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Animals
maddy
New
Hi, I am new to Buddhism and am learning day by day through books and podcast,s of the Dalia Lama. One really important thing which has been puzzling me about the life Animals is ' why do some animals seem to exist only for the purpose of feeding others ' can anyone help me please ? It really bothers me when I see programs of animals being eaten by other,s, it upset,s me and I think about it for hours later. It has come to the point now when I can,t watch wild life. Help please.
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It is what it is.
You can't change that.
That's the way life - and nature - plays out.
There is nothing you can do to change that.
This is the only way some animals can exist.
This is the way they're made.
Carnivores in the wild, can't be converted to vegetarianism.
You have to understand that every creature is a link in 'the food Chain'.
Really, if you don't mind me saying so, you need to develop a thicker skin.
This kind of sensitivity is actually not good for you.
Truly.
I am far more sensitive, pained and hurt by some of the inhuman things so-called humans do to other humans.
Animals have no choice but to behave as they do.
Humans always have a choice.
That some humans deliberately decide to wilfully hurt other humans, is far worse in my mind.
https://www.lamayeshe.com/index.php?sect=article&id=333
Life only exists through the death of other life.
If you wish to see clearly, then you must face what is, not just what you prefer to see.
No wonder the Buddha wanted off.
For me, it helps to look at both angles. Yes, one animal might die to feed another. But if that animal didn't die, then the one chasing it would die of starvation. And quite possible if wolves never caught deer (for example) the deer population would rise to unhealthy, unsustainable levels for their environment. When there are too many of them, they spread a lot of disease, they starve, they fight (violently) for food, they congregate near roads and get hit by cars, and so on. So while yes, it is sad a deer might die to feed a wolf pack, it is the way nature is set up and it's actually for a reason of maintaining balance. Ecology and the food web is pretty sensitive and tentative, and major interruptions along any part can have severe impacts on the rest of the web. It's a delicate balance, and nature does it better than we do. Sometimes, our logic doesn't serve us as well as we think. What we think makes good people sense, might not make good wolf, or bear or lion sense. They are driven by an instinct to survive that a lot of us are fortunate to have been able to put on the back burner. But most of us, if put into a similar position of true survival, would revert to the same behavior, either to save ourselves, or our kids, or someone else. Animals are just unfortunate to have to live that way all the time.
Suffering is indeed part of the cycle and animals have a hard time. That is why being human has real potential beyond instinctual behaviour.
What is your plan?
If you want to get a little insight into ' why animals kill each other' , I suggest you take a look into some basic ecology ( how does an ecosystem work ).
Use your pain to help you understand the First Noble Truth of Buddhism:
Suffering exists.
Is it not so? For ALL sentient beings, there is suffering at some point, at many points. Suffering is defined as anything from what you and I would call "suffering" down to that vague discontent that plagues most of us and even down to the plain truth that even if we do manage to find contentment, everything in life is impermanent and nothing lasts.
Use your understanding of suffering to motivate you to achieve enlightenment. Not just for yourself, but because once you have attained enlightenment, you can then help all others find enlightenment .. freedom from suffering.
Because all beings will suffer until they attain enlightenment. It is a fact.
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss without suffering,
May all sentient beings be in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger.
(The Four Immeasurables)
The goal of Buddhism is not to run away from pain, but to open fully to both pain and joy. The first step is to stop thinking that the problem is outside of us or that it needs to be "fixed".
"Everything is always changing. If you relax into this truth, that is Enlightenment. If you resist, this is samsara (suffering).”
Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse, “What Makes You Not a Buddhist”
http://www.distractify.com/fun/fails/dogs-who-are-shamelessly-proud-of-what-they-just-did/
and now back to the dukkha . . .
"...give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other."
. . . and now a message from the 'white fox' that was buried as a member of the Sangha . . .
http://chanbuddhismuk.proboards.com/thread/413?page=1
and the cow that cried . . .
http://living-vegan.blogspot.co.uk/2007/07/cow-that-cried.html
I found the living vegan blog quite an eye opener - especially, when you look at the number of animals killed during the time you had been on the page...
lolololol There was a lady in our old building who
would come and take oranges and apples that I would
sit next to a little gold buddha...hahaha. People said " why aren't you getting
pissed?". I said well....if she needs to eat, that's the least I could
do for her. And how could I say she was stealing when I gave it
away? Talk about WWBD ? lolololol