Fangsheng rituals

[Apech]

Quote

 

It was intended as a Buddhist act of mercy and compassion, but ended in a criminal conviction and significant environmental risk. The release of hundreds of alien lobsters and crabs into the sea off Brighton has highlighted the perils of a ritual that takes kindness to animals too far.

 

Two London Buddhists, Zhixiong Li, 30, and Ni Li, 33, pleaded guilty last week at Brighton magistrates court to breaking the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 by releasing non-native species into the wild, causing “untold damage” to marine life. The pair were ordered to pay a total of more than £28,000 in fines and compensation.

 

 

https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2017/sep/25/buddhist-fangsheng-mercy-release-cruel-wild-animals

 

What is it they say about the path to hell being paved with good intentions??????

 

 

[Kar3n]

 

[Marblehead]

1 minute ago, Kar3n said:

 

I don't enjoy seeing you with an unhappy face.

 

Please show me your happy face.

 

[Kar3n]

1 minute ago, Marblehead said:

I don't enjoy seeing you with an unhappy face.

 

Please show me your happy face.

 

[Marblehead]

Alright!  You made my day!

 

[C T]

Highlights the importance of equalising compassion with awareness/wisdom.  

 

Masters have often said birds cannot fly with only one developed wing.

 

Paraphrasing Guru Padmasambhava: "Neither lose conduct in the view, nor lose view in the conduct. To lose conduct in the view, it is easy for one to think nothing of consequences of actions, and act in ways not aligned with the teachings; to lose view in conduct, it is easy for one to lose sight of sunyata and become prone to karmic repercussions without seeing a way out. These ones suffer the ignorance of ceaseless and burdensome activity. The correct practice is to keep both conduct and view in balance." 

[ChiForce]

How about saving human lives instead???  Or helping others to end suffering??  I don't believe the rituals are actually useful as expedient means to realize your own enlightenment.  They went through a great length and expense to free lives stocks "back" into the wild and in order to teach other Buddhist practitioners about compassion and Karma.

 

Won't it be better to teach them to help others instead?  And people in need?       

Edited September 26, 2017 by ChiForce

[rex]

23 minutes ago, ChiForce said:

How about saving human lives instead???  Or helping others to end suffering??

Won't it be better to teach them to help others instead?  And people in need?       

These are all possibilities which just because they're (however clumsily) saving animals doesn't mean that they or others don't do the others too.

[steve]

There are vendors in Thailand, and I imagine elsewhere, you capture living creature with the intention of selling them at Buddhist festivals for just this sort of ritual. Very misguided. 

[silent thunder]

Synchronicity again.  Was just explaining to my son that human interference isn't always beneficial or helpful.

 

Lately, (last few years, but particularly recently, last six months), I have been noticing situations which point out that my incessant default assumption that my human perception of, evalutation of and subsequent interference with, will be for 'the better' in the processes of nature. 

 

here's one example:

 

Stray Momma cat has a litter of kittens and is keeping them under the foundation of a building in our neighborhood.  A very loving, caring woman was constantly watching, hovering around wondering when to take them away to try and foster them out for homes... watching them throughout the day and putting food out for the Mom.  Nice gal.  We told her they need to be eight weeks before they can safely leave Mom. 

 

One day, the gal noticed Momma was not around and panicked thinking Mom was hit by a car, or abandoned them.  So she saw that she could help the kittens and took them to the local shelter for adoption.  

 

Shelter was maxed out, but they took them and tried to find a suitable foster which didn't materialize, several kittens contracted an illness and passed quickly.  The rest euthenized shortly thereafter. 

 

We have since seen Momma roaming the neighborhood.  She didn't abandon her kittens, or get hit by a car.  My human assumption story is that she was probably scouting for a better spot to move her litter to, that was less accessible to all the well meaning humans who kept poking their heads in to 'make sure everything was ok'.

 

wei wu wei.  The Beatles said it pretty well... 'let it be'.  

 

'Helping' is not always helpful and the human perception of the world, is not the correct perception, nor the most valuable and beneficial.

 

so I'm grateful for this reminder...

 

just because I thought something and felt strongly about it, doesn't make it real, true, or even important.  And doesn't mean I understand the situation fully and know the best interference to apply to bring about a better change.

 

I need to be mindful of the stories I, as a human, tend to make in the flash of an emotional moment; based on assumption and with no real basis in anything other than projection and fear.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[silent thunder]

Shortly after posting the above comment, I look through the mail sitting on our table.

 

Audubon magazine has arrived... again... odd.  (We've never donated to them, nor subscribed, but I dutifully recycle them.)

 

Here is the cover... on the heels of my prior comment it seemed worth adding.

 

 

and i wonder...

who sees the whole picture?

who knows the solution?