Animals in Buddhism facts for kids
In Buddhism, how animals are seen and treated is very important. It shows how Buddhists feel about nature and how they practice kindness. It also helps us understand the connection between Buddhist ideas and real-life actions.
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What "Animal" Means in Buddhism
In the ancient Pali language, the word for animal is Tira-acchanā. Tira means "against," and Acchanā means "a being that can move." So, it means a being that moves horizontally, unlike humans or gods who are seen as moving upright. Their world is called Tiracchana-yoni, where yoni means "body" or "birthplace."
Animals in Buddhist Teachings
Buddhists have always believed that animals are sentient beings. This means animals can feel things, like joy or pain. Also, in the Mahāyāna school of Buddhism, it's believed that animals have Buddha nature. This means they have the potential to reach enlightenment, just like humans.
The idea of rebirth is also key. It teaches that any human could be reborn as an animal. And any animal could be reborn as a human. This means an animal might have been a family member in a past life. The Buddha taught that all sentient beings, including animals, have been our mothers, fathers, brothers, or sisters in past lives. Because of this, humans and animals are seen as part of one big family. They are all connected.
In Buddhist ideas about the universe, animals live in their own "world." This world is not a different place in space. Instead, it's a different state of mind. Being reborn as an animal is seen as a difficult rebirth. Animals often suffer more than humans. Buddhist texts describe many animal sufferings. Animals might be attacked by others or live in fear. They face harsh weather changes and have no safe homes. Animals living with humans are often killed for food. Or they are forced to work hard and are beaten. They also suffer from not understanding what is happening to them. They mostly act on instinct.
A Chinese scholar named Zhiyi taught about the "Mutual Possession of the Ten Worlds." This means all living beings have Buddha-nature in their current form. In the Lotus Sutra, the Dragon King's Daughter becomes a Buddha in her present form. This showed that women and animals could also reach Buddhahood.
Animals in Jataka Stories
The Jataka tales are stories about the Buddha's past lives. These folktales often feature animals as important characters. Sometimes, the Bodhisattva (the Buddha in a past life) even appears as an animal. These stories can be about animals alone. Or they can show conflicts between humans and animals. In these cases, animals often show kindness and generosity. These good qualities are sometimes missing in the human characters.
One Jataka story tells how the Buddha, as King Shibi, saved a dove. He sacrificed himself to protect it from a hawk. Another story, from the Golden Light Sutra, tells of Prince Sattva. In a past life, he found a starving tigress and her cubs. He fed himself to them so they could survive.
How Buddhists Treat Animals
The first of the five precepts in Buddhism is to avoid taking life. This rule applies to all sentient beings. This includes not just mammals, but also insects and other small creatures. From the very beginning of Buddhism, there were rules to prevent harming animals.
The Buddha taught that all sentient beings, including animals, have Buddha nature. This means they can reach enlightenment. Also, from endless rebirths, all animals have been our past relatives. Because of this, in Mahayana Buddhism, it is wrong to harm, kill, or eat animals. It is seen as harming or eating the flesh of your own family. Monks were not allowed to intentionally kill an animal. They also could not drink water if it had living creatures, like larvae, in it.
Concern for animals has been part of Buddhist history for a long time. Ashoka, the first Buddhist king of India, showed this concern. In his Edicts, he wrote about reducing the number of animals killed for his meals. He wanted to stop this killing. He also included animals in his programs for getting medicine and planting trees. In one edict, Ashoka ordered protection for many animals not used as farm animals. He protected young animals and mothers still feeding their young. He also protected forests from burning to save the animals living there. Ashoka followed the advice that a good king should protect all beings, not just people.
Vegetarianism in Buddhism
A main rule in Buddhism is to avoid harm. Actions that cause the death of a living being go against this rule.
Many Buddhists, including monks, are not vegetarians in some countries. But in recent years, some people's views are changing. In 2007, the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, spoke about eating meat. He said that Mahayana followers believe all beings have been their parents. So, eating meat carelessly, without compassion, is not good. He suggested that Buddhists should try to eat less meat. He also said that some people cannot live without meat due to past karma or their situation. He said that this is understandable.
There have been different ideas about what the Buddhist scriptures say. Some believe that the Pāli canon does not strictly forbid eating meat. It encourages monks to accept whatever food they are given. However, monks cannot accept meat if they know or suspect the animal was killed just for them. This means if monks begging for food cause animals to be killed, they should not accept that meat.
In Mahāyāna sutras, like the Laṅkāvatāra and Aṅgulimāla sutras, the Buddha clearly forbids eating meat. He also forbids fish and any animal products that come from harming or killing a sentient being. The Buddha said it is only okay for a monk to eat animal flesh for medicine. And only if the animal died naturally, according to Dharma.
In Chinese Buddhism and countries influenced by it, Buddhist monks are often strict vegetarians. The Mahāyāna Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra is one reason for this rule. This sutra strongly condemns eating meat. It says that meat-eaters cause terror in animals, who fear they will be killed.
Even though the Pāli canon does not order vegetarianism, it seems to be an ideal state. The Aggañña Sutta explains how humans originally ate plants. But as they became more wicked, they started hunting. Hunting was first seen as a low-status job.
Releasing Animals
In East Asian Buddhism, especially in Tibet and China, releasing animals became a way to show Buddhist kindness. This is called Tsethar in Tibetan Buddhism. In China, it is known as 放生 (Fàngshēng). This practice comes from a passage in the Mahāyāna Sūtra of Brahma's Net. It says that all beings are like our parents. So, killing and eating them is like killing our own parents. It also says we should teach people to release sentient beings. In the later Ming dynasty, groups were formed to "release life." They built ponds to release fish bought from fishermen. They also bought other animals from markets and set them free.
However, it is now understood that releasing animals can sometimes harm the environment. It can introduce new species into places where they don't belong. This can lead to a loss of different kinds of plants and animals over time. Also, some animals are caught just to be released.
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