Buddhism Influence

The impact of the Buddhist teachings and worship has on individuals and the Buddhist community throughout the world, is significant as the teachings of Buddhism shape the lives of its adherents. Through the teachings or Dhamma of the Buddha the lives of adherents are shaped, as adherents are guided by the Noble Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts, and through Temple Puja the life of the Buddhist community is also shaped. The Buddhists teachings of the Eightfold Path and Five Precepts, the worship through the significant practice of Temple Puja, and the Dalai Lama influences adherents not only the way that they live, but also the choices that they make, such choices include the bioethical issue of abortion, and how the community practiced

Through the teachings or Dhamma of the Buddha the lives of adherents are shaped, as adherents are guided by the Noble Eightfold Path and the Five Precepts, and through Temple Puja the life of the Buddhist community is also shaped. The Buddhists teachings of the Eightfold Path and Five Precepts, the worship through the significant practice of Temple Puja, and the Dalai Lama influences adherents not only the way that they live, but also the choices that they make, such choices include the bioethical issue of abortion, and how the community practiced Temple Puja. As it has for over two thousand years the teachings of the Buddha have continued to influence the life of adherents as well as the Buddhist

This impacts adherents, as the main goal of adherents is to achieve enlightenment or Nirvana, and they can only do so by living a righteous life following the Eightfold Path as stated by Buddhaghosa “Nirvana can only be reached, not produced, by the Path” abortion comes into conflict with the Eightfold Path, as under the Right of Action, is the principle of Ahimsa, the teaching of nonviolence to all sentient beings. While abortion is considered killing resulting in bad karma and infringes on the adherent's belief in the Samsara or the cycle of life, sometimes it is justified depending on the circumstances, as the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso stated in an interview with the New York Times that “Of course, abortion, from a Buddhist viewpoint, is an act of killing and is negative, generally speaking. But it depends on the circumstances. If the unborn child will be retarded or if the birth will create serious problems for the parent, these are cases where there can be an