Not to harm any species.

It can be said without fear that Buddhism is the only religion that respects the right to life of all species. With human values, which are known as the foundation of the whole doctrine, Buddhism is a religion for man, directed to man, but not for man as the subject of life and subject to be Served by other animals. Since ancient times, compassion and wisdom have been the hallmark of the Buddha's teachings, and in this spirit, human beings and animals have the same right to life. 

Not killing and harming things is one of the important aspects, consistent throughout the entire system of classics. Writing about the principle of living the first virtue of the layman: no killing has been discussed so much from the past. However, learning about the benefits of not killing as a manifestation of respect for the right to life of all living things seems to have not been fully implemented. This article is a partial reminder of this aspect.

Not harming all species: nourishing the mind equality

Buddhism confirms equality in all sentient beings, that all have the potential to become Buddhas and the opportunity to nurture and make this potential development is for all, not just human beings. When we deliberately take the life of an organism, we take the opportunity to become a Buddha, the opportunity of enlightenment of beings. In human beings, human beings are not as elite as humans, and all other species are second-class citizens. In the teachings of the Buddha, human beings have no special privileged place than other living things. The world is not specially created for the interests and pleasures of humankind. With the greed and selfishness that mankind has in the world, it is reserved for human beings to use, enjoy, squeeze and exhaust to meet the everlasting needs and desires. human.

From the Buddhist point of view, an unenlightened being, including human beings like us, is transformed into an endless cycle of samsara. The process of life-death, melting, to-go, up-down in six lines is such a story, so when the body lost, karma rebirth will push those beings continue to roll in birth with other morphs. In that rotation, not only evolution but also degeneration, change the shape in the species. People can be interesting and interesting to be human.

Therefore, any living being may have, or will be, his or her relatives. The way up is only for the good and the upright, doing all good, leaving the evil in which the non-killing one of the works to create the ladder goes up to the realms. It's healthier, more peaceful and more happy. From the Buddhist point of view, the person who kills the living being the creator of the bad man does not correspond to the virtue of a true human being. Thus, the Buddha says that those who do things under the human threshold are the end of their evolutionary opportunity, the ones who dig their roots in this life ( Acts 246-247). ). On this basis, the Buddha said, whoever wishes to be peaceful in the future should not kill any living being:

Beings of peace,

Who used trượng people,

To find yourself,

The next life is not lost.

Beings of peace,

Do not use trượng people,

To find yourself,

The next life is lost.

(French  phrase 131-132 )

Equality, which is a great support for the practitioner on the path of Dharma practice and a necessary condition for peaceful coexistence and harmony with the people in the community. With the center of equality, we do not discriminate, not jealousy, no tension, so generally no conditions to distinguish love. With equality, one can keep peace of mind in mindfulness. Equality is the basis for establishing inner peace and the foundation for enlightenment. Thus, the ways in which we can practice a simple equality of mind such as not harming all species, why should we ignore it?

Do not harm all species: nourish the heart of compassion

The Buddha advocated not killing his life, so, the concept of "life" should be understood as how? Can include trees? Here, the Buddha specifies that the life of the sentient beings, the perceptual, the knowledgeable, the fearful, the knowing, the living, the living. With intelligent species, humans can experience on their own to think, contrast and easily feel the connection, relevance and solidarity between humans and animals. I myself live, afraid of death. Looking around the world around us, people are living life, afraid of death. Looking a bit deep, we see the animal is no exception. When a fish is taken out of its familiar habitat of water, it guesses the danger is shaking and it tries to wave the region as a protest to try to preserve its own lives. French phrase ,  sentence number 34.

Elephants, monkeys also know to approach and offer the Buddha. In the classic texts, it is said that, in the 10th year after the enlightenment, the Buddha once left the Sangha at Kosambi, alone going to the nearby forest of Pārileyyaka. Then there is the elephant Pārileyyaka as the Buddha thoughtful as a pure attendant, to the point of finding hot water bring offerings to Buddha bath, into the forest pick fruit on the Buddha. Along with the elephant Pārileyyaka, there is a monkey taking honey to offer Buddha. These events are recorded in the commentaries ( commentaries Dhammapada, the Buddhist scriptures themselves commentaries theory). So elephants and monkeys are different from humans! For this reason, the Buddha taught us to use our own life to infer, to experience the emotions and the psyche of animals that are not different from human beings, and then to treat in the spirit of equality and respect:

People are afraid of punishment,

People are afraid of dying.

