[lakraboob]

Hi, I was wondering what Buddhists think about having children?

hi SuperFrog

Buddhism teaches the highest evolution is finding Nirvana, which the Buddha described as the highest experience of well-being

So in contemporary Buddhism, it is sometimes said the purpose of having children is for the evolution towards Nirvana (given the parents were not disposed towards seeking Nirvana)

It's a pretty big dilemma for me, I find the thought of not having children very sad, they can bring a lot of joy (to myself, selfish) and potentially develop into peaceful beings. It sounds like you are inclined towards family

We have members here who have families

Personally, I was never inclined towards family

My second concern with having children is the future is uncertain, wars, disasters etc. plus I really don't think we will ever be able to travel large distances across space, life on Earth has a time limit, should we really birth future generations just to face extinction? This is certainly a common concern. I spent an evening a few days ago with two mothers, who were worried about how their children will cope with the excessive sexual culture of today. But there are many concerns, such as the growing economic difficulties of the lower/middle classes, the growing wars, growing scarcity & pollution due to population growth, etc. But if children have Dhamma, they may avoid these dangers.

But then the reality is, regardless of whether I have children or not, everybody else will, so would it be better to have children so that there is hope they could have a positive impact on society? This is a very Christian notion and it also exists in some Buddhist schools.

Kind regards