01: Why do Buddhists practise life liberation?
Buddhists practise life liberation to give the priceless gifts of fearlessness (from being killed), freedom (from captivity) and the Dharma (by connecting them to the Triple Gem through offering repentance, refuge and a better future birth, especially in Amitabha Buddha's Pureland).
The Avatamsaka Sutra says, "If the negative karma (of killing in this and previous lives) is to take form, even limitless space cannot contain it." Because we have accumulated immeasurable negative karma through killing directly and indirectly in the past, life liberation (for creatures great or small, of insects or animals of the land, sea or sky) is the most efficient way of repaying our karmic debts of killing, especially in this Dharma-diminishing age. Life liberation has immeasurable merits because it saves the lives of animals, generating immeasurable gratitude. This practice also fulfills the perfection of generosity in the aspects of sharing wealth (in buying the animals), time, energy, fearlessness and the Dharma.
Because we have been reborn for countless times already, many beings, especially those we have the affinity to encounter, have been our parents in previous lives. Think of it this way, if we do not liberate our parents, are we not worse than animals? It is already very unfortunate that our parents are reborn as animals, much more to say, to die painfully through slaughter. Just as we take the trouble to save our present parents' lives, we too should save our previous parents' lives. When we save animals, we are also saving future Buddhas.
02: What are other benefits of life liberation?
The merits from life liberation are varied and boundless. Here are some, according to the Buddha and many Venerable masters -
1. One will be unharmed by war or die by violence.
2. One will attain longevity and healthiness with few illnesses.
(Many pains and illnesses come from the karma of killing.)
3. One will be unharmed by natural disasters and accidents.
4. One will have abundant offsprings for future generations.
5. One will easily attain what one wishes.
6. One will prosper in official positions without obstacles.
7. One will be a source of gratitude to other beings and a source of joy to the Buddhas.
8. One will dissolve vengeance, and vanquish evil influences and worries.
9. One will experience joy and peacefulness in all seasons.
10. One will be easier born in Pureland.
(With practices of developing faith and aspiration, practising repentance, vegetarianism and single-minded chanting of "Namo Amituofo")
03: If life liberation is so good, why do so many criticise it?
Life liberation is the easiest way to dissolve negative karma. Because of this, our negative karma of many lifetimes readily manifests obstacles to obstruct us from liberating life. As many who criticise the practice are plain ignorant of its benefits, we should share with them the benefits out of Compassion, so as to benefit them. We have to be careful not to criticise (or to let others criticise) life liberation as it creates great negative karma. We should not discourage the practice without understanding as we will be preventing many lives from being liberated.
04: How should we liberate life?
We can buy animals from any place selling them for slaughter (or plain imprisonment). Before releasing them into the appropriate natural environment, we (with venerable monks and nuns if available) should clearly recite (for the animals to hear), the verses of repentance, threefold refuge in the Triple Gem (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) and "Namo Amituofo" (Homage to Amitabha Buddha) and/or other mantras such as "Om Mani Padme Hum (the mantra of Compassion) as many times as possible. We can also carry the animals while circumambulating holy objects such as stupas, Buddha images and relics. We can also sprinkle blessed water on them.
Through repentance, we remind the animals to repent their misgivings which made them reborn as animals. Through refuge, we wish the animals to be disciples of the Triple Gem. Through recitation of "Namo Amituofo", we wish the animals to hear and be mindful of Amitabha Buddha, so as to create a strong karmic imprint to make birth in His Pureland possible in a future life. With repentance and taking refuge, this can free them from future births in the three lower realms of hells, hungry ghosts and animals. In Pureland, they will be able to attain Enlightenment and return to Samsara to help other beings be free of suffering.
05: Sounds incredible. Seems like an easy way out for the animals!
The workings of the law of karma are intricately exact but difficult to fathom. However, the fact that the animals we chose to liberate were chosen from among countless ones means that these particular animals actually have the merit to be liberated. However, when we choose to liberate them, we ourselves are actively creating positive karma by being part of the process of ripening their positive karma.
06 : But there are endless animals to liberate!
We should just do what we can in the moment. Just because we can't being peace to the world overnight does not mean we should not start with our family. Likewise, just because there are many beings in suffering does not mean we should not help any at all.
07: Won't life liberation over-populate the world with animals?
We do not eat ants and worms but they do not multiply in excess. They breed and balance naturally - without over-populating our world. We worry too much, when we should readily work in relieving other beings' suffering, in dissolving our own heavy negative karma. We are like a farmer who hasn't planted his crops yet, who worry about his fields being overgrown with crops.
