The Eastern Perspective on AbortionBuddhism also recognizes the need of the aborting woman to come to terms with residual pain. Yvonne Rand, a Soto Zen priest trained at the San Francisco Zen Center, adapted the mizuko ritual to help American women who have lost children come to terms with their grief. Each woman sews a bib which she offers to the image of the Bodhisattva Jizo with prayers for the well-being of the child who has had an accidental death or died due to an induced or miscarriage. This ritual has proven to be a great way for women to deal with the psychological consequences of abortion. However, in both the United States and Japan, there is concern that the ritual could be interpreted as condoning abortion or as a kind of penance. In Japan, a fee schedule for these services has replaced the donation system, and abortion has become big business, with vast amounts of money changing hands. Unscrupulous businessmen have taken advantage of women by raising the specter of harmful influences from the vengeful spirits of the mizuko and charging for rituals to propitiate and exorcise these spirits. In the Tibetan tradition, unhealthy actions can be purified by applying the Four Opposing Powers: recognizing one's unhealthy action as a mistake, generating remorse, deciding not to repeat the action and doing some purification practice, such as meditation, prostrations or the repetition of mantras or prayers. Purification practices such as these serve as antidotes or methods to counteract the effects of unskillful actions. In addition to helping cleanse one's karma, these practices have the effect of preventing debilitating feelings of guilt and self-blame. Meditations on loving-kindness and compassion for oneself, for the aborted fetus, and for all sentient beings help replace feelings of sadness and depression. Buddhist thinking on reproductive ethics recognizes the complexity of the issues. Today, traditional Buddhist perspectives are being examined again in light of technological breakthroughs such as amniocentesis and non-surgical abortion techniques such as the RU486 pill developed in France. There are no absolute moral values ​​in Buddhism and it is recognized that ethical decision making involves a complex nexus of causes and conditions. “Buddhism” encompasses a broad spectrum of beliefs and practices, and the canonical scriptures leave room for a range of interpretations. All of these are grounded in a theory of intentionality, and individuals are encouraged to carefully analyze problems on their own.