There is no obligation for Buddhists to marry and most Buddhists believe marriage is a choice. As long as they are both happy to do so, Buddhists are allowed to cohabit . Can a Buddhist have a girlfriend? Yes, as long as you're committed to each other.
Buddhism is fairly agnostic about romantic relationships or marriages and doesn't overly concern itself with issues like infidelity, disloyalty, and divorce.
While Buddhist women must go through an administrative process to marry men of other religions, if both partners are non-Buddhist, their marriage falls under customary practices.
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.
Buddhism teaches perfection is impossible to achieve in this world. That means they're not perfect, and neither are you. They value what they have, not what they don't, and that makes them strong. This translates well into a relationship because it allows them to be realistic and vulnerable.
Practice honesty and compassion.
It is not kind or compassionate to string people along when you know your feelings don't match theirs. Don't use people just to get through difficult times. Instead, work to cultivate honest communication and real relationships that reflect your authentic self.
Buddha Quotes on Love
"Love is a gift of one's inner most soul to another so both can be whole." "You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection." "The way is not in the sky. The way is in the heart."
According to the practice, you have to really hug the person you are holding. You have to make him or her very real in your arms, not just for the sake of appearances, patting him on the back to pretend you are there, but breathing consciously and hugging with all your body, spirit, and heart.
Spoiler: your soul mate is you. Ram Dass points out that in the Buddhist view, samsara (the endless round of rebirth) is so inconceivably vast that we have each been in every conceivable relationship with each other. We are all each other's soul mates.
In the language of the Buddha, these are metta, karuna, mudita, and upekkha. In English they are commonly known as loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity.
In Buddhism, both husband and wife are expected to share equal responsibility and discharge their duties with equal dedication. The husband is admonished to consider the wife a friend, a companion, a partner.
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.
Most Buddhist weddings are not officiated or formalized by a monk or nun. Instead, the couple might ask a friend or civil celebrant to lead the proceedings. Luk hired a “dai cum jeh,” or professional older woman, to organize a celebration that included blessings by Buddhist monks.
So, the Buddhist logic behind this idea of universal loving-kindness is that hanging around with toxic friends isn't universally compassionate because it makes us suffer. And therefore, out of universal kindness, we shouldn't set ourselves on fire to keep someone else warm.
TATTOOS AND BUDDHISM
Buddhism much like Hinduism is not particularly restrictive when it comes to tattoos. Buddhists believe that the body is impermanent and so are tattoos. Because they are viewed as temporary, getting tattoos doesn't violate any Buddhist doctrines or beliefs.
Buddhism, the Thai state religion, teaches that use of intoxicants should be avoided. Nonetheless, many Thai people drink alcohol, and a proportion are alcohol-dependent or hazardous or harmful drinkers.
Buddhism provides a view on unconditional love that is not as philosophically challenged. The Buddha is perfect because a perfect being is unconditioned. He goes beyond “being” and “non-being” and is not conditioned by any act on part of a sentient being.
The connection feels empathic.
Whether you experience empathy physically or cognitively, soulmates tend to be on the same wavelength. According to Nuñez, when you have a soul connection with someone, the empathy between the two of you is much stronger than what you may experience with others.
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.
“Within the teachings of Buddhism are 'the virtues of ablutions,' which encouraged pouring cold or hot water over the body or immersing oneself in baths to wash away worldly uncleanliness,” Shimokawa explains.
Monks can sleep in beds or on futons but the Buddha himself is said to have slept on the ground, and many monks continue this practice today as a way of keeping humble.
From a Buddhist point of view, the breakup itself isn't the problem, because losing the people that we meet in our lifetime is a natural thing, as it's part of the ways of an impermanent universe. The problem lies in the way we approach the idea of love, which is mainly characterized by desire and attachment.
In the Buddhist tradition, it means observing without interference; it's going beyond what is pleasant and unpleasant. Practicing equanimity in our relationships can keep us emotionally stable and aware. We don't avoid quarrels, but we don't yearn for desire. We don't escape the bad, but we don't pursue the good.
The Vinyana, a Buddhist text for monks, forbids Buddhist monks and nuns from having sexual relationships with men, women and those of other genders, such as pandanka (interpreted as those with indeterminate sexual characteristics or people who do not conform to sexual norms, such as prostitutes).