From my reading of Theravada Buddhism, specifically the Thai Forest Tradition, hot button topics are quagmires. Part of us wants to say, "there is a clearly right answer". And we want to align ourselves with the right side.
It's instructive that I reread Thanissaro's Bhikkhu's article on "No Self". A wanderer asked the Buddha if there was self. He was silent. They they asked if there was no self. He was silent. The wander left, and he told his fellow mendicants that any answer would have guided the wanderer poorly.
The highlight is that the focus wasn't on the correctness of an answer, but on the helpfulness of an answer. Avoid the unhelpful/unskillful. Embrace the helpful/skillful.
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When I thought about these questions, I struggled a lot with wanting the right answer and the right reasons. But now, I have a helpful answer overall:
For society, it is sad if we still need to fight about these issues in 50 years. I hope to work towards a world where these issues aren't fought about in 50 years.
- It's sad if we still need to fight about big militaries in 50 years.
- It's sad if we still need to fight about affirmative action in 50 years.
- It's sad if we still need to fight about gay rights in 50 years.
- It's sad if we still need to fight about abortion in 50 years.
For individuals, the peace of your mind does not depend on holding any position on these views or whether one position or the other is dominant in society.
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To be stark:
- calming your mind doesn't depend on gay rights being strong.
- calming your mind doesn't depend on gay rights being weak.
- calming your mind doesn't depend on pollution running rampant.
- calming your mind doesn't depend on pollution being tightly regulated.
- etc.
The Buddha never said that the path to a calm mind needed the outside world to be perfect. In fact, in the 4 dhamma summaries, he pointed that the world was insatiable, insufficient, uncertain. He didn't suggest it would perfected soon.
On racism, specifically, one of my take-aways of Ruth King's excellent book, Mindful of Race, makes it clear that mindfulness in the midst of racism doesn't depend on ending racism. To deal with it internally, one recognizes the pains deeply. In fact, jumping too quickly from feeling the pain to fighting for justice can create less mindfulness. (King's approach is in stark contrast to the "Anti-Racist" stance of Ibram X. Kendi, which I would say is confrontational and public-oriented and largely correct, but unhelpful.) It reminds me of the quote of the great bell hooks: "When you’re fucked-up and you lead the revolution, you are probably going to get a pretty fucked-up revolution." Jumping too strongly on the "racism is awful" train can lead to an uncalm mind and a fucked up revolution.
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I've asked a few elder monks about getting caught up in social movements/ protest movements. They say two things:
1. It's up to the individual.
2. If your goal is calming the mind, mostly avoid it. Don't get caught up in it.
In Thanissaro Bhikkhu's works, this is related to the idea that some questions are unhelpful to ask. They rile you up.
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So, what about abortion?
On the issue of abortion, the Vinaya is fairly clear: it is the taking of a life, a Parajika offense. So, if you want to follow the 5 precepts, you shouldn't do it. And, if you are a monk, you can't advocate for it.
So what about the stark cases, often used to justify abortion. Like, if the health of the mother is in danger. Or if there is incest or rape. The Vinaya doesn't make an exception.
The Vinaya doesn't say you will rot in hell if you have an abortion. Just like the Vinaya doesn't say you will rot in hell for smaller things (like lying) or even for larger things (like malevolent murder). There are consequences for your actions, and they may lead to unfavorable rebirths. So, there are consequences.
Science-based pro-choicers often say, "Abortion is no big deal, because the life form is pre-viable and smaller than a walnut, cannot feel pain." Buddhism is very against that attitude. To treat abortion as "no big deal" is unskillful. Remember, this is a religion that says killing insects should not be treated as "no big deal". And the big deal is about the mind, not about whether society is going to be better or worse. (Samvega suggests one should generally feel like society is pretty awful anyway.)
Faith-based anti-choicers will say, "Abortion is a big deal, because it is murdering a baby." Eating chicken is murder, using that logic. And, if you want to think about "murdering" humans, "smoking" is murdering oneself, but we allow it. And, if you want to think about murdering a fetus, "smoking while pregnant" is statistical murder; it won't kill every baby, but it kills enough of them. But putting aside the logical inconsistencies, the "calming the mind" stance is that the unskillful thing isn't the "murder"; "calming the mind" is hindered by the idea that "Abortion is a big deal". Because believing it is a big deal is harmful to the mind. It makes the mind want to latch on to that and fight about it.
So, abortion is no big deal is unskillful. Abortion is a big deal is also unskillful.
If someone has an unwanted pregnancy, the good approach for the mind is somewhere in the middle, "Abortion is a medium-sized deal." This lets one not dismiss the consequences. This allows the decider to be heedful in their decision. This also allows the decider to try to not have to repeat this again. It's not as "clean" as right and wrong and feeling righteous justification. But it is helpful in the long run.
So, I do worry about those people who have sex without birth control and treat abortion as birth control. Who treat abortion as "no big deal". Later in life, will they regret it? And, if they are cavalier about that, will they make excuses for other things. If there is an afterlife, I also worry because it may have consequences in their afterlife. I don't condemn them, and they aren't written off as lost causes for calming their mind. But have a "no big deal" attitude is a hindrance to calming the mind.
I also worry about those who would pick up guns or picket signs to yell and demonize and hate on people who would have abortions. Having a "this is a big deal, especially when other people do it" attitude is a hindrance to calming the mind. And yelling, demonizing, and hating are even bigger hindrances on calming the mind.
I'm still pro-choice. Just not the typical pro-choice person I used to be. I used to think abortion is no-big deal. Nowadays, I'm not so sure it's 100% harmless.
I think it's technically possible to have a society where we aren't fighting about it in 50 years. It wouldn't take much. Maybe a required pamphlet that says, "X% think abortion is no big deal, Y% think it's murder, and Z% think it's somewhere in between. Abortion is legal and between you and your own moral code.", and then let people choose. But, given human nature and our proclivity to want other people to do things our way, I don't think this is likely in America.
Instead, we'll have a lot of people who will fight for a pamphlet that says:
"Y% think it's murder. They are right. X% think abortion is no big deal, and Z% think it's somewhere in between. They are wrong. Abortion is illegal."
Still, sadder, there are those who will fight for a pamphlet that says:
"X% think abortion is no big deal. They are right. Y% think it's murder and Z% think it's somewhere in between. They are wrong. Abortion is legal and anyone who believe otherwise is an idiot."
Furthermore, if it turns out that abortion does have real consequences (either the Buddhist Vinaya's interpretation or the Christian view that Abortion means you will go to hell), in both cases, abortion will have consequences whether or not the law says it's wrong. But it's not our job on earth to police your choices.
There is a humorous skit where someone doesn't believe in hell, goes to hell, then argues that he doesn't belong there because he didn't sign up for it. That's not how hell works. (Just like how gravity works and can hurt you, even if you don't believe in it. Perhaps especially if you don't believe in it.)
In Buddhism, an abortion doesn't forbid you from benefitting from the path or developing skillful qualities. But it is an extra view you have to overcome, at least according to the Pali Canon.
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tag: "atitto" means insatiable in Pali.
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