Indian Marriage: A Buddhist Perspective

In Buddhism, a follower or believer of the religion is not forced to remain celibate or unmarried. Of course, Buddhist monks do not marry as they practice celibacy. The reason is not only to serve mankind but also that there are no such Buddhist laws that require them to get married.

Indian Marriage: Beliefs Associated with Buddhist Marriage

Unlike many religious heads, the Buddha did not set any specific rules and regulations for marriage. However, he did offer advice to followers on how to lead a happy life together.  In Buddhism, fidelity constitutes the most important principle in marriage. The Buddha's teachings emphasized on the following:

• Love one's spouse and children
• Be generous.
• Develop a sense of duty.
• Be there to support parents.
• Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and listening to the Dharma (teachings).
• Help relatives and act blamelessly.

Indian Marriage: Rights of Bride and Groom in a Buddhist Marriage

If a couple in India follows Buddhism, they have complete freedom to go ahead and take a decision about their marriage.  

Indian marriage laws also recognize their right to follow the religion of their choice.

Practical options they can consider are:

• A couple can opt for a registered marriage at court. 
• They can also tie nuptial knot at any of the Buddhist temples licensed to perform this ceremony. There are no compulsory Buddhist ceremonies that a couple has to go through to prove their marriage.
• A Buddhist male or female can marry a non-Buddhist as Buddhists accept other religions in one household. There are no laws binding a Buddhist to marry in Buddhism.
• Moreover, there is no need to convert to Buddhism to marry a Buddhist.

Although, Indian marriages under Buddhism are governed by the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955, personal laws take precedence. There are no laws restricting a Buddhist to marry in the same caste or forcing a Buddhist to marry. Interestingly, unlike other religious texts, Buddhism does not insist on procreation to sustain the marriage. None of the Buddhist holy books require that a couple must have children or even regulate the number of children they want to have.