A reason why there are many animals in our world is because many humans in the past have killed animals. For instance, when a man eats a goat, the goat in a future life might take a human form, who in turn eats the killer reborn as a goat. Thus is the animal and human world full of mutual killing. This makes it even more important to reverse the trend of killing animals, to stop perpetuating this vicious cycle.
08: But I'll rather use money to help needy fellow humans.
Helping any needy beings is no doubt very commendable. However, if you analyse, with an equanimous mind, the suffering of an average needy human and an average animal about to be slaughtered, which is more urgent to save?
09: I'd heard of released birds which fly back to their "masters", who re-imprison them for sale. What is the point of liberating such animals?
We should only liberate life with the best of intentions. Whether they get captured or not is another matter. For instance, when we feed a starving child, we cannot guarantee that he will not be hungry again. Similarly, a doctor who heals a patient cannot guarantee his healthiness forever. But he does it anyway because it should be done. Many matters are like that. We should not have the biasness or hesitation to liberate life, while we might not hesitate to do evil.
The shopkeeper's capturing and selling of animals creates his own negative karma, while we create our own positive karma. Of course, we should also try to dissuade him from continuing his wrong livelihood. We should even dedicate merit to him, in the hope that he can change his livelihood to one more beneficial for himself and others. We should also approach shops selling animals randomly and without pre-order, so as to avoid the shopowners from over-capturing animals for sale.
10: Isn't liberating animals through vegetarianism enough?
Without doubt, vegetarianism is a crucial part of the practice of universal compassion. In fact, if the whole world becomes vegetarian, there will probably be no need to liberate animals. However, it is only a passive way of liberating animals. In the mean time, there are countless animals which get slaughtered everyday for others' meals. The Buddhas taught us to "Avoid all evil, to practise all good, and to purify the mind." In a sense, vegetarianism (and veganism), which is the practice of not being directly or indirectly linked to killing, is just the avoidance of doing evil - it is not yet active doing of good! Animal liberation is Compassion in action, which also gives us golden opportunities to create positive karmic links with countless beings. Life liberation also prevents butchers from killing to some extent, relieving them of some negative karma, even if in a relatively small amount.
11: Isn't is spiritually hypocritical for non-vegetarians to practise life liberation?
Not really. Just as it is better for a non-vegetarian to be vegetarian, it is better to be a non-vegetarian who liberate some animals rather then be one who does not at all. For instance, one who liberates chickens is not likely to eat chickens again. The more kinds of animals one liberates, the more likely he will become vegetarian. This is how life liberation teaches one to respect and treasure the equality of all life, to realise that we all have Buddha-nature. In the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, the Buddha taught, "One who eats meat cuts off the seed of compassion." If one is serious about practising compassion universally, you should be vegetarian. Then one would be doing "animal liberation" from one's dining table all year round!
12: There are cases of liberated animals causing other species in its environment to become extinct. Isn't this harmful?
The fact that there are many animals means there are many beings (including humans) reborn as animals due to ignorance and negative karma. In this sense, a high animal population for every species in not necessarily a good sign. The diversity of species is not truly a "wonderful thing" as it means there is a wide spectrum of animalistic karma. In the Buddhist perspective, the extinction of an animal is not necessarily a good or bad thing. It means the particular animal has been reborn in another form in another life, for better or worse. But of course, it is important to survey the suitability of the environment before releasing animals into it, as the animals and plants in it play a part in supporting the interdependent web of life.
13: Don't we create bad karma when we liberate animals which get eaten by other animals in nature, or which eat other animals?
Unlike humans who kill for sport and to satisfy his appetite, animals do not kill unnecessarily, other than for survival. If you believe in the law of karma, the life and death of every being is the fruition of its karma. There is no death for no just reason. The laws of nature and karma are one. Animal liberation simply frees animals into their natural environment which is their real home. Every animal would rather have freedom than be imprisoned and slaughtered for food. Even if the animals were to die, wouldn't it be better that they die free in nature, especially after having strong karmic imprints of having taken refuge?
14: It still doesn't feel right that freeing some animals might mean sending them to kill or to die.
When we practise animal liberation, we have to be mindful of the purity of our intention and our well wishes. What we wish to do is to give freedom, fearlessness and the Dharma, for this life and beyond. Any captive animal will be appreciative of that. It is inevitable that some might die in the process of liberation through accidents in handling. But because they have taken refuge, their next life will be better. Because of this reason, it is believed that those animals who die shortly after taking refuge are the most meritorious of the lot.
