Loving Kindness to the Unborn Child | Buddhist Talk at Dhammagiri by Ajahn Dhammasiha

The environment children grow up in at an early age has a huge impact on their psychological well being for their whole life. If they consistantly receive love, affection and care, they will develop healthy self esteem, and the ability to give love and affection to others.

This process starts already during pregnancy. In the video, Ajahn Dhammasiha encourages a young pregnant woman to be particularly diligent with her Dhamma practice, because everything she does is directly experienced by the unborn child as well. If she bows to the Buddha, the child bows as well. If she chants and does Buddha Puja, the child hears the chanting as well. If she develops loving kindness consistently, that wholesome emotion will be established in the child as 'default emotion' in his mind, it becomes 'normal' for the child to have that emotion of good will and friendliness in the background all the time.

The influence of the father is also very important. If he looks after and cares for the mother, and provides a very safe, protected and comfortable environment for her, she will feel really at ease, and so will the child.

As the topic of abortion has recently become a highly emotional and controversial topic again in all media, Ajahn Dhammasiha uses the opportunity to remind everyone that according to the Buddha, an unborn child (embryo/foetus) is a human being. It is not just a 'lump of cells', but it has consciousness connected to it, without which it could not develop. The Buddha is unambiguously in his teaching: The first precept, to abstain from intentionally killing living beings, does include to abstain from intentionally killing an unborn child through abortion.

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