The harms of killing and the merits of releasing animals

     According to the recitations of the Bon religion composed by Guru Padmasambhava

    , in ancient times, some Bon followers built sacred tombs and slaughtered deer and other wild animals to sacrifice to the Bon gods.

    At that time, King Trisong Detsen, witnessing the Bon religion's practice of offering flesh and blood as a virtuous act, asked Guru Rinpoche, "Revered Guru Rinpoche, the tenets of Bon are completely conflated with sin. They slaughter living beings to sacrifice to the gods. What karmic consequences will they face in this life and the next? Please, Guru, speak frankly."

    Guru Rinpoche sadly replied, "Your Majesty, building Bon tombs is like building archery ranges for cruel subjects. Those who killed in the past will surely be reborn into the sinful butcher caste, and in this life they will also enjoy hunting wild animals. After death, they will immediately fall into the Vajra Hell, unable to find liberation."

    The king then asked, "What retribution will those who slaughter wild animals suffer in this life? What karmic consequences will they experience in the next? Please, Guru, explain briefly?" Guru Rinpoche

    said with great sorrow, "How pitiful! How pitiful! These people will suffer greatly. In this life they will unfortunately suffer from various diseases, and in the next life they will be unable to escape the lower realms.

    Alas! Your Majesty, in short, all..." Wild animals belong to the gods, demons, dragons, monsters, unicorn rakshasas, humans, and non-humans.

    Among them, lions, elephants, and dragons are the animals of the gods. Killing them offends the gods, who will then harm a person's vital energy, causing forgetfulness, organ deterioration, memory loss, loss of breath, stagnation in the mouth, and sudden death. In the next life, one must repay this debt with five hundred lives, then be reborn in the Howling Hell, unable to escape for twelve billion years on earth.

    Bears, wolves, and jackals are the animals of demons. Hunting them will enrage the demons, who will damage the hearts of those who kill them. The descendants of those who kill them will be blacklisted by the demons for seven generations, dying from incurable madness; some will die from cerebral hemorrhage; some will commit suicide out of grief; and some will perish in bloody massacres of their own flesh and blood. They will have to pay for their fate five hundred times in their next life, and will ultimately fall into the Hell of All Beings, where they will not be released for 1.7 billion years.

    Snow deer, lynxes, and argali are the livestock of the demons; those who hunt them will inevitably be targeted by the demons. Demons concentrate their efforts on harming the lives of pregnant women and children. Some suffer the pain of childlessness, their women unable to bear offspring; some have their unborn children taken away; some are unable to be born, resulting in the tragic deaths of both mother and child; some, though born, are incurable blind, deaf, mute, or crippled, and soon pass away. Humans face no release for a hundred million years.

    Fish, poisonous snakes, and serpents are the dragon's livestock, and those who kill them become targets of the demonic dragons. The dragons damage their skin and blood, causing blisters to form on their skin, which then spread, leading to prolonged suffering and death; some have venomous insects moving in their blood vessels, their bodies contorted, dying with open mouths and glaring eyes; some lose their hair and eyebrows, breaking them off one by one while alive, contracting leprosy, being expelled from society, and dying in unbearable agony. In their next life, they fall into a hell as cracked as a blue lotus flower, where they must remain for sixteen billion years, repaying their debts five hundred times. Whether this repayment occurs before or after falling into hell is uncertain.

    Tigers, jackals, and deer... These three are the livestock of the stars; killing them will offend the stars. The stars will then damage their meridians, causing the blood and qi in these individuals to become disordered, rendering them immobile, and ultimately causing their eyeballs to sink into their skulls and die. Some will die with their upper right body twisted, their limbs stiffened, and suffering from blindness and muteness; others will be possessed by black and red demons, suddenly poisoned, collapse to the ground, and die instantly. After repaying their karmic debts five hundred times in future lives, they will be reborn in the Corpse and Excrement Hell, unable to escape for nineteen billion years on earth.

    The fox, monkey, and deer are three wild animals. These were the livestock of the One-Horned Raksha; killing them would surely enrage the Raksha, and these people would be placed on the Raksha's blacklist. The Raksha would then inflict internal and external harm, sow discord, and cause chaos, leading to fellow citizens fighting each other and killing one another.

    Some people's wives became possessed, arguing incessantly from morning till night, turning husband and wife into enemies, and ultimately committing suicide; some people, though innocent, were falsely accused and framed for violating the law, leading to their painful deaths; some people painstakingly educated their children, but the children stubbornly refused to listen, ultimately committing crimes. Those who break the law die tragically in prison, along with their families and friends. In their next life, they are reborn in the Black Rope Hell, where they will remain in the human realm for 1.5 billion years without escape, and will have to repay the debt with 500 lives.