Anyway, most animals liberated properly do not simply die. We should not stop saving the majority out of fear of accidentally "conditioning" the death of a few. If we do not liberate any at all, they will all definitely die by slaughter. In this way, we are blameless. Remember - we are not just saving the present physical life of the animal we liberate; we are more importantly saving its "wisdom life" (spiritual life), giving it an uplifting boost.
15: Some people liberate the wrong animals into the wrong environment. For instance, releasing fresh water fish into the sea. Shouldn't this be discouraged?
Of course this is discouraged! Although it's the thought, above the consequences, that counts when we practise compassion, we definitely need to be more thoughtful than to simply release life indiscriminately. Compassion has to go hand in hand with wisdom!
16: It seems pretty hard to ensure that the balance of the environment will not be disturbed when we release life into it.
Indeed, it can be very tricky. However, everything we do disturbs our environment to some extent. For instance, using an non-biodegradable plastic bag plays a part in harming the environment for hundreds of years. Note that we should not break the law by releasing life in lawfully prohibited or protected areas. If seriously in doubt about finding a suitable place to liberate life, perhaps the best solution is to liberate sea creatures into the sea - which is limitlessly open and wide.
17: But some say there are sea creatures bred out at sea within nets which might not have the instincts for survival in open sea.
Nature is often more marvellous than we think. Animals have strong natural instincts. While we cannot be absolutely sure that they will survive on their own, we are also not absolutely sure that they will not. Maybe some scientific study someday will reveal accurate results to us. In any case, always remember to put yourself in the position of the captive animals... Will you rather wait for slaughter in a prison, or run to freedom despite fear of unknown "ground"? The choice is obvious.
18: How often should we liberate life? How many people should be involved?
One should liberate life or contribute to life liberation funds (if one is not free) as much as possible. There is no fixed occasion, though holy days are often preferred. Life liberation can even be part of birthday celebrations! The more participants there are, the better it is as more people coming together means more merits are created and shared with each other, including the animals and other beings.
19: The practice of mass animal-liberation on special merit-multipying days seem to encourage regular mass capture of animals. Is this a good idea?
Animal shopowners that we buy from can be approached randomly to avoid their discovery of obvious purchasing patterns. However, think of it this way - Isn't it terrific that many animals are brought together to be given the opportunity of a lifetime to take refuge and be freed? What's more, everyone's merits, both the released animals and their releasers will be multiplied! Of course, one should not be attached to accumulating merits, or it will taint the purity of intention.
20: Great! I have no more questions!
Sadhu! Sadhu! Sadhu! What you can do next is to put your Compassion into action!
In singapore, what way should we free animals? I don't really know where their natural habitat is.
Originally posted by Beautiful951:In singapore, what way should we free animals? I don't really know where their natural habitat is.
Thats y I post this article for discussion. If dunno natural habitat better dun free them.
Originally posted by Pure Emptiness:
Thats y I post this article for discussion. If dunno natural habitat better dun free them.
Ya I have just finished searching on the internet. It is supposed to be illegal.
Originally posted by Pure Emptiness:
Thats y I post this article for discussion. If dunno natural habitat better dun free them.
by not buy them, you have already free them...the theory of supply and demand
Originally posted by SevenEleven:
by not buy them, you have already free them...the theory of supply and demand
True.
Originally posted by SevenEleven:
by not buy them, you have already free them...the theory of supply and demand
Ya that may work too.
Hi Beautiful951,
There are groups who go out to sea to release fishes from Kelongs and so forth... in such a case it is not illegal. I have seen a photograph taken by one group of a huge cloud cluster phenomenon that was brightly lit up by a pinkish radiance from behind from no known light source, during a major life release. it was very beautiful and uplifting..It was interpreted as a very good sign of rejoicing from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Personally, i feel that i have received many positive signs whenever i do life release. It is surely a deed approved by the Bodhisattvas, virtuous Nagas and Gods...
If one has done a lot of killing karma in the past, i highly recommend them to do alot of life-liberations... it will help to offset the negative karma of killing. Even if you did not kill in this life, saving lives is considered a very strong way to accumulate merits as there is nothing any creature or being treasures more and is more attached to than their bodies and life....
