How does Buddhism view smoking?

In modern society, there is a beautifully decorated item that is directly or indirectly connected to each of us. Whether in government agencies, schools, hospitals, hotels, cinemas, houses, or at stations and docks, in streets and alleys, in fields and even in public toilets, you can see its white figure, flashing with light, popping out. Threads of green smoke, containing nearly a thousand harmful substances, rush towards your face and penetrate into your heart and lungs, often making it impossible to avoid and resist. Regardless of whether it is actively absorbed or passively inhaled, it is susceptible to more than ten fatal diseases such as lung cancer and throat cancer. Some scholars even call it the "white plague." It is a consumer product that can be seen everywhere in shops, bars and stalls - cigarettes.

With the reform and opening up and the development of tourism, along with the waves of pilgrims and tourists, smokers are also going to famous Buddhist mountains and ancient temples in large numbers. A very small number of young monks are also infected with this habit, thus giving the pure Buddha The management and safety of the land have brought hidden concerns. The Buddhist community can no longer and should not ignore this! So how should Buddhism view smoking? I will briefly discuss this issue, and please correct me if it is inappropriate.

There are many precepts in Buddhism, and the clothing, food, housing, and transportation of monks are all stipulated in detail. So are there any precepts about smoking and drug use? No. Because Sakyamuni Buddha formulated the precepts based on the unconventional and untimely phenomena that occurred in the process of establishing the Sangha and propagating the teachings at that time, in the spirit of maintaining the image of the Sangha, maintaining unity, conducive to practice, and convenient education. formulated. Since tobacco was introduced to India more than 2,000 years after the Nirvana of Sakyamuni Buddha, there is no provision on smoking cessation in the Natural Law. But this does not mean that Buddhism can tolerate smoking. On the contrary, according to the Buddhist spirit of restraint and the requirements for spiritual practice, Buddhism is firmly against smoking. The following is an analysis of this issue from eight aspects.

1. One of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism is to extinguish greed, anger and ignorance through practice. Being addicted to smoking is greed, smoking makes the nerves easily irritable, which is anger, and doing it knowingly that it is harmful and useless is ignorance. Smoking promotes anger and delusion, which is obviously contrary to Buddhism.

2. Buddhist meditation emphasizes gentle breathing, pure Qi and a clear mind, so it emphasizes abstaining from alcohol, five pungents, etc. Smoking damages the trachea, infects the internal organs, causes nicotine dependence, and hinders meditation, so it must be quit.

3. In order to be able to practice diligently, Buddhism attaches great importance to the maintenance of the four elements, which is called using the false to cultivate the true. Smoking seriously harms people's health and shortens their life span, which is obviously a major obstacle.

4. Buddhism pays attention to rituals in order to promote its spread, and there are even three thousand majestic rituals and eighty thousand meticulous behaviors. Smoking hurts the eyes, disfigures the appearance, and gives people a sense of obscurity, which is incompatible with the requirements of monks as role models for humans and gods.

5. The temple has a quiet environment, solemn and sacred halls, painted beams and carved buildings, and a rich collection of cultural relics. Smoking pollutes the environment, is a nuisance to others, and can easily lead to fire hazards. It is incompatible with the environmental requirements of Buddhism.

6. Buddhism advocates frugality. However, cigarettes are a luxury item, which wastes money and only increases the burden on donors, which is obviously not suitable for monks.

7. Cigarettes are actually a consumer product for ordinary people when they are bored. It is easy to get used to it but difficult to quit. It is easy to be ridiculed as weak-willed. Practitioners, however, have a firm will when dealing with life and death, and should refuse to associate with smoke and become its captives.

8. The Buddha's precepts emphasize avoiding the world's ridicule. Nowadays, most people know that smoking is a bad habit. How can people who believe in religion and practice be willing to risk the disapproval of the world?

Through the analysis of the above eight aspects, it can be seen that Buddhism has "smoking cessation", but it has not been written down. I think Buddhists should stay away from opium, morphine, heroin and even tobacco that can be as narcotic or poisonous as alcohol, and should not be grown, processed or sold. In fact, the vast majority of Buddhists do not smoke, as they seem to have natural immunity, and of course no one takes drugs. What is particularly gratifying is that many smokers have given up their habit of smoking for many years after converting to Buddhism or becoming a monk. This makes people marvel at the incredible power of Buddhism. In fact, among the many factors that influence smoking and quitting smoking, personal factors are the most important. It can be seen that religion, especially Buddhism, should and can play an irreplaceable role in the smoking cessation campaign.

However, due to historical reasons, there is a lack of discussion on smoking cessation in the Buddhist scriptures. Some elders and virtuous masters also failed to advocate smoking cessation confidently in the process of preaching and preaching, which somewhat limited the full play of its role. A very small number of monks who are addicted to the habit of smoking, especially those who go to the monastery, excuse their hobby because there is no clear text on the rules, which to a certain extent damages the image of monks and even Buddhism. This is an issue that should attract the attention of colleagues in the Buddhist community. Since the reform and opening up, temples in various places have basically banned smoking in their own rules and regulations.

The "General Rules of Residence in Chinese Buddhist Temples across the Country" passed by the Sixth National Congress of the Buddhist Association of China also clearly lists the prohibition of smoking, indicating that Buddhism has "smoking cessation". I believe it can be implemented effectively. The purpose of this article is to inspire others, hoping that while strengthening their own construction, the Buddhist community can also play an active role in the society's smoking cessation campaign.