43
votes
Accepted
If a buddhist should not kill a mouse living in their home, what justification do they have to rid themselves of a parasite such tapeworms
The Mahayana perspective on social and ecological ethics is based on the high ideals of symbiosis, harmony, and cooperation.
In the old times there were wandering monks who did not work and lived on ...
- 57.2k
21
votes
How not to kill the mouse in my house?
"Without wisdom, effort, restraint of the senses, without giving up everything, I see no well-being for beings."
-- The Buddha (SN 2.17)
You can't have your cake and eat it too, unfortunately. ...
- 24k
13
votes
If a buddhist should not kill a mouse living in their home, what justification do they have to rid themselves of a parasite such tapeworms
Where does one draw the line for which forms of life are ok to destroy, and which ones are not?
That (i.e. "which forms of life?") might be not the right question.
If you're describing the ...
- 45.2k
10
votes
How not to kill the mouse in my house?
In the past, I had some success with a no kill mouse trap like this one. It allows you to catch the mouse and release it in an appropriate area outside.
Now we share our home with 2 dogs and a cat. ...
- 855
10
votes
Accepted
Killing a bigger animal causes more bad karma than killing a smaller animal?
My knowledge in Buddhism is quite poor. IMO it is a greater sin to kill a larger animal than to kill a smaller animal but this cannot be the case always! Let me ask you a question. Which is easier, to ...
- 952
9
votes
My job requires me to shuck oysters
The Buddhist teachings do not exist for you to create suffering for yourself. Oysters are extremely primitive life forms. While they breathe oxygen, they are very close to plants. Oysters have a ...
- 38.5k
8
votes
How not to kill the mouse in my house?
Mice are intensely territorial, it's hard to get them to walk away from their turf. Luckily they are also short lived. We often have little mice come in for a bite, and I try to block their entrances ...
- 7,433
8
votes
If a buddhist should not kill a mouse living in their home, what justification do they have to rid themselves of a parasite such tapeworms
Theravada Buddhist Answer.
Whichever way you spin it, killing(intentionally) is bad Karma which you will have to pay for at some point in Samsara unless it becomes defunct. You can draw the line ...
- 25.7k
7
votes
The buddhist dillema on lesser evil
Such a question assumes death is the cessation of existence. This is not the Buddhist view. Killing the murderer won't solve anything, it merely brushes the dirt under the carpet. Since violent ...
- 7,433
7
votes
Is it ethical to kill plant life while gardening?
The Buddha reportedly ate a meal of pork at least once in his life. So one pig had to lose its life. The Buddha ate rice pudding so some cow had to eat the grass to produce milk and some weeds must ...
- 3,001
7
votes
Buddhism view on mercy
Definitely no killing. That's the first among the Five Precept to be observed. Do what you can to help. If it's a large animal, call the local animal shelter helpline. If it's a small animal like a ...
- 9,691
7
votes
My job requires me to shuck oysters
According to the Bhikkhu Patimokkha (quoted below), which are rules for monks, killing a human is grounds for immediate and irreversible dismissal from the monastic order (parajika).
However, ...
- 36.4k
6
votes
How not to kill the mouse in my house?
Catch and release!
You can make a simple trap with a paper towel roll, some leftover food, and a bucket.
There are lots of clever, simple, humane traps. In general you should just catch it and ...
- 511
6
votes
The buddhist dillema on lesser evil
Also known at the Trolley Problem from Game Theory. My answer is that this kind of question is a red herring. Ethics is about how you wrestle with experience to try to minimise suffering. Hypothetical ...
- 4,277
6
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If a buddhist should not kill a mouse living in their home, what justification do they have to rid themselves of a parasite such tapeworms
The original poster asks: "Where to draw the line..."
Therein is the key to the answer: there is noplace you can draw the line, thin and bright, therefore you cannot draw it.
There is, however, an ...
- 171
6
votes
Why is only intentional action considered as Karma, which gives rise to corresponding consequences?
What you say or justify do not count. What counts is your volition.
For volition to give result the volition should have any of the 6 roots (3 wholesome - alob, adosa & amoha + 3 un wholesome - ...
5
votes
The buddhist dillema on lesser evil
MN 1.3.1 Kakachupama sutta
Majjhima Nikāya 21 - Kakacūpamasutta
The Parable of the Saw
"Monks, even if bandits were to savagely sever you, limb by limb, with
a double-handled saw, even then,...
- 1,601
5
votes
Is it ethical to kill plant life while gardening?
It is all about intention. you must set your intention on peaceable love, fruition of that love in your garden. there are weeds which are essentially herbs, and you may want to leaner a little of them,...
- 59
5
votes
Plants may be sentient beings like animals so how do you decide what to eat?
My theory is that it is not wrong to directly deprive plants of their life, in order to eat them, unlike animals, because they don't have the five aggregates. In my opinion, plants do not have mental ...
- 36.4k
5
votes
Buddhism view on mercy
Apart from breaking the first precept and creating bad Karma for yourself, there's no guarantee that by killing you are going to reduce it's suffering. What if it was born in a realm lower than the ...
- 25.7k
5
votes
I saw a cat killing a mouse. Could have stopped it, but didn't
"Chethanaham Bikkhawe Kammam Wadami" - volition is Karma
Did you not prevent it because mice are usually an annoyance and 1 less mouse makes your life better? If so, it's bad Karma. Later you may ...
- 25.7k
5
votes
My job requires me to shuck oysters
Tell it your boss, simply "I observe the precept of not killing, not to encourage others and not to approve. It would be good if my person could take on tasks which do not involve such.", and simply ...
4
votes
Accepted
Is it ethical to kill plant life while gardening?
Buddhist monks
I think that the vinaya forbids monks to dig: see Destroying Vegetation.
That depends on the school/tradition though, e.g. in some countries where the lay society doesn't support the ...
- 45.2k
4
votes
Plants may be sentient beings like animals so how do you decide what to eat?
Plants are amazingly sensitive to changes in their environments. However, there is no good evidence that they are sentient (i.e., consciously aware of what is happening to them). I suggest that ...
- 41
4
votes
If a buddhist should not kill a mouse living in their home, what justification do they have to rid themselves of a parasite such tapeworms
Some thoughts based on my beginner's level knowledge of Buddhism and biology:
The prohibition on killing is based on the premise that we should not cause suffering. For something to suffer, it needs ...
- 855
4
votes
The buddhist dillema on lesser evil
An arahant would certainly have perfected the 5 precepts at the least and would abstain from harming anyone. I also belive that the Buddha might have said that an arahant was even incapable of killing....
- 1,334
4
votes
The buddhist dillema on lesser evil
Here is an alternate perspective from the Mahayana tradition. (I'm not equating arahant & bodhisattva, but if you are asking what a Buddha would do it is perfectly legitimate in my mind to ...
- 479
4
votes
Killing and planing to kill
Je Tsongkhapa differentiates between (1) karma that is done (2) and karma that is accumulated. Between the two, there are four possibilities.
1. Done, but not accumulated. Tsongkhapa states:
...
- 5,188
4
votes
The terror tragedy in France in Buddhist light
I saw the "breaking news" on BBC news web site last night.
Today they are still using the heavy black border around the headline which they reserve for grave calamity.
The sight (and formatting) of ...
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