was to see. Upon rising, now enlightened, the Buddha spent the next 45 years teaching

a new and revolutionary way of seeing the world. The essence of his teachings, called

the Dharma, was articulated in the four noble truths, where he taught the path to the end

of all suffering. Central to these teachings was an important notion that the Dharma is

not just about humans; rather it includes all of the beings who share the earth. During

the course of this film we´ll explore what the Buddha taught us about animals and our relationship to them.

Animals and the Buddha

Part one: The Teachings

Most people raised in the

west were taught that animals are very different from people. The food culture centers

around eating animals. It´s everywhere, in advertising, in restaurants, in the supermarket

and few people think twice before eating a Hamburger or a steak or a piece of chicken.

The entertainment industry showcases them in circuses and zoos and aquariums. And the

medical and cosmetics industries experiment on them. Most of us care very deeply about

our companion animals, such as dogs and cats. But we often fail to extend the same compassion

to other animals. Imagine instead a culture where animals are not harmed. When people

are introduced to the Dharma, one of the first things they are taught is the first precept:

Cause no harm! And they are taught that this principle of non harm extends not just to humans but to all beings

Unlike in western culture, where animals are kind of considered as almost

a separate form of life, and humans are considered as very very different,in Buddhism we are

all considered to be just a part of nature. And that we all have the same - what we could

say - five aggregates. We are all made up with the same kinds of stuff. So there is

not a hard and vast dividing line between humans on the one hand and the creatures on

the other. That´s why the first ethical precept, in the Buddhist teachings, is not to take

the life of any living being. So I think that is the fundamental stance from the point of view of the Dharma.

As a Buddhist, when you take refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha,

the one of the principles by taking refuge in Dharma and Buddha is that not harming other

beings, not causing harm to other beings. That is the N°1 key principles that you´re

taking by taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

When I am asked what’s the major factor of Buddhism I would say “Ahimsa”. Ahimsa means “non-harming”. And in what

I´ve learned in Buddhism, the non-harming is of ourselves, of others, including animals,

and of the environment. Those three things are the three things that I see - at least

our tradition - try to deal with all the time: to live lightly on the land and that would

certainly include not taking the life of another, not stealing their lives, and also what their bodies were made of.

So, the teaching is really, you know, not to do any harm, that´s the

first precept, not to kill. Sometimes it is translated as: harm no living beings. And,

it has partly to do with a sense of compassion for the animals, a sense of recognizing that

animals suffer. There is also, I´d say, a more transcendent view of it, that according

to the Dharma, we take rebirth and it might be, that some of the animals, that we are

killing, were once human beings, or hopefully were moving up the strata. I think it is basically

seeing his teaching as a whole and putting all animals within that process of liberation.

I am lucky, in the sense, that I have taken the precepts in all three traditions. I am

a joined monk now in the Tibetan tradition and the Zoto-Zen-tradition. A bit in my early

days I tried in the Theravada-tradition and spent a short time as a Theravada-monk. So

I have taken the precepts in all three traditions. In the early tradition of Theravada the first

precept was translated to me: I undertake the rule of training to refrain from causing

injury to living things. That’s all living things, that’s how it was told to me. And

that´s how I teach people: All living things. So we refrain from harming them. That´s the

same in the Tibetan tradition. Because in the Tibetan tradition the Vinaya is based

on the early Pratimoksha-Tradition anyways. So the precepts are more or less the same.

The difference comes in the Zen-tradition, where the first precept just says: Do not

kill!. And this means: Do not kill the Buddha. Do not kill the Buddha-mind, if you like.

Do not do anything that hampers the growth, movement and flow of the Buddha-mind, Buddha-

nature, Dharmakaya. So obviously the eating of animals and the interfering with the animal

kingdom, exploiting it, does affect that precept, does block that flow, does get in the way

of the flow of Buddha mind, of the Dharmakaya. So the first precept, not to cause any injury

to any living things means: ANY living thing!

