who have abandoned God:
«18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness.
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: 21 because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.» (Romans 1:18-21)

Is it not appropriate to say that the following arguments only darken and suffocate the truth by means of absurd reasoning?

• Human life has no more value than that of an animal...
• In the end, death is not that bad, since there would be other reincarnations...
• Reality is nothing more than a worthless illusion...
• Guilt can be erased by a human action...
• We must accept that tyrants pretend to legislate on family issues...

In fact, Confucius made a serious mistake by yielding to the wishes of his masters, separating men from the relationship with Shang-Ti, while trying to capture His legacy.

The great ancestors before him realized that it is God the Creator who rules all, and that to violate his Law leads to death. The solution is to return to the true roots of the East: Shang-Ti, alias Hananim, alias Bagwan, alias Takhur-Jiu, alias Yahweh... whose son, Jesus, incarnated to free us all, bringing us salvation and true life.
For He alone teaches the value of human life, created in the image of God; the absence of cyclical time; the responsibility of man towards Him; the only way to be redeemed from our sins; the limited role played by the States, etc.

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