What if you are a fly...

Kid: (gleefully) I squashed a fly!
Me: (seriously) Why?
Kid: (wilfully) Because I hate insects!
Me: (thoughtfully) What if there was a giant fly-like alien that hated kids like you?



I have read about my guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche's teachings. I am especially affected by my outlook of how we should treat animals better, right down to the little insects like ants and mosquitoes. We often find ants and mosquitoes a nuisance, biting us and messing up the place. We then tried to get rid of them or kill them. Put ourselves in their tiny shoes. If we are hungry, we need a little blood to fill our hunger, but we get killed instead, how would you feel?

It is very basic that we humans should refrain from killing and harming other sentient beings even though they may be just tiny mosquitoes or ants. If we don't purify ourselves with these harmful actions, we will definitely suffer in future lives and also in this life. Imagine if you are reborn as a mosquito, what will your fate be?

That is why nowadays whenever the ants came out crawling on my office desk, I am most conscious of killing them. I just use a soft tissue paper to brush them away. As for mosquitoes, I can't stop their hunger, however it is really amazing that I hardly get bitten nowadays even though these little insects are flying around looking for preys. Perhaps they know I will not harm them?

That is also the reason why I liberate animals whenever I can. It is extremely good to save beings from being killed to be eaten as food. Lobsters are boiled alive in hot water. Can you imagine if that was you, how immense the suffering would be? They are trapped, they can’t communicate or express themselves. Like us, all beings want happiness and do not want suffering, problems, or discomfort.

Animal liberation causes those of us who liberate lives to have long lives, and at the same time if we circumambulate the animals around holy objects and bless them with mantras and prayers, this plants the seeds for these animals to meet the Dharma, liberates them from samsara, have a good rebirth and happiness in future lives, and to actualise the path to enlightenment. This is a most amazing benefit that we can offer to other beings.

Animal liberation is not just a practice of buying animals and releasing them. We need to perform practices to benefit the animals. I try to liberate as many lives as possible within my means, and I do try to eat less of the flesh of these animals I am liberating nowadays. Clearer conscience, clearer vision, clearer path? You tell me.