Korea Journal of Buddhist Studies ISSN:1598-0642(Print) 불교학연구

Buddhism has been keeping the general image of respecting all kinds of lives for a long time, but recently it is criticised for not interested in many real issues of bioethics. For instance, even though the pros and cons of embryonic stem cell research has become the hottest issues in Korean society, the position of Buddhist authority is not clear so far on this question. On the other hand both Catholic and protestant church have defined their religious standpoint against the embryonic stem cell research clearly. The reason is first and foremost to destroy an human embryo in the course of cloning research. Instead they support the other alternative option of adult stem cell, which has been developed for the cure of incurable diseases during the ages and is comparatively free from ethical problems. Why not Buddhism is able to respond to the bioethical questions like this? The answer could be find out from the very metaphysical aspects of Buddhism.I think that the direction of Buddhist bioethics should be established in more simple and succinct ways. Because the moderns do not like a complicated traditional religious grammar any more. Thus now the Korean Buddhism needs to emphasize the fluent speaking ability with which we speak Buddhism. That is not the maximum ethics of Buddhism in which Interdependent Causation(연기), Emptiness(공) and Non-Self(무아) are reiterated, but the minimum ethics of Buddhism in which the principle of not-killing is observed as the primary good. The simple ethical principle does not exclude the great doctrinal teaching by Buddha. Rather the first implies the second, I would like to think. It is the time for the Buddhists to change their old prejudiced opinion about Buddhism and Ethics. If so, we naturally conclude that the biotechnological achievements of life manipulation should be prohibited from the Buddhist ethical viewpoint. This is never any merciful deeds of benefiting both oneself and others. It would give rise to some new disastrous results for humankind which is not imagined until now.