Buddhist attitude towards animal life

[lotus1]

Just like human, animal is also from one of the six realms of Samsara. We are no different from animal as we are all not enlightened yet and still in the sea of sufferings. The only different we from animal is that as human, one can have the precious human body, and may have the 18 opportune conditions to learn and practice Dharma. Therefore, it does not give us any special privilege that we can hurt or harm them as we ourselves will be reborn again and most probably in the three lower realms – where animals are coming from.
Instead, like dsiluvu mentioned, in lamrim, it is said that all sentients beings (including animals) are our mother of past lives. Do we want to harm our mother? Therefore, it is best we treat them equally and show them compassion and love by not eating them, not using them for product testing or laboratory, abuse them, etc.

[Q]

IF WE believe that animals were created by someone for men,it would follow that men were also created for animals since some animals do not eat human flesh.Animals are said to be conscious only of the present.They live with no concern for the past or future.Buddha was very clear in his teachings against any form of cruelty to any living being.Man's cruelty towards animals is another expression of his uncontrolled  greed.
Since every creature contributes something for the maintanence of the planet and atmosphere,destroying them is not a solution to overcome our disturbances.We should take other measures to maintain the balance of nature.Our environment is threatened and if we do not take stern measures for the survival of other creatures.our own existence on this earth  may not be guaranteed.

Mankind has always been exploiting things and even living beings as long as they can dominate it... Some people even exploit out people for their own benefit. Lets not even look as far back as during the times when slavery is still prominent, just look in your own office and you'll see it. So, what's so strange about people exploiting animals when they can even do it with humans... And who's to blame if it's not our non-existent, fake, false interpretation self called greed.

Not always animals are being ill treated for so called 'food'... but people even kill them for fashion, and worst, some for fun... why can't these people go karaoke for fun or something?

How is it that some people just fail to see that animals have feelings too? That every time they kill one, it is like stabbing themselves with a knife that bleeds them off their positive karma? I just hope that people will start to realize that mistreating animals or living beings is just plain wrong before they destroy our planet...

[Dorje Pakmo]

Here is an interesting view I gathered from someone who happens to think otherwise based on a simple billboard I put up for discussion on choices we make about who we eat. What do you guys this of his comments?

The meat available in the marketplace is an inanimate object, not a living thing and, therefore, cannot be an object of compassion.

What many people fail to see is that it is nothing beyond that. It is simply a personal choice one makes as to ones diet. It has no moral, ethical, virtuous, or spiritual implications. The Buddha himself explained this quite clearly even establishing for Ordained Sangha rules specifying the conditions under which monastics should obtain their meat. They may not have been a participant in, or witness to, the slaughter, and may not suspect that the butcher slaughtered that particular animal exclusively for consumption by monastics. Beyond these restrictions {which only apply to monastics} there are no moral or ethical problems related to the consumption of meat. This is the teaching of the Buddha !
With respect to the notion of being vegetarian on the basis of it being an act of compassion, my Lama taught thusly: Once an animal has been slaughtered, from the actual moment of it's death, it is no longer a living being. Its "being" has ceased and the remaining physical body IS an inanimate object {i.e. not a living thing}. An inanimate object cannot be an object of compassion. To think differently is to misunderstand the teaching of the Buddha.

This is an often misunderstood topic {the relationship bet. Buddhism and Vegetarianism} and that misunderstanding has been exacerbated both by later period Mahayana scholars and a general public ignorance of Buddhist ideas. And it was to others who might be reading our comments that my remarks were directed. The message and intent of the billboard is quite obvious and the parallel that it is trying to draw {that if you eat meat, you love some animals and not others} is not only completely wrong {even from a Buddhist perspective} it is divisive speech intended to marginalize and condemn those who do not agree with vegetarian ideas.

There is a widespread misconception that Buddhism and a vegetarian diet have some unique relationship. Some Buddhists are vegetarians, though the vast majority of them are not. Other than that, there is no unique relationship between the two. In the first millennium after the parinirvana of Shakyamuni and at least once in the 20th century, there were attempts by some Mahayana scholars to push a vegetarian agenda. Devadatta {Shakyamuni's cousin} tried to do this during Buddha's lifetime, even trying to wrest control of the Holy Sangha from the Buddha. The Buddha rejected this and it cost Devadatta his relationship with both the Buddha and the Sangha. My Lama said that there were often attempts by later Mahayana scholars to create an new "clarification" of the Buddha's teachings on certain topics and creating the impression that eating meat is not in harmony with the Bodhisattva Idea was one of these. He further stated that when later writings, esp. among the Mahayana scholars, are in direct conflict with or contradict the teaching of Shakyamuni, the work of the scholars is to be understood to be incorrect and disregarded.

