Buddhism and romantic relationships

Buddhism encourages nonattachment in romantic relationships.[1] In order to follow the path of enlightenment, Buddhism teaches people to discard all things in life that can cause pain, so one must detach from the idea of a perfect person and instead accept a partner unconditionally.[2] According to Buddhism, unconditional acceptance is how one achieves personal fulfillment in a romantic relationship.

Marriage
Main article: Buddhist view of marriage

Marriage is not a religious obligation in Buddhism. Buddhism allows for each person to make the decision of whether or not they want to be married, how many children they want to have, and who they want to marry.

According to Buddhist texts, the Buddha believed that the biggest hurdle in marriage is spousal weakness for other partners. He advised against polyamory.

Divorce

Buddhism does not prohibit divorce. The philosophy prefers that a couple separate rather than live together and be prevent one another from achieving personal fulfillment and enlightenment.

Buddhism states that to avoid divorce, older men should not have younger wives and older women should not have younger husbands. This originates from a belief that the age difference would make the couple incompatible and lead to divorce.[3]

See also

References
  1. 'Valentine, Matt. "The Beginners Guide to Letting Go and Becoming Enlightened Through Non-Attachment." www.buddhaimonia.com. 02 Mar. 2015. Web. 16 Apr. 2016. .'
  2. "Piver, Susan. "Buddhism and Relationships." Www.pbs.org. 01 Mar. 2010. Retrieved on 16 Apr. 2016. ."
  3. "Dhammananda, K. Sri. "Buddhist Views on Marriage." Www.budsas.org. Buddhist Study and Practice Group, , 11 Mar. 2001. Retrieved on 16 April 2016.
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