Buddhist Views on Marriage
In Buddhism, marriage is regarded as entirely a personal, individual concern
and not as a religious duty.
Marriage is a social convention, an institution created by man for the well-being
and happiness of man, to differentiate human society from animal life and to
maintain order and harmony in the process of procreation. 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.
There are ample inferences in His sermons that it is wise and advisable to be
faithful to one wife and not to be sensual and to run after other women. The
Buddha realised that one of the main causes of man's downfall is his involvement
with other women (Parabhava Sutta). Man must realise the difficulties, the trials
and tribulations that he has to undergo just to maintain a wife and a family.
These would be magnified many times when faced with calamities. Knowing the
frailties of human nature, the Buddha did, in one of His precepts, advise His
followers of refrain from committing adultery or sexual misconduct.
The Buddhist views on marriage are very liberal: in Buddhism, marriage is regarded
entirely as personal and individual concern, and not as a religious duty. There
are no religious laws in Buddhism compelling a person to be married, to remain
as a bachelor or to lead a life of total chastity. It is not laid down anywhere
that Buddhists must produce children or regulate the number of children that
they produce. Buddhism allows each individual the freedom to decide for himself
all the issues pertaining to marriage. It might be asked why Buddhist monks
do not marry, since there are no laws for or against marriage. The reason is
obviously that to be of service to mankind, the monks have chosen a way of life
which includes celibacy. Those who renounce the worldly life keep away from
married life voluntarily to avoid various worldly commitments in order to maintain
peace of mind and to dedicate their lives solely to serve others in the attainment
of spiritual emancipation.