Yes! Ofcourse, it is a personal choice one makes as to one’s diets whether to eat meat or not. However, in my point of view, it does contribute towards moral, ethical, virtuous, and spiritual developments, if not implications. That is if, you are a Buddhist.

 “The Buddha himself explained this quite clearly even establishing for Ordained Sangha rules specifying the conditions under which monastics should obtain their meat. They may not have been a participant in, or witness to, the slaughter, and may not suspect that the butcher slaughtered that particular animal exclusively for consumption by monastics. Beyond these restrictions {which only apply to monastics} there are no moral or ethical problems related to the consumption of meat. This is the teaching of the Buddha !”
What the Buddha meant, if I read correctly from the above quote, is that, the Sanghas when going out for their alms round, should abide to the above RULES and REGULATIONS.

The Buddha said, “the Sanghas may not suspect that the butcher slaughtered that particular animal exclusively for consumption by monastics.”  Simply meaning, do not doubt the kind gestures of the alms giver whether or not they’ve purposely slaughtered a particular animal for the Sangha’s consumption because, when going out for alms round begging for food, the Sanghas must be thankful and accept anything given by the alms giver (due to their kindness in giving).

Why DO NOT SUSPECT that the butcher slaughtered that particular animal exclusively for consumption by monastics?
Simply because the Sanghas do not consume meat as their daily diet if given a choice!

Why do you think Buddha said the Sangha may not have been a participant in, or witness to, the slaughter?
The first Buddhist vow is, THAT ONE SHOULD NOT KILL.

And beyond these restrictions (which only apply to monastics), why only monastics?
Because all the Sanghas have taken their monk’s vow and hence should abide to their vow and refrain from the act and contributing to the act of killing. There should be no moral or ethical problems related to consumption of meat, IF AND WHEN ALL THE ABOVE RULES ARE CLEAR!

“Once an animal has been slaughtered, from the actual moment of its death, it is no longer a living being. Its "being" has ceased and the remaining physical body IS an inanimate object {i.e. not a living thing}. An inanimate object cannot be an object of compassion.”
A piece of meat is not a living being, IT WAS. The compassion should have started way before the slaughtering, and the act of consuming meat, is a form of support the killing.
SIMPLE, LESSER DEMAND, LESSER KILLING. Compassion by just not consuming meat.

The Buddha’s teaching has been consistent throughout. Some places in the world where the Sanghas consume meat, it is because the condition of that land is not suitable for farming. Hence they resort to consuming meat to, SURVIVE. 
The TOPIC is often misunderstood. By who? The people practising COMPASSION or the people who chose to switch OFF their COMPASSION?

“The message and intent of the billboard is quite obvious and the parallel that it is trying to draw {that if you eat meat, you love some animals and not others} is not only completely wrong {even from a Buddhist perspective} it is divisive speech intended to marginalize and condemn those who do not agree with vegetarian ideas."
It is one’s wrong view to see the billboard as being divisive and as intend to marginalize and condemn non vegetarians. It is just to create awareness to the public to develop understanding that all animals can feel love and pain because like us, they have a mind. That IS to promote the very teaching of Buddha to have kindness and loving compassion, for all sentient beings.

(Please do not confuse the words of Buddha for making oneself feel better consuming meat.)

A Buddhist View of Animal Slaughter and Meat Eating

“There is a causal relationship between the cruelty, torture, and death of human beings and the ongoing slaughter of millions of pigs, cows, fowl, and sheep, not to mention whales, dolphins, and seals, must be obvious to anyone aware of the interrelation of all forms of existence and of the karmic repercussions of our actions. By our consumption of meat we allow this carnage to continue and are part perpetrators. And because of the cause-effect relationship, we are also part victims. How is it possible to swallow the carcasses of these slain creatures, permeated as they are with the violent energy of the pain and terror experienced by them at the time of their slaughter, and not have hatred, aggression, and violence stimulated in oneself and others? “While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts,”

“How can we expect any ideal conditions on the earth?”

