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Extermination Guilt

MegMeg
edited April 2011 in Buddhism Basics
So killing's bad, right? We all know that. How about, say, you had a colony of ants in/under (i know little about ants) your house. Would exterminating them be un-buddhist like? :(

Comments

  • vinlynvinlyn Colorado...for now Veteran
    Probably. My personal rule, based on Buddhist principles and practicality -- if an animal, no matter how primitive is doing me no harm, then I will go out of my way not to harm it. A rattler along the hiking trail...I wouldn't think of killing it unless it imminently endangers me. A snake around my house...dead meat. When I go out walking I avoid stepping on insects, when I see them. Termites in the house...dead.
  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    edited April 2011
    We had a thread on this a month or two ago. In theory, you're not supposed to kill. Prevention is the best medicine. Yes, meg, there are carpenter ants, who like to eat houses under certain circumstances. So you make sure the circumstances never arise. You repair any water damage as soon as it appears. You make sure no wood is touching the ground. You keep an eye on things.

    But still, stuff can happen. So ... you call the bug guy to prevent the ants from eating your home, causing the home to collapse on you. What else can you do? But you do your best to prevent problems. And welcome. :)
  • MegMeg
    Thanks Dakini and Vinlyn!
    Prevention is best- got it! :)
  • personperson Don't believe everything you think The liminal space Veteran
    Yeah, prevention is best, if I have ants I make sure to clean up real well and remove any crumbs or food. Here's a few answers from Lama Zopa Rinpoche about it:

    http://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=319
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    While prevention is best for practical reasons, there is no ethical reason to feel sqeamish about killing insects, because there is no reason to think they're sentient in any meaningful way. Their nervous systems are too simple for that to be plausible.
  • compassionate_warriorcompassionate_warrior Veteran
    Insects aren't sentient beings? There's a story about the Dalai Lama, before, or shortly after he was recognized as a tulku. He saved a beetle that had been grabbed by a bird or small animal, and was about to become its captor's food. The child rescued the beetle and let it go in a safer place. Who decides what critters are on the "sentient being" list?
  • DhammaDhatuDhammaDhatu Veteran
    edited April 2011
    So killing's bad, right? We all know that. How about, say, you had a colony of ants in/under (i know little about ants) your house. Would exterminating them be un-buddhist like? :(
    hi Meg

    My view is if those ants are relatively harmless then, yes, to kill them is un-Buddhist

    But if those ants are termites, that will destroy your house & bite your little children then, no, exterminating them is not un-buddhist

    I once lived in a monastery with another young man. The young man's hut got infested with fleas due to a stray dog making its home there.

    The young man was so confused and asked the Abbott of the monastery what to do? The Abbott replied: "Go to town and buy something to clean your hut".

    The young man then asked me: "What does the Abbott mean by cleaning"?

    I went to town with him and instructed him to buy some insecticide.

    The Buddha was very clear about "trifling" acts of bad karma.

    My advice is to read the following link very carefully.

    All the best

    :)

    http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.099.than.html
    Now, a trifling evil deed done by what sort of individual takes him to hell? There is the case where a certain individual is undeveloped in [contemplating] the body, undeveloped in virtue, undeveloped in mind, undeveloped in wisdom: restricted, small-hearted, dwelling with suffering. A trifling evil deed done by this sort of individual takes him to hell.

    Now, a trifling evil deed done by what sort of individual is experienced in the here & now and, for the most part, barely appears for a moment? There is the case where a certain individual is developed in [contemplating] the body, developed in virtue, developed in mind, developed in wisdom: unrestricted, large-hearted, dwelling with the immeasurable. A trifling evil deed done by this sort of individual is experienced in the here & now, and for the most part barely appears for a moment.


  • DakiniDakini Veteran
    Insects are definitely on the "sentient being" list. We've had two threads that ran for months about "Would you kill a mosquito" and "Would you kill a fly". If they weren't on the list, they wouldn't have generated so much discussion.

    That said, you do what you gotta do. Prevention, but if that fails, call the bug guy.
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited May 2011
    Prevention, but if that fails, call the bug guy.
    Actually, with ants it's way cheaper to mix a teaspoon of boric acid with half a cup of heated honey (recipe off the internets; it's been years since I've done this myself, but it did work.) and leave it as bait for the ants. They carry it back to feed the nest, which dies outright in few days. My (bookish, untested) understanding is that boric acid disrupts chemistry specific to insects' metabolism, and is therefore nontoxic to humans and mammalian pets.
  • fivebellsfivebells Veteran
    edited May 2011
    Please delete this comment.

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