Take yourself as an example

Not kill, not kill.

( Dhammapada  129 )

People are afraid of punishment,

Everybody survives;

Take yourself as an example,

Not kill, not kill.

(French phrase  130 )

Feeling the pain, struggling and waving the animal's area when approached by human-induced death, we can open our hearts to compassion and death. When our hearts become sensitive to the suffering of others, to the animals, the empathy, empathy is nurtured and grows dramatically. Through this sensitive psychology, in life, we easily understand and empathize for the situation of others with generosity, generosity. So, at first glance, it seems like no killing and sympathy, sharing with others is irrelevant, but in fact, they are closely related. When empathy, empathy is nurtured and practiced, loving-kindness, tolerance, empathy, generosity grows with everyone as a corollary. So,

Moreover, in doing  Pham hammock Bodhisattva  world  teaches that " All men are my father death, all woman, my mother. For many generations, we were born there. Therefore, all living beings in the genius are my parents. If you kill them to eat meat, the time is to kill our parents, but also kill our old body .

I kill a being to eat flesh, whatever the form, which means that we are eating the flesh of the body, eat meat belonging to themselves. Those who live by the butcher are killing the old relatives of the family, the gratitude of the husband, the hatred of endless, round the circle within the cycle of samsara forever. To meditate on this, people who have compassion for their compassion, compassion and compassion can not kill other beings in any situation. Compassion is one of the important material that grows on every path of Dharma practice. Those who want to go on this path of liberation, then open the heart of love by the most practical, simple in life with the non-killing of the animals living around us.

Not to harm every species: to modernize the needs of life

Each person's personality is unmatched, depending on the nature, education and environment of each person. Someone cries when the little fish dies, but many go far enough to enjoy the fishing fun and they are happy to bring back many fish bites. Someone saw the wounded bird being brought back to its warm place, taking care of the wound until it healed and returned it to the blue sky, but some hunters shot and captured birds as a hobby. There are people who take care of animals as relatives, treat them as members of the family, while many hunting, poaching, killing only to make dishes on the table. 

Mahatma Gandhi, the nonviolent Indian politician known to us as "Gandhi", once said, " The greatness of a nation and its moral progress are judged. Based on how they treat animals. " ( The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated). This is not just true at the national level, it is perfectly true at the individual level of every human being. The temperament and dignity of a human being is manifested in the manner in which he treats animals. These factors are not inherited or inherited but are largely formed and nourished over time depending on the perception and attitudes of each person.

Many people think that moderation is enough, need to modernize eating and the way we satisfy our needs of life. Actually, all the body's actions, gestures, speech are directed and directed by the mind. The representation of each individual in life is the "representation" of the mind through actions in human relationships and the way they respond to the environment. If we know how to think, connect with ourselves and ask ourselves, do we have the right to live, animals that have consciousness, fear and fear, must they also have the right to live? Should we be in the name of human beings - superior animals who have more intelligence and memory than other animals, to deprive them of their right to life? 

If we respect the right to life of the species, we do not kill them as food for ourselves, barbaric! We can not put on a warm fur coat, wear leather shoes or leather handbags to show the "class" and many other animals exchanged with their lives, very cruel! Murdering other beings' lives for their own sake is one of the things that the Buddha called not worth doing  (p . 292) . 

The momentum into eating is as dangerous and trivial as the passion for low lust. Only those who know how to control their desires, not to be slaves to the needs of dress in mediocrity, will know how to love the animals. The Buddha who encouraged people to kill life is the center of greed, hatred and ignorance ( Chapter III, Product VII, Business No. 65 ). The system of Buddhist precepts will support those who practice Dharma live in the safe area of ​​good life. Buddha taught:

No libel, sabotage,

Basic homeland maintenance,

Eat well,

Sitting in a quiet place

Special attention increased,

The teachings of the Buddha

(French phrase  185 )

People who control their needs will know that this life is common and that we must be responsible for protecting, building and not destroying. Culling animals is to break the ecological balance that should have been a human being with higher intelligence and understanding than animals, pioneering the protection of life, protecting the environment and preserving it. protect species living together.