This sentiment is echoed in an ancient Chinese verse that vividly describes the evil karma generated by the killing of animals:
For hundreds of thousands of years the stew in the pot has brewed hatred and resentment that is difficult to stop.
If you wish to know why there are disasters of armies and weapons in the world, listen to the piteous cries from the slaughterhouse at midnight

[ratanasutra]

As a Buddhist practitioner, we are practice loving and compassion. So Buddhist attitude towards animal life should be like following;
 
•   Not harm other beings, including animals – First precept : not killing
•   Show loving-kindness to all beings, including animals – Metta/Karuna (pali language which mean compassion) : Bodhisattva mind
•   To avoid work which dealing in living beings (including raising animals for slaughter as well as slave trade and prostitution) or working in meat production and butchery. – Right Livelihood in the The Noble Eightfold Path

[Rinchen]

It is very true of what is being said that if animals are created for men, then men is created for animals as well. With that said it is agreeable and logical that humans should not be eating animals since animals do not eat humans as well.

Sometimes, due to some security breaches or the carelessness of human beings, other people get eaten by these animals. Immediately when that happens, the human beings will put the animals down as they have killed the human beings. What we fail to think is that, why are we not putting ourselves down since we are killing the animals.

Like mentioned by others, Earthling is a great movie to watch for us to understand the kind of pain that is being induced onto other animals because of our crave and longing for meat. When what we crave and long for do not do any good for us at all.

[Shugdener]

It doesn't really matter whether we are Buddhists, Christians or etc, we should still treat animals as sentient beings. Animals are living beings who like us have feelings. They fear of being hurt and being killed just like us. Just because they don't speak our language, it doesn't mean that we should use this to our advantage and use them.

As Buddhists, we believe that sentient beings such as animals were once our mothers in previous lives so it is only right that we treat them like we would our mother now.

[Klein]

First of all, as Buddhists, one of our refuge vows is no killing. So this applies to all sentient beings. If we consume meat, we are indirectly killing the animal because without demand, there is no need for supply. This is simple economics.

Second of all, as Buddhist, we practice compassion to all sentient beings. So definitely we should respect, love and care for animals just like how we care for our family members and friends.

[pgdharma]

In Buddhism, one of the five precepts is to avoid killing or harming other living beings. As Buddhists, we are encouraged to practice loving kindness for all sentient beings and not restrict the compassion for only human beings. Animals do have pain and fears and it is unfair for us to deprive them their living rights.

[SabS]

To me, Buddhist equates to practice of love and compassion to all sentient beings. As such the animas being a sentient being in the realms of Samsara, we should uphold our practice towards them. We should see them as a being equal to us, a being in need of love and care, a being understanding love and happiness, a being who suffers pain just human do and a being wanting to live life to the fullest too. Watching the videos of animal slaughter house, the expression of fear and cries of pain of the animal is just the same as would a human being killed. We had been taught of mother sentient beings, that understanding karma, we know all animals could have been our mothers in our different lifetimes. I think we need to habituate these thoughts and practice seeing the meat in your dishes as the flesh of your mothers from past lives. Or even as you eat the meat, imagine you being eaten when you were the animal in past lives.

As a non Buddhist, it is simply compassionate to stop killing and understand the pain of the animals bred for murder. So what if you were not the one to kill? You had created the demand for the supply of killing so you are just as guilty. Having said all that, it is a personal choice to practice as one's perception allows and i hope its a choice of kindness and compassion.

[Tenzin K]

I think compassion is the key for our act. Be it animals or any other beings the foundation to treat them is the same which is not to harm. I always belive this phrase that if we can’t help at at very least don’t harm. We may not have the wisdom, knowledge or experince to help but not to harm is definitley within our control. Some people see animals as threat or food. Animals live for food. If we have the same view as them aren’t we just the same as them mentally? We are fortunate to take rebirth as human and given a consciousness to think and some due to positive karma and merits able to meet and learn the dharma so we should take this good opportunity to make the different in our life to practice compassion and live in harmony with other beings.

Animals unable to speak up for their feeling but doesn’t mean they don’t have one. If we care enough we are able to understand them but if we can’t at very least don’t harm them. In a very basic mutual understanding, do you want to be treated as how you treat the animals? Think!

Within our capability we are able to do a lot for the animals, it a choice whether we want to do it.

[vajra-NMD]

Whether we are a Buddhist or Non-Buddhist, we should be kind to all animals. Let's put it this way, we'll changed ours role to become an animal, and humans are hunting, abusing and slaughtering us, how we feel? Do we like that kind of feelings?

My point of view : When i look into the eyes of animal, i do not see an animal. I see a living being, i see a friend, i feel a soul.