    Antelopes, bears, and hares are the livestock of the Demon King; killing them will anger the non-human Demon King, who will unleash the four great chaos and calamities. The non-human Demon King harms people's livestock and possessions, causing houses to burn, earthquakes, and fields and houses to sink.

    When mountains collapse, livestock, fields, and houses are buried beneath, and those people eventually starve to death; some are tragically killed by thieves and enemies. The threat of storms and floods caused immense grief; some farmers suffered from rust, frost, and hail; livestock contracted choking, rinderpest, and scours, leaving them with nothing to eat and forcing them to beg, only to find their food leading to their death. In their next life, after repaying five hundred karmic debts, they will be reborn in the Gateless Iron Chamber Hell, where they will remain for a billion years without liberation.

    Horses, cattle, and sheep are considered livestock by humans, and because humans and celestial beings in the snowy Tibetan region uphold the same vow, killing these animals will surely anger the gods. The Dharma protectors dispatch spirits and deities. These spirits and deities damage the internal organs, causing imbalances in the body's four elements, leading to indigestion, incessant vomiting day and night, salivation syndrome, diarrhea, septicemia, and death. Some suffer from pharyngeal obstruction, dying of thirst and hunger; others experience intestinal turmoil, with wounds recurring and spreading, eventually becoming incurable, and dying from the decay of their internal organs. After repaying five hundred karmic debts in future lives, they will fall into the extremely hot hell, unable to escape for twelve billion years.

    Whether killing birds or hunting clawed animals, the repayment of karmic debts and the experience of karmic retribution are exactly the same. This is only the main aspect; the uncertain karmic retributions are varied, and the karmic effects of sentient beings are inconceivable.

    In short, killing brings retribution: suffering the torment of illness and demonic obstacles in this life; enduring the pain and lifespan of hell after death; those who kill and are currently happy like those in the Pure Land will immediately fall into the Vajra Avici Hell after death, with no hope of liberation.

    In addition, there are the ten general non-virtuous deeds and the five heinous crimes. "The karmic consequences and suffering of killing are unimaginable. Wherever one is reborn in this life or the next, one will experience immeasurable suffering; this is the unavoidable law of cause and effect. Therefore, those who do not believe in cause and effect, who have no compassion, and who wantonly commit the sin of killing will inevitably experience such karmic results. This is my advice, Padmasambhava."

    The king listened, weeping. After hearing these words, he said sorrowfully, "Master, this is truly tragic. Then please tell me, Master, what method is there to eliminate all the afflictions and illnesses resulting from the karmic consequences of killing? And what method is there to escape such unbearable suffering in the lower realms in the next life?"

    Padmasambhava said with deep sorrow, "In the future degenerate age, people will be extremely fond of the sin of killing, and will have no time for repentance. There is no method more effective and meritorious than abstaining from killing and encouraging others to abstain from killing. Even merely vowing not to kill certain sentient beings will prevent that person from encountering misfortune, suffering, and harm. If one can completely abstain from killing, except for deeply ingrained karmic consequences from the past..." Aside from evil deeds, there will be no suffering or misfortune. The eight classes of gods and dragons will protect and bless them, and I, Guru Rinpoche, will constantly watch over them, relieving them of all fear.

    The way for those already burdened with heavy sins in future lives to escape hell is through the practice of releasing animals and saving sentient beings from imminent death. Even the Buddhas have never spoken of a deeper method than this.

    The karmic consequences of killing one hundred wild animals in this life can be purified by releasing eighteen lives. Saving seven lives from being killed can also lead to liberation from hell and the bliss of liberation. This is the unchanging Vajra speech of me, Guru Rinpoche. Your Majesty, among all sins, none is more serious than the wrong view of slandering the Three Jewels and the karmic consequences of killing. Similarly, I, Guru Rinpoche, have never seen a greater virtuous result than abstaining from killing, teaching others to abstain from killing, saving lives, and teaching others to save lives.

    Therefore, all rulers and ministers, why do you not diligently abstain from killing and release animals? Your Majesty, will you continue to devoutly believe in the sinful and murderous deeds of the Bon religion, or will you immediately abstain from killing and release animals? Please consider this carefully.

    The teaching of never harming sentient beings is unique to Buddhism; no other religion possesses it. Please remember this and engrave it in your heart. This is the teaching of all Buddhas of the three times; I hope you will not transgress my vows of body, speech, and mind. Your Majesty, this teaching is a hidden treasure in the southern part of the central temple of Samye. In the future, the Vidyadhara Meje Lingpa, an emanation of Aja Gyalwa, will retrieve this treasure, and his work benefiting sentient beings will be extremely vast. "

    Afterwards, Guru Rinpoche and his consort returned to the secluded abode of Yudo Dzaga. Guru Rinpoche examined the seventh chapter on the faults of Bon, Samaya,

    and entrusted it to the protector deity Tsangdongma for protection. Gya Gya Gya, Ote! Thus, the infallible Vajra words spoken by Guru Padmasambhava clearly reveal the ripening karmic consequences of those who hunt wild animals in this life, the retribution

    they will receive in future lives, and the merits of abstaining from killing. There is no need for further explanation, but two points should be emphasized here. First, as mentioned above, all animals are the livestock of gods, ghosts, and humans, because they have already taken them as their own. Killing these animals will inevitably lead to their revenge, bringing various misfortunes to those who kill.