You know it´s interesting to me, because the Suttas on one hand are very clear about non-harming. And when they talk about “beings” it’s

all beings, its sentient beings. Included in the first precept of non-harming is to

not take life. So that seems fairly clear to me that the Buddha was intending us to

include in a field of “Metta” or loving-kindness, all kinds of beings, from the smallest to

the largest, the two-legged, the four-legged, many legged…So that’s really how I hold

it and certainly how I try to live my life and don’t claim to be perfect, there are

challenging situations about that, but the first precept of non-harming is really very

dear to my heart, both as an attitude towards people that I meet certainly , but as I said

to all beings. And really knowing and acknowledging that to each being their life is precious.

To practice compassion, to practice loving friendliness (Metta), to appreciate, to develop

the joy of life. We always say that we have to abstain from killing, one of the five precepts. So this precept applies to everybody

Buddhism has two main branches: Mahayana and Theravada.

In both lineages the Buddha talks about our relationship to animals and the fundamental

question of the morality of eating them. In the Mahayana scriptures the Buddha is unequivocal

addressing this subject in detail in the Lankavatara Sutra:

“For innumerable reasons, the Bodhisattva, whose nature is compassion, is not to eat any meat.

”“Thus, Mahamati, whenever there is the evolution of living beings, let people cherish the thought of kinship with them,

and thinking that all beings (to be loved as if they were) an only child, let them refrain from eating meat.

”“If, Mahamati, meat is not eaten by anybody for any reason, there

will be no destroyer of life."

“Thus, Mahamati, meat-eating I have not permitted to anyone, I do not permit, I will not permit."

”There are many different quotes or paraphrases the Buddha is talking about different lives and not eating meat. One of the very strong

statements that Buddha had is: I condemn meat eating in all means. I have never approved

of meat -eating, I will never approve of meat-eating and I do not approve of meat eating for my

followers. For all sentient beings are equal to me like my only son.

For Bodhisattva-vows, lay people can also take Bodhisattva-vows, if they choose. Monastics have our monastic

precepts, that are different from the lay people or at least they are more elaborated

than what the lay people take as the five precepts. But the Bodhisattva-vows, they can

also take vows and the Bodhisattva-precepts will prohibit meat-eating, whether you are

a lay person or monastic. It’s very explicit.

Buddha´s main teaching is be vegetarian, main teaching is don’t kill animals, don’t kill human body, don’t kill animals,

don't lie, don´t steal, very nice honest compassion for others to take care, how is I can do for

others to benefit. Only these things. Remember this always, he says.

The Buddha also addresses the subject of eating animal products in the Surangama-Sutra.

“Bhikshus who do not wear silk, leather boots, furs, or down from this country, or consume milk, cream, or butter, can truly transcend this world.

”In the Theravadian scriptures only a few passages

address the subject of eating meat. In the Jivaka-Sutra the Buddha discusses a notion

called the three purities. Saying that monks are not allowed to eat meat, unless they know

the animal was not killed for them.

“Jivaka, I say that there are three instances in which meat should not be eaten: When it is seen, heard, or suspected (that the living being

has been slaughtered for oneself)*. I say that meat should not be eaten in these three

instances. I say that there are three instances in which meat may be eaten:When it is not

seen, not heard, and not suspected (that the living being has been slaughtered for onself).

So, one of the monastic rules in Theravada Buddhism is that monks are allowed to eat

meat. And I think that was a very practical thing at the time of the Buddha, as I understand

it, because of a simple concept: beggars can’t be choosers. We have these penniless wandering

vagabonds who need to sustain their bodies in order to carry on their Dharma practice.