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[Drolma]

Buddhists believe in rebirth. When we die, it is not the end, we will take rebirth again. Taking a rebirth does not necessary mean we will become a human again, we might end up being an animal, ghosts or we can end up in hell. Buddhists believe there are 6 realms, namely the 3 upper realms and the 3 lower realms.

3 upper realms are god, semi-god and human; 3 lower realms are animals, ghosts and hell. Due to our countless negative karma, it is very likely when we pass away, we will take rebirth in the 3 lower realms, we may end up as an animal. This applies to everyone. Because there is a risk that our mothers from our many past lives might end up as an animal. Therefore, Buddhists try not to eat meat.

If we are no that spiritual, we should look at it from the health perspective. Research shows that if we cut down meat consumptions, we will have a lower risk of getting cancer and heart diseases. It is a misconception that a vegetarian diet is less healthy and lack of nutrients for our body.

[Matibhadra]

Buddhist attitude towards animal life (and indeed any life, and even the inanimate) is based on non-violence, as opposed to the attitude of Abrahamic ideologies, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which is one of murdering and violence.

Indeed, the demented Abraham, the very forefather of such Abrahamic ideologies including Christianity, was to the point of perpetrating the murdering of his own son Isaac, as a ritual sacrifice, when he was allegedly stopped by “god”, a story worth the guest of a madhouse.

Also, almost all of of the 613 Jewish commandments (“mitzvah”) are about the ritual performance of animal sacrifice. Their “kosher” food is the product of cruel animal sacrifice, and is forbidden in many countries. The same applies to the Islamic “halal” food.

The Old Testament (the Jewish Torah) even praisingly records an instance of human sacrifice perpetrated by one of his “prophets”, Jephtah, against his own daughter.

Besides, the Islamic “feast of sacrifice” (Eid al-Adha) is an inconceivable bloodbath, and every pilgrim must sacrifice a lamb or a goat, or join the sacrifice of a cow or a camel. In Indonesia alone, for example, some 800,000 animals were sacrificed in 2014 by its Muslims on such festival. See details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice#Islam

The Apocalypse of John proposes the murdering of most of humantity because of its lack of ”faith” in Jesus. And Jesus himself was supposedly sacrificed by his own murderous “father” (which they call “god”) in order to wash away the “sins” of humanity, and the celebration of such an obnoxious murder is celebrated by millions of Christians worldwide in the ritual known as the “eucharist”, when they eat the flesh and drink the blood of the rituallly sacrificed victim, Jesus.

Specifically, such murderous ideologies see animals as deprived of a soul, and as mere objects of use given by their “god” to humans for their enjoyment, as prescribed by the book of Genesis. And, according to the Jewish Talmud, non-Jews (which are derisively called “goys”) are also to be included among the animals, to which their “god” merely gave a human form so that they can better serve the humans, that is, the Jews.

All of this is in stark contrast with even the strict animal protective laws passed in Hitler's Germany forbidding any cruelty against animals including against guinea-pigs, such as vivisection. This places Abrahamic murderous ideologies in an embarassing situation, as they manage to be way more brutal than even a so-called anti-semitic dictator!

Engaging in or opposing animal sacrifice is indeed the main characteristic distinguishing Dharma from the “religions” of the barbarians “mlechccha”, according to the Kalachakra Tantra. Followers of the Vedic religion were warned by a Shamballah king not to engage in animal sacrifice, lest they would be undistinguishable from such bloodthirsty barbarians.

And who are such cruel animal-sacrificing barbarians? According to the Kalachakra Tantra itself, none other than the followers of the eight prophets of the assuras and of the nagas, to wit, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Mani, Mohammed, and Mahdi. In a nutshell, the followers of the murderous Abrahamic ideologies of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

[Alex]

This is horrible to see how they treat the animals that are intended to be food. Even if we do not believe in reincarnation or rebirth, we should be able to feel the pain that those animals have to go through before they die in slaughterhouses or farms. How can someone not feel anything when we watch butchers thrusting the knife into the throat of those innocent animals? How can someone not feel sad when they see the animal struggling to stay alive when their blood is gushing out through their veins?

A normal human being will feel the pain. That is why if anyone who wants to eat meat will have to hunt or butcher the animal themselves, the number of meat eaters will drop drastically. People now are operating on the mode of ignorance is bliss where they just enjoy the meat and try not to think about where the meat comes from. Buddhist believe in kindness and compassion and that is why we will not subject animals to that kind of pain. That is why Buddhist are vegetarians.