(Grand Master Lu’s Article published at World True Buddha Newspaper 730) Translated by Harold Phung Edited by Jessie Loh Proofread by Janet Ho True Buddha Translation Teams (TBTTs) New Zealand News: A man driving through a big bridge suddenly stopped his car. He picked up his four-year-old girl and threw her over the high bridge into the rapid currents of the deep sea. This incident was witnessed by a number of drivers. Search and rescue personnel rushed in for the rescue and sent the victim by helicopter to the hospital for emergency treatment. Unfortunately, it was too late and she passed away. According to reports, the man was fighting over the custody of the daughter with his divorced wife. At the bridge, he killed his four-year-old daughter in a moment of rage. He was later indicted for murder. I read it and chanted, “Namo Amitabha Buddha!” Sigh! Child abuse cases can happen anywhere. The killing of very young children also happens from time to time. Alas! ● As for “abortion,” it is more common. Some local laws are in favor of legalizing abortion while others are against it. The arguments for and against abortion are subject to much controversy. I personally think that the moment the bardo body (soul) enters a womb, a life is formed. If one aborts the fetus, the act amounts to murder. Therefore, I oppose abortion. I even object to the abortion of a fetus that is conceived as a result of sexual assault. Why? Because once a woman is pregnant, there is life. If there is life, there is Buddha-nature. Thus, aborting a fetus is equivalent to killing a Buddha. Many people think that it is filthy and shameful to be sexually assaulted. They even think that the fetus that is formed as a result of the assault is the fruit of sin. However, what offense has this child commited? This life also has Buddha-nature. The child must not be killed. I disagree with anything that is concerned with “abortion.” As for the following cases discovered upon medical examination: ”Stillborn baby”; ”Abnormal fetus”; ”Vesicular mole”; and ”Fetal deformity”; I have nothing to say. ● I say: Two thousand five hundred years ago, when Shakyamuni Buddha was reincarnated as a fetus in the womb of his mother, Queen Maya, he expounded various teachings within the womb. One of the doctrines that were propagated to the world was, “The Sutra of the Bodhisattva that resides in the Womb.” (How can one abort such a child) Also: Many great Bodhisattvas that reincarnate as fetuses in the wombs of their mothers do not necessarily dwell in the wombs all the time. They can choose to tour any of the wonderful and pure Buddha-realms and acquire the teachings of Buddha. (How can one kill the fetus of a Bodhisattva) Also: For a human’s existence, there are “Five Periods of the Child in the Uterus” and “Five Periods of the Child after Birth”. The “Five Periods of the Child in the Uterus” denotes the phenomena of life. (How can one abort such a child) The “Five Periods of the Child after Birth” are: “infancy,” “childhood,” “youth,” “middle age,” and “old age.” Also: There is a description of the Womb Palace. Although one cannot see the sun or the moon from the Womb Palace, the latter is a place made of seven treasures. The happiness found there is equivalent to that in the Trayastrimsa Heaven. This state of existence applies to beings who doubt the salvation power of the Buddha, but trust in their own ability to chant the Buddha’s name to attain salvation by themselves. The Palace Womb they reside in is therefore a city of doubt. (How can one abort such a child) Also: The Garbhavakrantinirdesa-sutra (Sutra of Entering the Womb) expounds on the causal conditions of conception of a fetus in a womb, the details of the stages of fetal development, all phenomena that occur for a human fetus in the womb, and the phenomenon of life. I had been laughing since I was a fetus in the womb and I already knew my future!