Not harming all species: not supporting the body despite the cause and effect

The Buddha never said that we should serve this body, fill it with earthly material because He has experienced all these pleasures and He sees them as trivial, fallen, obstructive and does not bring Any benefit on the spiritual path. Even so, the Buddha did not advise us to destroy this body, nor to meet the essential needs of the body, to uselessly and unnecessarily. He stressed that this body is impermanent, hypocritical, so fragile, that we should care more about virtue than to nourish this temporal body. 

Therefore, kill the organism to feed this body, to enjoy satisfying passion, to long life, to be healthy and then to create the implications that a trade unworthy. In fact, there have been no studies showing that people eat meat from animals than people eat vegetables. On causal correlation, this is an unreasonable thing when the life of other beings to expect themselves to have health and longevity is the opposite of the rule. This body is not worth the price, including morality, cause and effect, to compensate for its temporary pleasure that brings long suffering.

In the Lord Buddha remind us, this body is beautiful, it is easy to see outside, but it is a temporary bag is a impure, always subject to the birth of old sick death. This body is like a bubble, the outside is pretty, but it is just the cover of many unclean things, wounds, sick inside, so it does not need to be too cushy, prefer, serve it that despite the sin, the cause and effect of evil, sin, hurt his good heart:

Take a look at the beautiful bubble,

The place containing the wound,

Illiterate many thoughts,

It's not what ever happened.

This malady is in decline,

Ổ sick, fragile,

Impure, broken,

Death ends life.

( French  phrase 147-148) 

This is made of bone,

Sweat of blood,

Here old and dead,

Chronic, containing substances.

( French phrase  150)

Once consciousness is necessary to sustain life, we do not seek, do not demand, do not necessarily kill other organisms to eat. The Buddha gave a very vivid picture that the couple brought a little food through the wilderness along with a cute child whom they wholeheartedly love. Over time, that little food becomes less and less clean, but the wilderness is still quite long ahead. All three are at risk of starvation. In order to deal with this dire situation, they sacrificed their child with their love, made of dry meat and marinated meat, to overcome the remaining wilderness. They have eaten the meat, both suffering and determined to overcome the wilderness. They eat meat not for fun, not for attachment, not for jewelry, not to fat well, but to have enough health to do things to do. Then the Buddha taught the Bhikkhus to eat food, even pure vegetarian food, in the same concept: to keep this body strong enough to maintain a happy life, the exception of craving for the fruit of liberation(Part  II, Chapter I, Product VII, Business No. 3:  Meat of the child).

We know that in this symbiotic life, one can not avoid completely harming the lives of other beings. For example, vegetables and fruits we eat are made from fish bone. Medicines that function as functional foods like Glucosamine are made from shark cartilage, Omega3 fish oil, some calcium-containing drugs made from shellfish. Drugs before being used for human consumption have been tested and tested on animals and many of these animals have died for medical research. 

Or more subtle, pure products of no animal origin such as vegetables produced by meat eaters, fish ... do we indirectly harm the lives of beings? This is to say that, to the absolute degree, initiation, initiation is to influence, harm the lives of beings. 

Getting up and down the bed was able to trample the little beings and take away their tiny lives is inevitable. Drink even filtered water and still have those microorganisms only. Therefore, what avoids, we try to avoid to minimize this harm. The best way we can nourish our mind is to actively avoid damaging our lives by killing other species for our own sake. The rich source of plant food, we can change the diet and still maintain that health. Why do not we choose to eat that high bar, showing the culture of eating and drinking compassion, equality and avoid causing future injustice?

Not to harm all species: great benefits, great merit

In the time of the Buddha, from the king of the people, anyone who has the capacity to organize the ritual performs this ritual so that he or she can receive many benefits, results and merits from doing so. The Kutadanta Sutra  , the fifth volume of the Sutra, recounts how the Buddha preached to Kutadanta Brahmin the great sacrifice of the great sacrifices, the result of which was the sacrifice of the living sacrifice They do not cut trees to make baskets, do not cut grass to serve the public, not scolding, threatening, shouting to prepare for the forum. Ba-la-subjects asked if there are any simpler that bring great benefits, large results, Buddha said there are medical refuge Tam Bao, lived under the direction of the year, generous, Distinct from the meditation stage.