    Second, all animals are the reincarnations of one's own parents, children, and descendants; therefore, killing them incurs such severe karmic consequences. As Vajra Guru Shagpa said: 'Parents are reborn as wild animals because of attachment to their homeland; they are reborn as livestock because of attachment to their own family; some are reborn as lice or nits because of attachment to their own kind. Those with compassion should have pity on them.'" "

    Parents, out of attachment to their homeland, are reborn there, hoping to see their descendants, relatives, and friends. Yet their descendants become hunters, slaughtering and eating their own flesh and drinking their blood. How can one not feel a pang of compassion at this thought?! Or, their descendants, out of attachment to their homeland, are reborn there, only to be slaughtered by their living fathers. Such phenomena are countless.

    As the Venerable Katya said in the past: 'Eating one's father's flesh and beating one's mother, embracing the enemy who killed one, wives gnawing on their husbands' bones—the cycle of rebirth is truly rare.'" This is a true depiction of such phenomena. While eating the flesh and blood of slaughtered animals, one throws stones at a nearby female dog; the enemy who killed them in the past is reborn as their child, while their parents and spouse from a previous life are reborn as animals (note: animals in the animal realm). In other words, the wild beasts in one's homeland and the livestock in front of one's door are all reborn because of greed and attachment. Therefore, slaughtering wild beasts and livestock is mostly the same as killing one's own parents and offspring! The unimaginable consequences are self-evident. Therefore, there is no karmic consequence more severe than killing, and no sin greater than killing!

    The Buddha himself said in the scriptures that killing one sentient being requires enduring being boiled in hell for one intermediate kalpa (a kalpa equivalent to hundreds of millions of years in the human realm). Therefore, abstaining from killing and releasing captive animals are rare and significant practices in the world.

    Thus, the merits of abstaining from killing and releasing captive animals should also be proclaimed here .

    Emaho! Namo Penojna! Homage to the Holy One who eradicates samsara!

    There is a story: Long ago, in India, there was a heretical king named Zhejian. Because he loved warm, meaty food, he slaughtered tens of thousands of innocent beings. As a result of this karmic consequence, he fell into the Vajra Hell of the eighteen levels of hell, suffering torment. Every hundred deaths and resurrections resulted in his rebirth in this hell. Venerable Ananda, having witnessed the suffering of these impure beings, asked the Buddha for the reason. The Buddha replied, "This person is experiencing the karmic consequence of liking meaty food and killing sentient beings." Ananda then eagerly asked Yama, the King of Hell, "Is there a way for this person to be liberated?" Yama solemnly replied, "To liberate him from the evil realms, releasing captive animals in the world will bring liberation." "So Ananda immediately released the man, and as a result, he was freed from the Vajra Hell.

    Merit: 'Releasing life has the same merit as upholding the Bhikkhu precepts. Releasing one sheep can purify the sin of falling into the lower realms once; releasing one goat can purify the sin of falling into the lower realms seven times; even the sin of killing a hundred people or a hundred horses in the world can be purified by releasing eleven lives; releasing thirteen lives can purify the sins of countless eons. Releasing life can also prolong life; for someone whose lifespan is nearing its end and who is destined to die in three days, releasing thirteen lives will certainly extend their life by three years. Killing a released life is the same sin as killing a hundred people. These immeasurable sins were declared by the World-Honored One in the sutras. Excellent!'" "

    The merit of releasing animals is something Shakyamuni Buddha himself spoke of, therefore you should all believe it without doubt. Throughout one's life, one should dedicate oneself as much as possible to saving the lives of all sentient beings, large and small, and to the act of releasing animals. Those who slaughter wild animals, in particular, should extend their own respect for life to all sentient beings, and with intense and unbearable remorse,

    diligently repent for their sins and transgressions. If you wish to purify all your sins as quickly as possible, you should initiate the greatest effort—the sole act of releasing animals—to save lives. Even the lives of fish, loaches, and insects should be saved with all your might; the merit is the same. Although the bodies of sentient beings differ in size, their love for their own lives is the same. Especially on auspicious days when the merit is multiplied ten thousandfold (such as the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, a Buddhist festival), one should diligently release animals.

    The faults of smoking, drinking alcohol, and killing wild animals have been briefly explained. Reposting this is of immeasurable merit!"