Hi, given the circumstances I believe the karma will be
lighter.. but nevertheless the act of abortion still has certain
karma involved (a life is taken away and in the process the foetus
felt the pain).. furthermore the baby may or may not be a karmic
creditor/debtor... and so I would suggest you do what is suggested
(i.e repentance, etc) to clear some of the karma..
I would also suggest you talk to a wise venerable about what
happened and see what he advises you as I am myself lack of
wisdom.
But anyway here is an article by Lama Zopa Rinpoche:
http://www.lamayeshe.com/lamazopa/advicebook/nonharming/abortion.shtml
Abortion
Whether to Have an
Abortion
When a pregnant woman sought Rinpoches advice on having an
abortion, Rinpoche responded in the following way.
If you are considering abortion, it is better to plan for adoption
than abortion, unless the baby may be deformed or have terrible
suffering. Even so, there is no comparison between that suffering
and the suffering of a hell realm. It is better to be born in the
human realm, even for one day.
Having an abortion could shorten both your lives, as one of the
results of killing. The negative karmic effects of killing also
include many diseaseseven food could cause you disease.
It is also an unpleasant thing for the child. If the child were to
go to a better rebirth or to a pure land, there would be something
better than this life for the child. But we cant tell. So it is
better off here in the human realm than in a worse realm.
Purifying Abortion
Rinpoche gave the following
advice to a woman who wanted to perform purification practices
after having had an abortion.
My very dear Janine,
I am very sorry it took eons to reply to your letter. I have been
carrying it around with me to all the countries I have visited
since I saw you. You asked me what practices you should do to
purify having had an abortion.
My suggestion is that you perform:
1) 400,000 Dorje Khadro fire pujas;
2) Prostrations to the 35 Buddhas every morning, reciting the names
of the 35 Buddhas at least three times; that means you perform over
a hundred prostrations each day;
3) Read teachings on impermanence and death, such as Pabongka
Rinpoches Heart-Spoon;
4) Recite one or half a mala of Vajrasattva mantras each night
before bed.
These practices came out best in my divinations not just to purify
this lifes negative karma but generally to purify negative karma
from past lives as well. In one day, we commit so many of the ten
non-virtuous actions, many negative karmas are created repeatedly,
such as covetousness, gossiping, etc. Therefore, these practices
are not just to purify negative karma connected with the abortion.
We have created so much negative karma in just this life, not to
mention past lives. The negative karma we have created since
beginningless time is unimaginable. We have created the cause for
so much suffering and we have yet to experience it because we have
not purified it yet.
Any action performed with the motivation of attachment, seeking
pleasure in and clinging to this life (not only anger), creates
negative karma, except actions done in relation to holy objects
(statues, stupas, and scriptures of the Buddha). Actions performed
in relation to holy objects become virtuous because of the power of
the holy object, even if you do the action with the motivation of
seeking pleasure for this life.
Ones negative karma collected since beginningless rebirths is
inconceivable so many imprints have been left on the mental
continuum. We need to purify all of these in order to have less
obscurations and to have more opportunity for realizations on the
path. Therefore, purification is essential in daily life, as well
as collecting extensive merit, meditating on the stages of the path
(the lamrim), and onepointedly making requests to the guru, with
guru devotion, seeing the guru as the Buddha.
Among these, it is said that purification is very important, as
well as abstaining from committing the negative karmas again.
Therefore taking vows: lay vows, the eight Mahayana precepts, etc.,
helps very much. Also, the Bodhisattva vows and Tantric vows are
very powerful the Bodhisattva vows to achieve enlightenment and
the Tantric vows to achieve enlightenment quickly.
Therefore, the 400,000 Dorje Khadro fire pujas are not just to
purify the abortion but all the negative karmas I mentioned.
Again, many apologies that it took me so long to reply. I really
hope you will plan to do these practices. You can do some in the
form of retreat, combining with the lamrim, and you can do some a
little each day with your work. In this way, they get done.
There is nothing more precious in this life than sentient beings,
so that means benefiting sentient beings is the most important
thing, more important than anything. The best benefit you can offer
them is to free them from all sufferings and liberate them forever,
such as freeing them from the cycle of death and rebirth. How does
one liberate them from all the causes of suffering, delusion, and
karma, so they can achieve everlasting, ultimate happiness and
total liberation, bringing them to peerless, full enlightenment,
and completing all realizations? The only way is by Dharma, nothing
else can really benefit them except Dharma. The best way to free
sentient beings from sufferings and their causes and bring them to
enlightenment is by Dharma. To liberate others you have to liberate
yourself from all suffering and its causes: delusion and karma.
Therefore, Dharma is the most important thing, which brings your
own benefit as well as others.
Dharma is the most important thing in ones life. The best practice
is to meditate on the lamrim each day, to achieve realizations in
the lam rim, step by step. During your job, whatever you are doing,
eating, sleeping, etc., try to do it with the lamrim, especially
with bodhicitta: the thought of benefiting others. In this way, all
your actions, because they are performed with bodhicitta, become
pure Dharma, the cause of enlightenment, and the cause of happiness
for all sentient beings.
I hope this advice helps you see how urgent it is to practice
Dharma and why it is the most important thing in your life and for
others.
With much love and prayers...
