The Buddhist argument against Cloning:
Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, not one of the cult leaders from Tibet, has spoken out against cloning, genetic engineering, spare parts, etc.
Basically one argument is this: Buddhists believe in reincarnation, in this reincarnation after you die you will (your soul, energy, being) you will enter the mother of your birth, in other words, you will choose your next mother.
If there is no mother, bad things will happen, like crossing the streams in Ghostbusters.
There is a multitude of other reasons, but this is just one.
"For instance, some unethical scientists now are busy inventing miraculous monsters. You say it's human? It’s not really human. You say it's an animal? It’s not exactly an animal either. Since they graft human genes onto animal bodies and alter human genes with animals strains, this mutual genetic modification produces a freakish, mutant, hybrid that resembles neither parent.
Anything taken to the ultimate point, transforms into its opposite. Now people can be born with horns, or elephant-like trunks. In my opinion, a human born with a nose like a pachyderm is more a goblin than a person. These goblins and freaks are all within the realm of possibility today. "
--Venerable Master Hsuan Hua
"I would like to mention now an alternate spiritual model from the Buddhist tradition, one whose ethics are karma-based. The fundamental principle of this model is ahimsa, "non-harming," respect for the intrinsic value of all sentient beings, not just human life. This model, moreover, respects sentient beings not merely for their usefulness to us as tools or means to ends. Out of this notion of respect for life comes the notion of selfless compassion as a guiding principle in our actions. So in terms of genetic engineering, this would exclude any instrumental use of human or nonhuman sentient life. A second principle of this viewpoint is transcendence, which is very difficult to talk about in scientific terms, but which, from a spiritual viewpoint, is not only a potential for humans, but for all sentient beings. All sentient beings have the potential to develop spiritual wisdom and liberation. This potential, according to Buddhism, is meaningless in most scientific models. The third principle of this spiritual viewpoint is that the cosmos is an open system, in contrast to the closed system of most scientific research. Built into the open-system model is the idea that we cannot know through scientific methodology the full extent of the possible effects of genetic alterations on living creatures. We cannot be certain of the ultimate effects of any genetic changes we make. A fourth principle is the non-Cartesian view of the relationship between the physical and the spiritual. The condition of our bodies and nervous system affects our minds and spirits, and vice-versa. This is why karma-based ethics insists on purity of both minds and spirits, and vice-versa. This leaves open the possibility, therefore, that genetic engineering might adversely influence the potential of sentient beings to achieve transcendence. And there is no scientific experiment we can perform to find out one way or another. "
What about humans, themselves? A few years ago Granada Biosciences of Texas applied to the European Patent Office for a patent on a so-called “pharm-woman,” the idea being to genetically engineer human females so that their breast milk would contain specialized pharmaceuticals. Work is also ongoing to use genetic engineering to grow human breasts in the laboratory. Not only would they be used for breast replacement needed due to cancer surgery, but could easily foster a vigorous commercial demand by women in search of the “perfect” breasts. Geneticist Jonathan Slack of England’s Bath University has recently proposed genetically engineering headless humans to be used for body parts. Some prominent geneticists, such as Lewis Wolpert, Professor of Biology as Applied to Medicine at University College London, have supported his idea.
When considering the potential of genetic engineering for curing illness, we should remember that, according to Buddhist teachings, we get sick for one of two main reasons. Our “four elements” may become imbalanced, which may be roughly interpreted in modern terms as “we are run-down and our resistance to pathogens is low.” And sickness or a shortened lifespan may in some instances be karmic retribution for the taking of life. As Buddhists, we should be especially sensitive to geneticists’ degradation of what it means to be a human being. Do we want a “cure” at any price? We may want to ask ourselves whether the karma from the harming of life involved in the development and application of the gene therapy is going to cause us even heavier karmic problems down the road. Or how are transgenic animal body parts in our bodies going to affect the human quality of our everyday awareness?
Genetic engineering can affect the whole of nature, as well. In Buddhist terms, “nature” refers to the patterns of causes and conditions that reflect the karma of sentient beings. In terms of respect for life, which is the foundation of all Buddhist practice, nature can also be understood as the sum total of ecosystems that support life; it is the essential condition for preserving living beings from harm. Humans, animals, and other sentient beings are dependent upon a wholesome environment for a healthy life. Harming that environment causes those sentient beings to suffer, and, ultimately, to die prematurely. Harming life energy itself, even on the level of microorganisms, can have deleterious effects on more complex organisms because of the interconnectedness of all life.
Furthermore, nature as wilderness provides an effective place for meditation, one where rapid progress can be made. In self-cultivation, harmony with nature involves the ability to find a place for practice where the natural energy is auspicious. Nature acts as a mirror for seeing the deep workings of our own body-minds. When we are alone in the wilderness, the distinctly human afflictions of others are absent, and so cannot reinforce our own afflictions. Imagine what would happen if we genetically engineered ourselves so that we could no longer resonate with the natural patterns of nature. These are not the kinds of concerns that can be laid to rest by any scientific data.
Biogenetic warfare is the most serious short-term threat of genetic engineering to human life. Because Buddhism is a fundamentally pacifist tradition, it should be gravely concerned with the use of genetic engineering in warfare as an efficient means for causing widespread suffering and death. International terrorists have already begun seriously considering the deployment of genetically engineered viruses. This use is almost impossible to regulate because the same equipment and technology that are used commercially can easily be transferred to military application. During the late 1980s, the former Soviet Union had 60,000 people working on biowarfare, including genetically engineered pathogens. In one of their more frightening projects, they attempted to combine smallpox virus with Ebola virus. No one knows for sure where most of the scientists have gone, or what they have taken with them.
Despite the benefits of genetic engineering trumpeted in the media—primarily to repair genetic flaws, cure disease, and increase food production—in the overwhelming number of cases, I believe the price is too high to pay. To insure megaprofits for multinational corporations well into the next century, we will have to mortgage the biosphere, seriously compromise life on the planet, and maybe even harm our potential for enlightenment. Genetic engineering poses serious risks to human health and to the environment. It raises serious ethical questions about the right of human beings to alter life on the planet, both sentient and non-sentient, for the benefit of a few.
What makes genetic engineering special is both its power and its irreversibility. Its ability to harm human, animal, and plant life is a quantum leap greater than most other technologies and does not leave room for mistakes. Results of flaws in this technology cannot be recalled and fixed, but become the negative heritage to countless future generations.
From a Buddhist perspective, the problems with genetic engineering are no different in principle from most other problems we face in our daily life. They are all the result of afflictions—desire, anger, ignorance, and so forth. What makes the situation with genetic engineering unique is the difference in the degree of damage it can do to life on the planet and the irreversibility of its effect on us and on the environment. There is probably not a single answer to the question of what Buddhists should do about these problems. Some may decide to work actively with the many groups trying to raise public awareness and stop the most blatant dangers. Others may prefer to work directly on the mind ground and try to generate the wisdom and compassion that transforms the minds of all sentient beings toward awakening. Yet others will undoubtedly put their heads in the sand and let the karma fall where it may.
http://online.sfsu.e...GEBuddhism.html
This post has been edited by Hannibal: 17 March 2005 - 10:06 PM