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Animals have feelings. They have the
same mind as we have, and also want happiness, like we do.
For example, if you suddenly touch them, they are immediately
frightened. They get frightened if somebody beats or hits
them with a stick. We also get frightened. If somebody throws
cold water on our body, suddenly we feel a shock. It is the
same for animals. They have the same mind, and it is very
important what happens to them.
Even if they can’t speak, can’t express themselves,
animals can show their fear through their body. For example,
they try to run away. Human beings can talk and complain.
They can bring court cases. Human beings can report things
to the police. Human beings can do so much, but animals can’t.
They can do nothing. They can’t express their suffering.
Human beings can talk about their fears. Whether other people
accept your suffering or not, at least you can explain it
and the other person can hear. Animals can’t, but you
can see how they feel from their movements. If someone tries
to attacks them, they run away. They are afraid, which means
they want happiness and not suffering. This is a very important
point, that they have the same mind as us. If you kill them,
then you create the negative karma to be like them. For one
hundred thousand lifetimes, you will have the karma to be
born as an animal. For many thousands of lifetimes, you will
suffer the consequences.
It is said in the teachings that if you kill one animal,
because of that karma, you will be killed five hundred times
by others. You will suffer in very hot hell realm for one
thousand eons. It is also good to ask yourself how it would
be if somebody killed you with a knife. How would you feel
in that situation?
For example, if you put your finger in hot water, can you
bear that? You can’t bear it. It’s the same when
you kill animals. There is no good result from it. There is
no question about that.
No Hunting, Please
Rinpoche suggested the following be printed,
along with “No Hunting” signs at several of the
more remote FPMT Buddhist centers.
“Please don’t hunt the animals. They also want
happiness, and do not want suffering. Just like you, they
do not want to be hunted.”
Karma of Killing
Rinpoche gave the following advice to a student
who had a pet snake, to whom he fed live mice.
My very dear Martin,
I have something to talk to you about heart to heart, dealing
with the suffering of animals. I heard that you have a pet
snake, and that you have to feed the snake with mice. As you
love the snake, of course you also have to love the mouse.
The mouse is also looking for happiness and doesn't want to
suffer. The mouse needs love from you, and wants help from
you.
Also, it is mentioned in the teachings of the Buddha about
the karma of killing. If you kill one sentient being, then
for 500 lifetimes you will be killed by others. This is the
result of one negative karma of killing. This is also explained
by the fact that karma is expandable. If you plant one Bodhi
tree seed the size of the tip of your finger, then from that
comes many thousands of branches. All of that comes from one
seed. Huge trees all grow from small seeds. So, you can get
extremely large results from one small cause. In terms of
our inner evolution, the effect is much greater. Not only
does one suffer for many lifetimes, but the negative karma
of killing obscures the mind. It becomes an obstacle to developing
loving-kindness and compassion for living beings, to developing
the altruistic mind to attain enlightenment in order to liberate
sentient beings, and to achieving liberation by removing the
gross and subtle obscurations and therefore to achieving enlightenment.
Therefore, we can’t do perfect work for sentient beings
by freeing them from suffering and bringing them to enlightenment.
All of this comes from negativity such as killing. Because
the motivation is non-virtuous, then the action becomes non-virtuous,
negative karma. This obscures the mind, and then it is difficult
to see the reality, the ultimate nature of the “I,”
and the nature of one’s own mind. One is unable to realize
this. Without the wisdom realizing that nature, there is no
other realization that can illuminate the root of the sufferings
of samsara, and the root of delusion and karma, that ignorance
not knowing the nature of the self and mind. Without that
wisdom, you can’t cut the root of samsaric suffering,
the cause and there is no way to liberate yourself from delusion
and karma—no end to samsara. You have to suffer endlessly.
Then, you can’t liberate others from samsaric suffering
and its cause.
So, if you have to take care of the snake, and the snake
doesn’t eat vegetarian food, you have to engage in killing.
That is discriminating. You give love to the snake but not
to the mouse. They all want happiness and do not want to suffer,
and they all want you to give them love. If you let the snake
go, it will kill other animals. The solution, either way,
is problematic.
The solution is to develop your mind on the path as quickly
as possible, to liberate yourself from karma and delusion,
enter the Mahayana path, and eliminate the subtle defilements
so you have omniscient mind and are able to read all sentient
beings’ minds. You are able to see their karma, wishes,
characteristics, level of intelligence, and are able to see
directly all the methods to help them. You have perfect power,
and compassion for all living beings without discrimination.