When he understood the Buddha's teachings, Kutadanta braved free and life for the seven hundred bulls, seven hundred cows, seven hundred goats and seven hundred sheep. May they eat green grass and drink cool water, expect them to enjoy the cool wind, return to their natural life. In some other suttas, the Buddha also emphasized the elements of Dharma practice with the performers to gain great benefit. He said that in any cell without buffalos, no goats were killed, no pigs were killed, no other animals were killed, and those who attended were Those who have right view, right mind, right speech, right action, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration, great results bring great consequences, great reputation, wide promotion big "(Kinh  , No. 23 Business school; The corresponding volumes, Volume I, Chapter III, Product I, Business No. 9: Tongue; The fourth volume, chapter IV, product IV, the number 39, the number 40; chapter VII, product V,  verse 44: fire ). 

If a person who organizes the herd killed the animals, cut down the trees, and suffered the laborers to serve the Buddha, then the Buddha called him as the one who was suffering both himself and the suffering one. Two (  Kandaraka Business , Business Center 51, Business 60:  Business  Nothing redirect,  Increase Chapter, Chapter XX, Business No. 198).

He asserted that he was a monk, practicing the school world and live the behavior of the monks, necessarily abandon the killing, avoid the killing, the staff, the sword, shame, fear, have compassion, live mercifully to the happiness of all sentient beings and beings ( Kandaraka Sutra ,  Middle Sutra 51). The wisdom of an enlightened being, the Buddha advised his disciples that the truth is that killing causes the people to add aggressive temperament, see each other as animals, prefer to use violence to abuse The life expectancy is decreasing. When people become aware of the suffering by killing triggers, does not make people immoral but only create moral roots, life expectancy started to increase again  ( Beijing  cakkavatti lion amalgams,  School of Business No. 25) . 

The Buddha clearly stated his view that one who for the Buddha, or in the name of his disciples, killed the living creature, he possessed many virtues without the five causes: (1) being killed, (2) when walking, causing the animal to be frightened, suffering, (3) to kill the animal, (4) before being killed, the animal is afraid of suffering and (5) This sacrificial animal offers the Buddha and the Sangha (  Jivaka Sutra , Middle Sutra 55 ). This is re-affirmed in another sermon that " Self-made or made, slaughtered or made killers, burned or made burners, cause sorrow, or cause sorrow, Or cause the brainstormer, causing fear or cause fear ... is the work without merit. "(  Sandaka Sutra , Central Business No. 76).

Thus, it is not necessary to have religious ceremonies that are cumbersome, costly, and incitement to sacrifice for the sake of benefiting and creating merit. The Buddha affirmed that only those who take refuge in the Three Jewels, practice the Dharma in their lives, do all good things can bring great benefits, great virtue. 

Not harming all species: bring happiness, present and future happiness

One of us also accepts that when we kill another's life, we are bringing to them extreme suffering, terrible fear and insecurity that can not be greater. The greatest fear and insecurity in us is fear of death, fear of not keeping our lives, animals likewise. This was confirmed in the Buddha's Message  Dhammapada  129  presented above, that does not kill other organisms is a jobs bring meaning to his animals and for myself. This is the time when we give the animal a chance at life: the opportunity to prolong life. 

At the same time we also reward ourselves with the opportunity to nourish human morality. Do not think that there is no link between the killing of animals and human morality. When we kill an animal, we are sowing and watering the seeds of violence that are in our minds. Creating such a suitable environment, the violent seed, this killing is nurtured grows stronger. When confronted with situations, they arise and at the time, it does not need to distinguish the subject from being a person or thing, especially when hatred, jealousy, exasperation is ignited and blurred the eye of reason. Of course, grief is present. If we are the master and the mind, not killing our lives, we gain the present and the future. This is the content of the Buddha's teaching:

The sage does not harm anyone,

The body is usually controlled,

Achieving immortality,

Come here, no sorrow.

