Buddhism allows for each person to make the decision of whether or not they want to be married, how many children they want to have, and who they want to marry. In Buddhist text, the Buddha thought that the biggest hurdle in marriage is spousal weakness for other partners. He advised against polyamory.
Under Burmese Buddhist law, a man has the right to take more than one wife, but a wife cannot legally take more than one husband. A husband can commit adultery and face no risk of divorce or loss of property.
Even though the Buddhist texts are silent on the subject of monogamy or polygamy, the Buddhist laity is advised to limit themselves to one wife. The Buddha did not lay rules on married life but gave necessary advice on how to live a happy married life.
Other fragments in the Buddhist scripture seem to treat polygamy unfavorably, leading some authors to conclude that Buddhism generally does not approve of it or alternatively regards it as a tolerated, but subordinate, marital model.
Buddhists usually recognize multiple objects of faith, but many are especially devoted to one in particular, such as one particular Buddha. Faith may not only be devotion to a person, but exists in relation to Buddhist concepts like the efficacy of karma and the possibility of enlightenment.
Buddhism is fairly agnostic about romantic relationships or marriages and doesn't overly concern itself with issues like infidelity, disloyalty, and divorce.
Just as blood nourishes the heart which keeps it flowing, so love nourishes spiritual freedom and is, in turn, kept flowing by it. The connection is so strong that Buddhism, often known as a Path of Freedom, could equally be called a religion of love.
A Buddhist wedding honors the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and expresses the couple's devotion to wisdom, compassion, and harmony in their partnership. Unlike other spiritual traditions, Buddhists consider marriage to be a secular matter, meaning it is the individual's choice and not a sacrament.
According to one – the Buddhist Women Special Marriage Law – before a Buddhist woman can marry a non-Buddhist man, the couple must go through an administrative process, including the public posting of a marriage application and allowing the community to submit objections.
In some cultures, polygamy is accepted. For example, in some Islamic, Hindu, and even Christian countries, polygamy is a normal practice or is otherwise tolerated.
In the teaching of the Buddha, true love needs four elements. The first element is loving kindness or maitri, which means the capacity to offer happiness. In romantic love, if you are not able to help the other person be happy, that is not true love.
The ceremony called 'the chessian' is completed with a prayer and the 'lama' gives out a religious drink 'madyan'. The date of the marriage is decided in consultation with the astrologer. The wedding takes place either in the temple or at the bride's home. At home a shrine is erected with a statue of Buddha.
A Most Difficult Distinction
But it is simply not true. Attachment is tricky, but basically it means “I want you to make me happy and to make me feel good.” Conversely, love says, “I want you to be happy and to make you feel good.” It doesn't say anything about me.
A bhikkhunī (Pali: ????????) or bhikṣuṇī (Sanskrit: भिक्षुणी) is a fully ordained female in Buddhist monasticism.
In Buddhism, there is no “religious” marriage and, therefore, there is no “religious” divorce. You may be able to achieve harmony and keep the marriage intact after talking or working through your issues either with outside help or through reconciliation meditation.
Have you heard this “relationship advice” attributed to Buddha? “When you meet somebody and your heart pounds, your hands shake, and your knees go weak, that is not your “soul mate”. When you meet your “soul mate” you will feel calm.
Buddhism and contraception
The most common Buddhist view on birth control is that contraception is acceptable if it prevents conception, but that contraceptives that work by stopping the development of a fertilised egg are wrong and should not be used.
The ranks of male and female monastics are the same, and women “have this 'chutzpah' because when the tradition was introduced in Japan in the sixth century, women were the first to be fully ordained, Arai said. In Tibetan Buddhism, nuns have achieved many of the privileges historically reserved for monks.
Buddhism encourages nonattachment in romantic relationships. In order to follow the path of enlightenment, Buddhism teaches people to discard all things in life that can cause pain, so one must detach from the idea of a perfect person and instead accept a partner unconditionally.
In turn, there are five tenets on which a wife should treat his husband: 1) performing her duties efficiently, 2) being hospitable to relatives and attendants, 3) not betraying his faith in her, 4) protecting his earnings and 5) being skilled and industrious in discharging her duties.
Monks, for example, are not allowed to get married nor have children. They leave their family forever and get a new family in the monastery.
True love—or maitri, metta—this purer form of love comes with no strings attached. Love, in this simple Buddhist definition, is unselfishly wishing others to be happy; to be delighted to be in their presence; to offer our affection and smiles and hugs and help freely without wanting anything in return.
In the Buddhist teaching of love, there are four elements. The first is maitri – friendship, brotherhood, loving-kindness. And the second is karuna – capacity to understand the suffering and help remove and transform it – compassion. Mudita is the third element – joy – your joy is her joy, her joy is our joy.
“From now on”, the law stated, “it is up to monks [to decide whether they want to] eat meat, get married, or grow their hair”. A similar law for nuns followed soon thereafter.