You can do perfect work for all sentient beings. You can liberate
them by having all the means, especially bringing them from
happiness to happiness, up to full enlightenment. You don’t
have to reincarnate again and again in samsara and experience
so much suffering of hunger, thirst, hot, and cold. Meditate
on the fact that all happiness depends on so many sentient
beings. For example, when a house is built, many worms and
ants have to be killed. Many hardships are experienced by
those beings. Again, for food and clothing, many beings have
to be killed. For one plate of rice, so many beings have to
be killed. It is the same with our clothes made of silk or
animal skins. Many beings have to suffer for our comfort and
survival. If you liberate yourself and don’t have to
reincarnate, then there is so much relief for sentient beings,
so many sentient beings don’t have to suffer. You are
liberated from samsara, and you are freeing other beings from
having to suffer. By revealing methods, especially by revealing
Dharma, you can liberate many beings and bring them to enlightenment.
The conclusion is that we can do practices now to liberate
these animals from the realms of suffering. It is the same
for hell beings and hungry ghosts. This is the solution, so
that they don’t have to suffer for a long time through
killing each other. We should focus on this method to liberate
these beings as much as possible, so they don’t have
to suffer. This is only through practicing Dharma. This is
my advice to you.
Probably the best thing is to let the animals go and pray
for their higher rebirth. You can do meditation practice to
purify negative karma and pray for higher rebirths. You can
chant the five powerful mantras and dedicate them to their
higher rebirth and to meeting the Dharma. This is one small
example of how you can benefit them.
Practice not harming others, and benefiting them as much
as one can. You can reveal the wisdom of Dharma and educate
other people in this way. This brings peace and happiness
to oneself and others. You and others don’t have to
be born in the lower realms. Even if they aren’t liberated
from suffering and its causes and don’t get enlightened
in this lifetime, they can still achieve all the causes enlightenment
in the future.
So, please practice compassion for others. From that comes
not harming others, and the thought to benefit others. Since
you are a good-hearted, good-natured person, this is my humble
advice to you.
It is good to know more how to benefit others, how to fully
liberate them, how to achieve a good rebirth in your next
life, liberation from samsara, and also full enlightenment.
You can recite prayers and mantras so that animals can hear
them. It would be good, according to my observations, to recite
the mantra of Maitreya
Buddha. The benefits of reciting this mantra are:
1. You are never born in the lower realms.
2. You will have continuous material and mental prosperity.
3. You will be born as a wheel turning king in future
lives for thousands of eons (according to the life of a
deva, which is much longer than a human life). A wheel turning
king has the most power and wealth in one universe. He is
unique in that universe, the only one.
4. You will abide in the 10 virtuous actions.
5. Even if you are not enlightened during Buddha Shakyamuni’s
time, you will be born as one of the first disciples at
the time of Maitreya Buddha. You will receive a prediction
of your enlightenment from Maitreya Buddha. Sooner or later
you will achieve enlightenment.
Reciting this mantra would be most beneficial for all beings,
not just your snake.
Another mantra to recite is the Stainless Pinnacle mantra.
It is extremely powerful and also a great healing mantra.
If a fully ordained monk broke his root vows and was destined
to go to the lower realms, this mantra would release him from
the lower realms.
Buddha Shakymuni told Ananda that anyone who hears the Medicine
Buddha mantra would not be born in the lower realms. Reciting
it every day frees you from all suffering and brings every
benefit, including success in this life, up to enlightenment.
The essence of the Buddha’s 84,000 teachings are the
teachings of the Prajñaparamita—this is the heart
of the Buddha’s teachings. There are many volumes in
the Prajñaparamita, the elaborate version which has
12 volumes, the middle version which has 3 volumes, and the
short version which has 80,000 stanzas. The very heart of
it is called the Heart
of the Wisdom. This is the teaching that Buddha cherishes
the most because it is the method to release sentient beings
from the suffering of samsara, and its root: ignorance. When
you have time it is good to recite the whole prayer. If not,
then just recite the mantra.
Also, to help guide you on the foundation of the path to
liberation and enlightenment, it is good to read any of the
short lamrim prayers, to plant the seed of the whole path.