During animal release, one practises the six paramitas esp the generosity of money, dharma and fearlessness... it is really a act of virtue almost unparalleled to any other just as killing is a heavy negative karma almost unparalleled to any other in its severity.
If you want i can forward you some numbers to contact those groups... can PM me.
Best is liberate life and chant some buddhism thing to the animals like mantra sutra buddha name etc. It plants seeds of buddhahood.
If u gt pets also cant chat to them.
(Teaching from Padmasambhava.org)
In the Theravadin system, we are particularly encouraged to avoid harming ourselves and others in any way. In addition to this, Sutra Mahayana practitioners actively try to help everyone as much as they can. In the Tantra Mahayana, not only do we avoid harming others and actively try to help them, but we learn to train our minds so that we directly connect with the goodness in ourselves and others. This allows us to respond to negative emotions and actions in a much more balanced way. By taking the suffering of others upon ourselves, giving our happiness to others, and disciplining our minds in order to recognize the valuable aspects of all beings and all situations, we can perfectly unite the three vehicles of Buddhism*. This is one of the special characteristics of the Vajrayana path.
There is no greater harmful act than taking the life of another being. Killing a sentient being completely prevents the possibility of doing good things that help us connect with the beautiful nature of mind and all phenomena. Without this opportunity to sow good causes, experiencing good results becomes impossible: happiness becomes a dream that cannot be actualized. For this reason, the best thing we can do for others is to protect and save their lives.
There are three divisions of the paramita of generosity (Skt. dana): the generosity of wealth, knowledge, and protection. The generosity of wealth is developed when we give material aid to others in need, offering assistance without hesitation or regret and with the pure intention that they be happy. Giving knowledge involves teaching the Dharma, which will immediately and ultimately lead them out of suffering. The Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches explain that the generosity of protection "applies to situations such as knowing that someone is going to be killed or executed and helping him or her escape, compassionately offering ransom, or, in less extreme cases, doing whatever you can do to protect the lives of others. This applies to all sentient beings: it is not limited to certain groups, but extends to any sentient being you see who is going to die or be killed. Offering this kind of protection is very, very special. It is a great gift, because life is precious to everyone.
"When you make offerings, there are three things that are particularly important: the purity of your intention, the purity of the object of veneration, and the purity of the offering. Loving-kindness, a compassionate attitude, joyful interest, and devotion characterize perfect intention. The perfect object of veneration includes all enlightened beings, who are free of obscurations and ego-clinging; they are the sublime embodiments of love and wisdom. Another example of a perfect object of veneration is someone who really needs something. They may be sick, poor, or in some kind of trouble, but if you can give them something they really need, they qualify as a perfect object of veneration. Finally, a perfect offering is an object that was acquired without any negativity or argument. For example, it should not have been stolen. By making offerings and removing obscurations, you develop bodhichitta, and are empowered to continue in this way until all sentient beings are liberated."
By generating and cultivating compassion for all beings without exception, eventually we are able to completely abandon any and all attachment to ourselves. When we no longer hold on to the belief that there is substantial reality to the giver, the recipient of a gift, and the act of giving itself, our generosity completely transcends dualistic thinking. Such kindness is a direct expression of the natural balance of our mind before it narrows into a conceptual framework due to grasping on to self, other, and the interaction between the two, which misperceives both subject and object as being truly existent. Generosity becomes a paramita when it transcends all grasping, thus transforming ordinary generosity into wisdom and compassion that actively serves as a cause for the enlightenment of all beings.
However, just by being alive, we inevitably take the lives of others. Whenever we eat, walk, and breathe, we inadvertently harm beings. Although we cannot completely prevent killing others, we can cultivate mindfulness and try to reduce taking life as much as we can. In addition to this, we can promote the health, safety, and well-being of others through the practice of "life release." Life release or "ransoming" (Tib. tse tar) is a Buddhist tradition of saving the lives of animals that are destined to be killed.
In the same way we don't like to suffer, other beings don't like to suffer, either; everyone tries to find enjoyment and avoid discomfort. Although animals cannot talk like humans, we can easily observe that they are afraid of being hurt and are affectionate toward those who care for them. Similarly, all sentient beings share the same essential nature of mind. Humans, animals, and all other beings all have the same buddha-nature, although this nature can be expressed in many healthy and unhealthy ways. Due to the dullness of their minds, animals are constantly tormented by fear, and always run the risk of being eaten, enslaved, or exploited. These troubles are the defining characteristics of the animal realm; as animals, there are not many ways to avoid these difficulties. On the other hand, we humans can actively aspire to help reduce the suffering that animals experience. We can also take actual steps to provide them with safer, healthier lives, and inspire others to do the same.
