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Animal to Bhuddha

klmeerklmeer
in Buddhism Basics
Hi,
What is the best way to make this leap ?

Comments

  • MaryAnneMaryAnne Veteran
    Huh?
  • DavidDavid A human residing in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Ancestral territory of the Erie, Haudenosaunee, Huron-Wendat, Mississauga and Neutral First Nations Veteran
    Be kind?

    Sorry... Best I could do.
  • blu3reeblu3ree Veteran
    practice virtues!
  • GuiGui Veteran
    klmeer said:

    Hi,
    What is the best way to make this leap ?

    woof



    Princelyshadowleaver
  • PrincelyPrincely
    Are you refering to how an animal could know let alone practice the teachings?

    I guess even animals have a albeit limited opertunity to practice patience, kindness it would take many more "births" to become human and have the intelect to then practice the precepts and so on.

    Not sure this answers "the best way" but its the best I could do without further thought. Intresting question.

    ;-)
  • ChazChaz The Remarkable Chaz Anywhere, Everywhere & Nowhere Veteran
    Practice through many lifetimes, so that an animal may attain a precious human birth, practice the dharma and become a Buddha.

    You can start by dedicating the merit of your present study and practice to all sentient beings.
    EvenThird
  • howhow Veteran Veteran
    That bit of animal in you slowing ya down?
    EvenThird
  • lobsterlobster Veteran
    image

    Find the right lap
    dog.

    Leap.
    cvalue
  • footiamfootiam Veteran
    klmeer said:

    Hi,
    What is the best way to make this leap ?

    You have to finish your stint as an animal first. No short cuts.
  • cvaluecvalue Veteran
    I wish I have a parrot and I wish I know how to train a parrot, then I will teach it to say all day long: "Namo Amitabha Buddha". Hopefully, I can help it entering the Western Pure Land.
  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    Sorry, my parrot says "Am I your baby" and "How are you this morning".

    I once knew someone who taught their parrot to say, "I can talk. Can you fly?"
    cvalue
  • matthewmartinmatthewmartin Amateur Bodhisattva Suburbs of Mt Meru Veteran
    Easy, step #1 "Men who are flesh-eating, angry and avaricious are reborn after death as tigers, cats, jackals, bears, vultures, wolves and son on." So be an angry, greedy, hamburger eater and poof! You're now a bear.

    ref Lopzen, Buddhist Scriptures

    #2 Being a human is supposed to be better because you can study the dharma, whereas an bear cannot enunciate the mantras or sutras. So what to do? Get yourself captured, and hope you're purchased by a Chinese Buddhist with the the aim of freeing you before you are tortured for the rest of your life as your gall bladder is milked for make quack nostrums.

    This is a snippet of the much longer ceremony for the release of animals, which is read to the animals:

    "We will now preach for you the details concerning the arising and cessation of the twelvefold dependent origination, so that you may know the doctrine of the arising and cessation of suffering...(heavy metaphysics elided)"

    I presume bears will understand this, as bears are smarter than turtles and fish and they got the same lesson.

    ref. Lopez, Buddhist Scriptures

    #3 Next up is "Does a bear have Buddha nature (can become enlightened)?"
    According to the Nirvana sutra yes-- all sentient beings can. According to the Zen monks who were reacting to and against fans of the Nirvana sutra, the answer is... mu? Ah, cows yes, but not dogs (the cultural equivalent of cockroaches), maybe bears.

    ref. Wikipedia

    Anyhow, for what it is worth, my cat meditates. I set down the meditation cushion and he's there. Instant enlightenment. I teach him "low bar" enlightenment, if I set the bar too high, he'd quit before he could succeed.
  • matthewmartinmatthewmartin Amateur Bodhisattva Suburbs of Mt Meru Veteran
    I missed one!
    #4 This is from the Brahma Net Sutra. So now that you are a bear, all you need to do is find a monk and remind them of their vows, vow #45:

    "Should he come across cows, pigs, horses, sheep and other kinds of animals, he should concentrate and say aloud, "You are now animals; you should develop the Bodhi Mind.""

    Should the monk demur or say he'd rather not, remind him it's a 2ndary offense to not teach to all sentient beings. And if that doesn't work, eat him, you're a bear after all.

    ref: http://www.buddhistdoor.com/OldWeb/resources/sutras/net_sutra.htm
  • cvaluecvalue Veteran
    One time, there was an old, abandoned and hungry dog running into my teacher's temple. He then adopted the poor dog. The dog followed him everywhere, it ate vegetarian food like its master. It lied on the floor, next to the master and listened to Buddhist chant several times a day. It meditated along with the master. My teacher performed a three-refuge ceremony for the dog. One day it died peacefully. My teacher believes that his dog will have a good rebirth so he was not sad when the dog died.
    EvenThirdmatthewmartinblu3ree
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