Lecturer: Master Zheng-Yan
Subject: Respect Other Lives as You World Your Own (尊重生命如護己)
We must always foster a loving mind. We cannot lack the will to protect living beings. Humans are the most sentient of all beings. We are endowed with the virtue of cherishing life. We must respect other lives as we do our own. I hope everyone can be like this. Humans are the most sentient of all beings. There, we should cherish and protect all living beings. We cannot lack the will to protect living beings.
We all have the virtue of loving all beings. We must always foster a loving mind and respect and protect other lives as we do our own. We are the most sentient of all living beings.
As for protecting life, there was this story in the Essay on Liberating Life and Not Killing, written by Master Lian-Chi. The story was about two friends in Kuaiji, Zhejiang Province. These friends took their exams together. Afterwards, they wanted to go to the Temple of Great Good to pray reverently. One was named Tao Shi-liang and the other was Zhang Zhi-ting. On their way to the temple, they passed by a river bank. They saw some fishermen catching fish with their large nets. They had a huge catch. There were tens of thousands of eels. So they asked, “Why did you catch so many fish? Are you selling them?”
Of course the fishermen responded, “We sell them.”
Tao Shi-liang could not bear to see this. He told his friend, “This is unbearable. All these fish have been caught and are about to be sold at the market. These living beings are truly innocent. If they are bought their fate is to be killed and cooked. The more I think about it, the less I can bear. I can’t let this happen. I want to buy them all. However, this will cost a lot of money to buy so many. I don’t have much money, so I invite you to join me in doing this good deed. Let’s pay for this and then solicit donations.”
His friend said, “Yes, we need to solicit donations, but we need to pay something upfront.” So he paid a tael of silver along with his friend.
Of course, that was not enough. So they quickly solicited donations. In total they managed to collect 8 taels of silver. That was enough to buy the tens of thousands of eels. They released them at the river bank. The fish seemed very happy as they swam away along the river. Watching them, the two friends were also glad. All it took was for everyone to make an effort, solicit donations and offer everything they could, and tens of thousands of eels were able to happily and freely swim along the river. It was such a happy scene. Then it was over.
One night in the fall, Tao Shi-liang had a dream. He dreamt that an immortal came and said, “Originally you were not fated to pass the exam. But because you were so loving and liberated so many living creatures, you created great merit. Therefore, you will pass the exam.”
After he woke up, he wondered at the immortal’s words. “What did I do?”
Then he remembered; this probably had to do with liberating the eels. But he did not do it by himself. Zhang Zhi-ting also helped. Without his great effort to solicit donations, it would not have been possible. “What if I passed the exam, and he didn’t?” Though he dreamt about passing the exam, he was not happy. He worried about his friend first. If he had grained merits from saving living beings, his friend should at least have the same merits. “When the results come out, will he pass?” So he kept worrying about his friend.
A few days passed, and they received the exam results from Nanjing. As it turned out, not only did he pass, his friend passed, too. This story was in Master Lian-Chi’s Essay on Liberating Life.
Truly, we should know that when we see sentient beings suffer, we must immediately try to protect them, without seeking anything in return. We just want to protect them. We are not doing it for merit. We do not ask people to catch fish just so we can release them. Absolutely not. This applies to all living beings, not just fish. Every living thing has a Buddha-nature. If we have affinities them with and meet them, we must love and cherish them. That is protecting living beings.
Consider the story of these two friends. They were probably devout Buddhists. They took the exam and planned to pay respect at the temple. They met the fishermen who were catching eels. There were so many eels that the two men’s compassion arose. They made a vow in response to the circumstances. They are truly an example of how the most sentient of all creatures cherishes all beings. So we must always cultivate the virtue of loving all beings. We inherently have a good nature, so we must respect and protect all lives as our own. Wouldn’t we do everything possible to protect our own lives? Of course we would! Let us cherish all living beings like we cherish our own lives, so that we always foster these good thoughts.
The text continues by saying, “We may set fires when there is wind or release eagles or hounds to distress and harm all beings. For these and other transgressions. I repent today.”
“We may set fires when there is wind.” The fire is the main culprit. The wind is an accomplice. We see fires blaze through the mountains, born down houses, and destroy everything. We often hear about huge forest fires in America, Australia and Europe. Much land is destroyed. Once a fire starts it cannot be contained. It grows large, covering entire mountains. The impact does not end when the fire is put out. If an entire forest is burned, it affects the air and the ecology of the forest. It makes a huge impact. Everything is interconnected. The air, water, earth and humans all affect each other. To be healthy, people need fresh air. Forests can absorb filth and emit clean air. They take in dirty air and let out fresh oxygen.
Think about it. When a huge stretch of forest is burned down, the trees are as dark as coal; they are dead. How does the fire spread so widely? Because of wind. So earth, water, fire and wind all affect each other. If there is no wind, fires cannot catch. We see flames sway because there is wind in the fire. External winds can also stoke a fire. Have you ever seen someone extinguish a candle without blowing it out? If they cover is with a cup, there is no air. Without air, without wind, the flames will naturally die. So, the fire itself also requires air. Wind is movement of the air. The terms are different but substance is the same. Fire is a tool for creating karma. Fires can burn down everything. But without assistance from the wind, fires will not burn as strongly.
When our ancestors cooked, they lit the hearth and then had to blow through a bamboo tube so the fire would grow. This is basic common sense. We know that fire can be a tool for transgression. It can destroy everything under windy conditions. The same applies to humans. We have good natures, but when we are influenced, we lose control. Then we hurt others and make mistakes. Human relationships function in a similar way. Animal relationships are also like this. So, when causes and conditions come together, they create a powerful force. With the assistance of the wind, fires can create a lot of karma by killing.
“We may set fires when there is wind.” This does not just burn down trees. It affects the creatures that rely on the forest. The nests of the birds that fly in the air, or the homes of the creatures that run on land, are all burned by the fire. Who knows how many lives are lost. This is seven negative karma.
We may also “release eagles or hounds.” Eagles and sparrow hawks are birds that hunt and eat living creatures. There are also hounds. We know that people who hunt often bring a hunting dog. Wherever there is a slight hint, and sniff out the signs of life. The dogs’ master will shoot the creature, then the hound will fetch it. Its nose is very sensitive. When we hear about disaster relief, like after the 9/21 Earthquake, we hear of rescuers bringing in dogs to look for signs of life. Whenever the dog finds something, it barks. People then dig to find survivors. So, in some ways, dogs are even more sensitive than humans. Thus, we cannot look down on any living creature. Some people use dogs as tools to find prey.
Some people use dogs as tools to find prey. “They distress and harm all beings.” They disturb the peace of other living creates. They create fear, which is damaging to the environment. Disturbing the peace of all creates is a very bad thing.
“They distress and harm all beings. For these and other transgressions. I repent today.”
Whether they fly through the air swim in the water, or climb mountains to hunt beasts, birds, etc., these animals are all commanded by humans. Look at all the things humans do, on top of all the other animals killing each other. Think about it. Within the Six Realms, heavenly beings fight among themselves, and also fight with Asuras. Humans fight each other. Beasts also fight and consume each other. Think about it, this is the behavior of living creatures. So we are also a type of animal. We are fortunate to be born into the Human Realms, and even more fortunate to hear the Buddha-Dharma. We understand the principle so we must have the will to protect living beings. We have to respect all life as we do our own. So everyone, please always be mindful.
(Source: Da Ai TV 靜思晨語 法譬如水)
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