By saving the lives of animals destined to be killed, we immediately benefit their health and longevity. Reducing one's consumption of meat and animal products can also alleviate some of the negative circumstances that animals face. In the Parinirvana Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, and elsewhere, Buddha Shakyamuni taught that eating meat is the same as taking life, which is discouraged in the Mahayana and Hinayana vehicles. Bodhisattvas, in particular, are not permitted to take life. Even so, the aim is not to repress one's desire for meat and animal products through force of will or grasping on to principles: instead, by recognizing that animals don't want to suffer, that they share the same essential nature as humans, and that in the past they have helped each of us in a variety of ways, we naturally develop heartfelt compassion and sensitivity for beings who have been reborn as animals. As Khunu Lama Rinpoche wrote, "A person who meditates on the thought 'wandering living beings equal to space are my mother,' looks to be on the very verge of having Mahayana bodhichitta arise." Such compassion automatically dissolves one's desire for personal satisfaction at the expense of others' suffering.
We cannot experience heartfelt compassion one hundred percent of the time without training to be more compassionate. Our present habits tend to be more self-centered than other-oriented, simply because this is what we have practiced for a long time. By sympathizing with the suffering of others and performing actions that reduce their suffering, we gradually become more reliably and consistently compassionate and loving. This is the practice of aspiring and actualized bodhichitta. The practice of life release immediately reduces the suffering of animals, thereby giving them more opportunity to die naturally in a peaceful setting, which supports a smoother transition into their next lives. By reciting auspicious prayers and mantras for their present and future lives, we also increase the likelihood they will experience a higher rebirth, where it will be easier to attain enlightenment by studying, reflecting and meditating on the Dharma.
Anyone can perform the practice of life release, regardless of his or her particular lifestyle or religious beliefs, since all religions believe in the path of nonviolence. The beneficial results of saving and protecting others' lives are strengthened if one concludes with the sincere aspiration that all beings enjoy happiness and freedom from all difficulties and hardships. By combining good actions with powerful aspirations that include all sentient beings, we gradually expand our ability to help one another in more inclusive and effective ways.
Some of the prayers recited during these life release practices include those of Amitaba, Chenrezig, Vajrasattva, Akshobya, Guru Padmasambhava and Tara. We recite Amitayus mantras to prolong the lives of the animals, and we chant additional prayers of Medicine Buddha to cure sickness and disease. On each full moon day, we encourage everyone to recite these prayers either in a group at your local PBC center, or individually at home. Please contact your local PBC center for more information.
The benefits of saving the lives of other beings while praying for their happiness is beyond imagination: This practice is said to be the best way to prolong one's own life, and is the most helpful act for living and deceased beings. The great master Atisha said that offering care to those in danger results in merit equal to meditating on emptiness endowed with compassion -- the union of relative and absolute bodhichitta. Wherever ransoming the lives of others is performed, sickness among people and animals lessens, harvests are more abundant, and lives are longer; the moment of death leads more easily to higher rebirth for both the animal and the person who engages in ransoming, and this practice will eventually lead to supreme enlightenment.
May all sentient beings, endowed with consciousness
And the breath that supports their life,
Be freed of all that endangers their life and be relieved of their fears.
May all sentient beings, both myself and others,
Be freed from all obstacles that bring untimely death,
May we live for an extremely long time
And may every form of goodness and happiness be ours!
Originally posted by Pure Emptiness:Best is liberate life and chant some buddhism thing to the animals like mantra sutra buddha name etc. It plants seeds of buddhahood.
If u gt pets also cant chat to them.
Yes, is best, not many living beings as fortunate as them having in contact to Buddhism and so many loving kindness practitioners chant for them to bring them blessings and liberation, according to EarthStore Bodhisavattas Sutra.
All livings is fearful of miserable death, and want to break free from it in all costs. All living beings enjoy love and be love :D Saving the life of living beings in distress is the greatest merits, according to Buddha.
Plse let me borrow and share this blessings with all :)
May all sentient beings, endowed
with consciousness
And the breath that supports their life,
Be freed of all that endangers their life and be relieved of their
fears.
May all sentient beings, both myself and others,
Be freed from all obstacles that bring untimely death,
May we live for an extremely long time
And may every form of goodness and happiness be
ours!
And in the Land of Ultimate Bliss!