Even if you farm and kill animals, you can take refuge without taking any of the five lay vows. Because Buddha is compassionate, even if you are unable to stop doing major harm, such as killing, etc., you can abandon the smaller harms, for example, a second of anger. The purpose of this vow is to protect your and others’ minds from suffering and to being peace and happiness to yourself and others. Even if a person can’t keep the five lay vows, there are many other smaller harms the person can stop, such as harsh speech, etc.
Whatever forms of causing harm the person can stop doing protects everyone and is the root of happiness and peace, so the person doesn’t get the result of negative karma and has happiness in this and future lives. Buddha is so compassionate. The person can still take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. Even Tibetan soldiers used to take refuge and then go out and do their job. In our case, besides taking the tantric and bodhisattva vows, we still harm others every day here and there in daily life with anger, bad words, etc.
The best subject to teach people who still farm is karma. There are different ways of presenting it: the four aspects, the ten nonvirtues. Another way is from the point of view of helping others by protecting life. In the case of killing, emphasize the opposite—that saving the lives of animals causes you to have a longer life. Emphasize the benefits for yourself. Present karma by emphasizing what happens to you. Then, emphasize the opposite: saving lives of others, birds, etc. Elaborate on practicing charity for others: helping sick people, the dying, and homeless. The result is that you have a long and healthy life now and in the future.
Teach about reincarnation. Explain that how your future lives turn out depends on how much you create positive karma. Present the idea of how life isn’t just this one. If you don’t talk about reincarnation, they won’t be inspired to abandon negative karma and this won’t be an important issue for them. The thought to change doesn’t come. Just because you have a farmer’s life it doesn’t mean you have to kill. But there’s a fixed idea that other people have, that you have to kill if you’re a farmer. You have to feed animals, but you don’t have to kill them. You can control their numbers through breeding. If you sell them then other people will kill them, so it’s best to control their numbers. Also, being a farmer is your choice, you can change your lifestyle for the good and happiness of others. There is no rule saying you have to be a farmer, it’s your own free will.
In the case of people who can’t stop killing but still want to meditate, they can still develop compassion for others, for example practicing patience and the basic things that are the only ways to bring happiness, keeping the mind in virtue, visualizing Buddha, and purifying with Shakyamuni Buddha yoga meditation.
Gradually, they will become inspired to stop killing. Buddha presented so many different practices because sentient beings have different minds. So, they should still practice Dharma and meditate. There is always something they can do, other things they can practice. It is better to do something they can do, that is opposite to creating nonvirtue, so their life isn’t just negative karma and completely dark. They should especially do purification practices. If you purify, then there is less negative karma and suffering, so it makes a huge difference.
