Questions: When a doctor prescribe antibiotics and drugs to help
patients to get rid of harmful bacteria , does he create bad
Kamma?
Venerable Dhammasami, London, UK
Answer: Bacteria in human's body may not be considered a life in
Buddhism. Life, in Buddhism, has three factors: karma (kamma),
consciousness and physical body. The physical body is maintained by
four forces: Karma, consciousness, food and inorganic environment.
As a result the physical body is categorised into four according
the forces that support and maintain it.
A physical body like bacteria, that is supported and maintained
only by food and an inorganic environment, may not be considered a
life because it is not a produce of Karma and Citta
(consciousness).
So, there should not be anything wrong with a doctor prescribing
antibiotics to a patient. Nevertheless, I still want to confirm my
view with scientific finding as to what bacteria is. Another point
to keep in mind is intention. If a doctor has the will to save his
patient rather than to kill other being ( if you consider it to be
so) like bacteria.
There are bacteria that die when we eat vegetables. There is no
innocent food even if you are a perfect vegetarian. The thing is
that you do not intend to kill but you eat mainly for your
survival. A surgeon performing an operation with the intention to
save life does not accrue demerit when the operation goes wrong and
the patient lost his life.
http://www.triplegem.plus.com/q&a0.htm
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