Another way to benefit animals is to take them around holy
objects, such as statues, stupas, and scriptures, especially
those containing relics and mantras. Take your snake around
these holy objects as much as you can. Make prayers to achieve
bodhicitta for the snake and all sentient beings. Make a prayer
to realize emptiness.
“In all my lives, may I never be separated from the
victorious one, Lama Tsongkhapa, acting in person as the
Mahayana guru,
May I, my family, friends, and all other sentient beings
never turn aside, even for an instant,
From the excellent path praised by the victorious ones.”
Pray that the snakes and all beings, when they die, are immediately
born in a Pure Land or obtain a precious human rebirth, meet
a perfectly qualified Mahayana guru, practice the path, and
obtain all realizations. It is good to do this for anyone
for whom you want to pray. Then it is excellent to dedicate
in the following way:
“Due to the merits of the three times created by
me, buddhas, bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings,
wherever I am—whatever universe, world, country, area,
or place, just by my being there in that universe, world,
country, area, or place, may those beings purify their negative
karma and never be born in the evil realms. May this cause
them to have faith in refuge and karma, and to generate
loving kindness, compassion, and bodhicitta immediately
in their hearts, and immediately heal all their sickness
and free them from spirit harm. May it cause great bliss
in the hearts of those affected by depression, and people
suffering from relationship problems. May it fill up their
hearts with incredible joy, and all peace and happiness.
And may it cause them to have a most meaningful life by
actualizing the path. May suffering be pacified, and those
needing money find wealth. May they realize that the purpose
of their lives is to actualize the path to enlightenment.
May those looking for a guru find a most qualified guru
and those wanting teachings receive perfect teachings and
achieve realizations. May those wishing to do retreat find
a place to meditate and achieve all realizations. May they
never experience war, disease, torture, poverty, the dangers
of fire, water, earthquakes, and all natural disasters.
May I become wish-fulfilling for all sentient beings.
May nothing become negative karma, and everything become
Dharma. May all beings achieve enlightenment quickly, by
actualizing the path.
Due to the merits of the three times created by me, buddhas,
bodhisattvas, and all other sentient beings, which exist,
but do not exist from their own side, may I, who exists,
but does not exist from my own side, achieve Guru Shakymuni
Buddha’s enlightenment, which exists, but does not
exist from its own side, and lead all sentient beings, who
exist, but do not exist from their own side, to enlightenment
by myself alone.
Just as the brave Manjushri and Samantabhadra too,
Realized things as they are,
I, too, dedicate all these merits in the best way,
That I may follow their perfect example.
May the teachings spread in all directions and flourish
in this world, in my mind and in the minds of all sentient
beings.”
By circumambulating animals around holy objects and reciting
mantras to them, we help them achieve good rebirths, meet
the teachings, achieve liberation and then enlightenment.
They can purify every trace of negativity, the seeds and their
imprints. They are able to complete all the realizations of
love, wisdom, and power, and so do perfect work for others.
You should recite prayers and mantras verbally, aloud, so
that they leave positive imprints on their minds, to help
them achieve enlightenment—that which is the cessation
of all stains of the mind, gross and subtle, and completes
all the realizations—the fully perfected state of mind,
peerless happiness.
It would be much better to buy meat from a shop for your
snake. You could try to disguise it is a mouse, and although
the snake still has some karma of killing, it would not be
complete. Also, if you give a toy mouse to your snake, he
might learn that mice are no longer edible, and maybe he will
not want to eat them any more.
I hope you don’t collapse or faint, overwhelmed with
all this advice.
With much love and prayer...
On Eating Meat
A nun asked Rinpoche whether she should stop
eating meat, and become a vegetarian.
I’ve been meaning to mention to you that it’s
best to avoid eating meat. Of course, sometimes people have
no choice and have to eat meat. But, in your case, it’s
best to avoid eating meat out of compassion. Before eating
the meat, think of where it came from, through cutting an
animal’s neck, against its will, and how much suffering
the animal experienced. After thinking about that, you can’t
eat the meat! Meat may be nice for the person eating
it, but not for the animal who suffered so much and didn’t
die naturally.
You can say prayers for the animal that was killed, but
if you eat the meat you are still playing a small part in
the death of the animal. If everyone stopped eating meat then
no more animals would be killed for that purpose.
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