Rinpoche made the following comment on why we should not kill mosquitoes.
You should not kill mosquitoes at all. Your body is so big and they are so tiny. If their body was big and yours was tiny, you came to bite them and drink some blood, because you are so hungry, and all you needed was a small amount of blood to eat and drink, but they killed you, how would you feel? It is exactly the same situation.
A Malaysian nun was living on the border between Singapore and Malaysia. She wrote to say that she was being bitten by many mosquitoes, and was having to kill them.
My dear Nena,
You should not kill mosquitoes at all. Your body is so big, and they are so tiny. What if their bodies were big and yours was tiny, and you came to bite them and drink a little of their blood, because you were hungry, and then they killed you? Even though all you need is a small amount of blood to eat and drink, instead they kill you. How does this look to you? This is exactly the same situation.
If you don’t purify yourself of these actions, you will have to suffer the result in future lives, and also in this life, especially because you are a nun. One of your vows is to abstain from killing. This is very basic. Even for lay people, it is a very basic practice, so it would be very, very sad if you killed, especially as a nun. Therefore, you need to perform these practices that I am sending you. (A list of practices was attached.)
You should do these practices gradually, to purify and to collect merit. You should also read the lam-rim, the gradual path to enlightenment, not only for your own happiness, but also for the peace and happiness of all sentient beings, especially the mosquitoes.
I am requesting you on behalf of all mosquitoes, please don’t kill. I will be the voice for all the mosquitoes.
With much love and prayer...
A student killed 50 small ants on her balcony, and regretted the act immediately afterward. She wrote to Rinpoche to confess what she had done, and to say she planned to take the eight Mahayana precepts* one day for each ant she had killed. Rinpoche wrote her back.
My very dear Marion,
Thank you very much for your kind letter. It is amazing what you want to offer back to those ants. It is incredible! The thought to take precepts for each ant would not have come into my head. I am sure all the ants will jump up and down and clap their hands and have a party for you when you finish, wishing for you to receive all happiness…ha ha ha. I put my hands together at my heart thanking you very, very much on behalf of all the ants.
In addition, read the Diamond Cutter Sutra four times, and then recite the long Namgyalma mantra 21 times, if possible, or else seven times, and dedicate the merit to the ants’ quick enlightenment. They might become your disciples and do everything you say.
Big love and prayers...
*See Lama Zopa Rinpoche's book Direct and Unmistaken Method for more information on the eight Mahayana precepts.