(French Law  225 )

Not only did the Buddha advise us not to kill, we will be happy and happy, but Pythagoras, the contemporary sage of the Buddha, said: " When people kill animals, they are killing. each other. One who sows death and suffers is not able to reap the joy and love "(For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. . Asoka, when changing from an evil man to a pure man in charge of the Dharma, then in the imperial kitchen, no animal was killed to feed the king as a model.

Taking the life of other souls to find happiness will never be accomplished because of the unhappy cause, not peace, do not have the fruit of happiness and peace? The person who kills the life of himself opens the path of darkness, misfortune, suffering, " looking for places to go " is, of course, according to the law of cause and effect. The Buddha affirmed, there is no such thing as a butcher, after slaughtering bulls, and then selling; karma so that he was riding on an elephant, horse riding, riding, or riding a chariot, is feeling entitled to the property, or to live among the major assets or property piled "( Increased spending sutras,  chapter VI, product II, business No. 18).

He once witnessed, he once traveled from Mount Gijjhakūta, saw a man, who described it as "a pile of flesh moving in the air." A band of vultures, crows, and eagles chases after him, chewing and biting, and he cried out in pain, and the sword struck him with pain. When the disciples wonder, the Buddha said that the butcher to kill cattle, kill goats, kill pigs ( Saṁyutta economic, Volume II, Chapter VII, the I, of No. 2, No. 4, No. 5:  Supplies killing cattle, killing goats, killing pigs ). The person who causes suffering to others, be it people or things, will never be happy and happy in the present as well as in the future.

The other beings that wish to benefit, causing suffering for people and things to satisfy the desire that want to peace and happiness is the illusion on the clouds, like sand cooking, but the desire to cook is not forever. Can!

The End: Do not harm all species - noble people

With the many benefits of not killing as presented, let us wisely choose for ourselves a way to behave with this life wisely and lovingly in order to live years behind in life, We leave the best marks, and at the same time have the noble pay to do the next step. Be the most noble of all creatures to be named "the supreme among the species." 

Many people think that they are nobler than other species, so it is not. Due to the characteristics of each species, there is a difference. Birds can fly but humans are not. Fish can breathe in water but humans can not. Dog ear hearing is more irresistible. The bat's eyesight is better than the human eye. The division of labor in humans is not necessarily better than the bees, this is a reality. Organization, sense of self-awareness, care, patience and persistence when people need to learn from small ants only. 

Therefore, other human beings are rational people to explain the problem and accordingly, direct their actions, and animals are not. Apart from this aspect, most people and animals, including thoughts, emotions, psychological attributes such as joy, fear, etc. are different in level (other than not worse ) in each specific respect. On this basis, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has reasonably claimed that " animal use must be linked to ethical responsibility to ensure that animal welfare reaches a high level most can be. "(International Code of Veterinary Medicine, 2006).

As humans, everyone wants to live, not want to die, and every animal, not just humans have this feeling. When the mosquito shot me, I softened it soared away to try to preserve my life. The animals that were killed before were waved in hopelessness to escape death. When we understand this, man has no more privilege than other animals in the universe. Therefore, respect for the life of all beings is a necessary justification emphasized by the Buddha in many of his sermons. 

To the Buddha, the noble person is not a descendent of the noble lineage in society, from the traditional view is the blood of seven pure parents, but the living of virtue, morality, mind calm, do not kill all sentient beings, do not send or encourage others to kill. Such people are called by these noble words as recluses, mendicant ( Dhammapada  v 142) or Brahmin:

Remove rod for beings,

The weak and the strong,

No killing, no harm,

That I call,

Chief of the Brahmin.

Cremation is a manifestation of cruelty, of cruelty and violence, and is the source of all conflicts and wars in society. Therefore, not killing is one of the criteria of noble people are compassionate and intellectual, respectful and praised. The noble one is to live together to build a harmonious society covered by light and unconditional love, respect and equality with all, not only human but also with all kinds. beings This is the principle of the Buddha's teachings and a dream for the ideal society that everyone would hope to establish in this world: suffering ends not only with human beings but with ten kinds of beings. END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.THE MIND OF ENLIGHTENMENT.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN LOTUS MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.29/6/2018.