If they went from house to house and said: No, I have to have a special kind of food,

no don´t give me that, it would have been much harder for the lay community to support

them. So the Buddha said it was permissible for them to eat meat as long as they didn´t

know, hear or suspect that the animals have been killed specifically for them. If they

suspected that, or knew that, then they weren´t allowed to eat that meat. So I think what

the Buddha was saying is that as agents, we shouldn´t - where we have a choice - we shouldn´t

be involved in that chain of killing. Even though the Bhikkhu had not done the killing

and someone else had done that it was still considered improper, if it is killed with

the Bhikkhu in mind. In a modern consumer society when we walk into the supermarket one has

to wonder, who have those animals been killed for? And as an average consumer it often feels

to me that they were killed with me in mind, if I buy that meat. So an updated understanding

of that could be in this modern consumer society, by buying meat and fish products we're participating

in that same chain of killing, that the Buddha recommended against.

And so the rule was made that if you didn´t ask, if you didn´t kill the animal yourself, you didn´t request it

to be killed for you and you are not aware that it was killed on your behalf, then karmically

you are pure, because you are just wandering around through the villages, collecting whatever

people happened to want to put in your begging bowl. But in a situation where actually you

are in charge of what you can eat, and you go into butcher shops and you buy meat,then

in the way the very fact that you are buying it is saying that you are subscribing to

the whole culture, which rears meat to be killed for consumption. I mean they only kill

and raise these animals because people buy the meat, if we didn´t buy it then that particular industry would die out.

That if somebody goes into a market, say on a Tuesday, and orders

a piece of chicken at the sales counter, somebody will click some kind of calculator which will

determine on Tuesday a piece of chicken was sold, which will send out a message for next

Tuesday that we have to meet the same quantity of chickens to satisfy our customer base.

You know, so even though when you order the chicken on Tuesday you are not responsible

for the death of the chicken that's providing that meal on Tuesday, but in an indirect way

you can be sending a signal that next Tuesday a chicken should be killed to provide food for the costumers.

Part two: Animals and our Relationship to them

Many people who have not spent time with animals don’t realize just how much like us they are. They are smart,

sensitive, emotional and it doesn't take long and it doesn't take long to realize every

animal has his own unique personality. However, despite they´re being sensitive we often

treat animals with extreme insensitivity, even cruelty. Buddhists realize that all lives

are equal, in terms of wanting peace and happiness, not wanting pain and suffering. We are all

the same sentient beings, just we have different form of lives, but in terms of living the

life it's same - human or animal. The same desire, the same right to live in peace and happiness.

The Dharma relationship to animals, first and foremost, is the recognition that

animals have consciousness, which means that they feel.

Animals are like ourselves. They also appreciate the kindness, they also fear death and avoid some things, and also have

a desire for happiness. I think we are human beings, we understand what is suffering and

what is happiness, and also we are advanced enough to understand that the animals also have that feeling as well.

You only have to live in a place like this, where we see deer out

the window and the mother deer with her little babies in the springand how tenderly she takes

care of them, and how much they look to their mother for safety and protection, and follow

her and feel safe with her. And to know that there's a bond there, that it's really precious

for them. And in seeing that, it opens our hearts to that sense of connectedness. So

I think just for people to broaden their understanding of animals and the animal experience is an

important part of this consideration of choices in what we eat.

These animals are sentient beings, that live, have their lives, and so I want to be able to treat the animal world

with great respect, with great kindness, and that they have just as much right to be here as any other being.

For most of us, besides our companion animals, our main relationship to

animals is the food we eat. Yet because the process of food production is hidden from

sight it's easy to avoid the connection between the food on our plates and the animal she once was.

Are these animals being killed for you?

Normally people have no idea what animals go through, it will only be realized when you get to see what actually happens

in the slaughterhouses. Until then you wouldn´t realize. And then when you see that, actually

you will feel, if that is really appropriate to eat them. It's really horrifying;

Certain slaughterhouses have like the entire animals that are supposed to be slaughtered for the day

are standing in the corner out there and one by another being slaughtered in front of the

rest of the animals. You can imagine how terrifying that experience would be.