Question asked by Shamik Banerjee
Respected pastor reading this query,
After watching some videos of His Eminence's tutelage, It is understood by me that wordly attachments and possessions are impediments on the path of spiritual journey. However, if a person decides to set forth on this path leaving his entire family behind (which in turn would make them helpless and with scanty support), would that not amount to a bad karma? Also, is this selfishness?
Dear Shamik Banerjee,
Thank you for your question. There are two ways of looking at this situation. The first is from the viewpoint of this life and a very practical level. So, if a person is taking monastic ordination and decides to leave his or her family, then of course the person should make sure that the family will survive and be okay with them. If they did not, then of course this would constitute bad karma, because they indirectly caused harm by not ensuring that their family was provided for.
That being said, from the viewpoint of future lives, it would actually benefit the family of that particular person who took monastic ordination if they dedicate the merits generated from holding monastic vows to their family. Taking ordination is actually the opposite of being selfish, because that term would only apply if we took the context of the situation to be just for this life. But every single being will have countless future lifetimes as well until they reach enlightenment. This merit that is generated, if done sincerely with a correct motivation, and supposing that the person holds their vows well, is far greater than the negative karma that may come about if that person’s family falls into bad times without them.
However, from a proper Buddhist viewpoint, which covers both this life and future lives, everything must be taken together. A person leaving their family behind should try their best to ensure that they are not helpless, but at the same time should dedicate the merits from holding vows towards their family’s future lives as well, and ultimate enlightenment. Taking ordination at the expense of others is not encouraged at all, however if a person is truly set on taking monastic ordination, they should do everything they can to make it happen, and this would include making plans for their family’s wellbeing in some cases. I hope this helps.