|
Questions & Answers with Choegon
Rinpoche on Life Release:
Many of Rinpoche students are keen on learning
about the authentic Dharma approaches in life releases, and we are
indeed very fortunate to have Rinpoche sharing with us briefly on
the Vajrayana perspective on 'protecting life' in the act of life
release.
Below are the transcripts of a recent teaching
expounded by Drukpa Choegon Rinpoche in the form of 'question &
answer'.
|
Student: |
Rinpoche, why Buddhist always emphasize in life
releases? They often perform this type of activities, especially
during the important days of Buddhist. What is the significance to
engage in such an act? |
|
| Rinpoche: |
The very
fundamental teaching of Buddha is not harming. Then, it will be
automatically understood that protecting lives is the virtuous acts
that should be adopted by all Buddhist.
Harming other particularly killing with
an anger mind bring incredible heavy karma, that the only possible
exit for one upon death is the lower realms.
In Buddhist perspective, many are
suffered and tormented by various incurable diseases in their lives
are the direct result of the ripening of their negative karma of
the present or previous lives.
On the other hand, refrain from killing
and sincerely engaging in protecting lives bring about good health,
long life, peace and happiness in this life and lives to come.
|
|
| Student: |
Some are criticizing our act of life releases is actually doing
more harm than good to the animal. For example, how do we ensure
their survival after being released, etc.? |
|
| Rinpoche: |
Their accusation may make sense to a
certain extend. That's why when one intends to perform life
release, one need to carefully plan and carry out the release. It's
not just to acquire the creatures, and let it go; that's it!
We need to find out, at least, whether
the place to be, is generally safe and suitable for the animals to
live on. For example, if one wishes to release some fishes, and he
or she went on to purchase some fishes and release it to a
beautiful pond where hundred of people come fishing everyday . . .
This obviously is not appropriate.
Even so, the act of offering protection
and saving life is unquestionable a noble deed. Just imagine how
the animals would feel if someone could save them from being
slaughtered for food. We have to always put ourselves in the
position of those animals - feel their fear; try to understand
their pains and sufferings . . . then you will be able to decide
yourself whether the act of life release bring harms or good to the
animals?
|
|
| Student: |
But I saw . . . I guess it's more appropriate to say 'in my
opinion'; I think some organizations are just doing it as a form of
'business'. They colleted money, says for 10,000 lives releases for
so and so, for such and such reasons or wishes - mainly for
terminal illness sufferers, long life, etc ... However, when we
look at the ways, they handled those creatures; it doesn't make us
feel that it's an act of compassion . . . |
|
| Rinpoche: |
For Buddhist, wisdom and compassion are
symbolized as the two wings of a bird. Lack of either one, the bird
will not be able to fly. Similarly, we need to develop wisdom and
cultivate genuine compassion in all our acts, including the life
release.
One may yet develop the wisdom and
compassion per se, but one is definitely equipped with a kind
loving heart and discriminating capability to distinguish between
the genuine acts of loving kindness and commercial business
dealing.
It's important for those who wish to
engage in life releasing to find the proper, genuine organization
to perform the life releases on their behalf. Otherwise, it will
not bring much benefits, or may, in fact, cause additional piling
up of negative karmas.
|
|
| Student: |
We know that as a Buddhist, we are prohibited from killing, and
are not supposed to eat those meats that are sacrificed purposely
for us, nor we are allowed to go to a restaurant pointing at the
particular fishes or any other creatures to have it as our meal.
However, unfortunately, sometimes this sinful act does occur
unintentionally. For example, in business meetings, some of the
business associates are particularly fond of 'living creatures', so
they always insisted in choosing their 'prey' as food . . . We have
no intention of killing, but at the same time we could not stop
them from doing so . . . And we are eating at the same table . . .
What should we do Rinpoche? |
|
| Rinpoche: |
I totally understand this . . . It's
not easy to convince those non believers in adopting our way of
life. And, they may think that we are very weird to some extend . .
.
In those circumstances, we should
behave normal, and act totally natural. When the dishes of that
sacrificed animals or creatures are served, you may take a small
piece of their meat and with compassion in your heart, quietly
chant 'Om Mani Pedme Hung' or Buddha Akshobhya Mantra for 7 or 21
times, and blow onto the meat. Visualize that by the power of the
mantra, the creatures are liberated to a higher realm. After that,
you may eat the meat or just leave it in your plate and continue
your meal very naturally.
|
|
| Student: |
What if when we eat out, we accidentally ordered some dishes
that actually involved killing . . . which we are not aware
initially, but discovered later that our ignorance has cost the
lives of many . . . ? |
|
| Rinpoche: |
If that is the case, you should confess
immediately when you discovered the truth. Then, you should engage
in releasing life of the same type of creatures you have
harmed.
Traditionally, in Vajrayana, one should
perform at least three-time life releases of the same
creatures in three different occasions, preferably in the special
days such as Buddha Medicine's day, Buddha Amitabha's day, Buddha
Sakyamuni's day, etc.
One should feel deep remorse in one's
heart, and vow not to commit the same sinful act again in the
future, even at the cost of one's life. Genuinely regretful feeling
of one's harmful action is a powerful and effective way to cleanse
one's negative karma.
In the contrary, it doesn't matter how
many times you performed the life releases, but if there is no
regret in your heart, and you do not feel compassion toward those
creatures you have killed . . . The outwardly virtuous activities
remain merely a ceremony with little benefits.
|
|
| Student: |
Is there a timeframe for this 'mending' or 'remedial' life
releases to be done? |
|
| Rinpoche: |
In Vajrayana, any negative acts should
be confessed immediately when one realized it. And, the 'remedial'
life release should be performed right away, if conditions permit.
Otherwise, it should be done within 3 days, 7 days or 3 weeks; the
soonest the better. Once it has passed 3 years, we believed that
the negative karma will be very difficult to purify. |
|
| Student: |
Can Rinpoche please teach us a simple and yet complete way to
perform life release? |
|
| Rinpoche: |
One should prepare a bottle of clean
water, and with single pointed mind and devotion, pray to Buddha
Akshobhya, and chants His mantra ( or just chant "Om Mani Pedme
Hung" if one does not have oral transmission for the previous
mantra) for at least 21 times or more. Then, blow into the water,
and visualize that Buddha Akshobhya's blessings dissolved into the
water. If one has Dharma pills on hand, it would be very beneficial
to add few pills into the water before chanting.
Then, bring along this water with you
to perform the life release. In front of the animals or creatures
that you are about to release, chant the mantra again to make the
animal hear the sound of the mantra, and sprinkle the blessing
water into their mouths, if feasible. Then, we should carefully and
gently release them, to minimize inflicting any possible harm to
them.
As with all Vajrayana practices, you should conclude the session
with merit dedication.
|
|
| Student: |
What should be in our mind during the life release time? |
|
| Rinpoche: |
We should try to think, how pitiful are
these creatures having a body or life that does not enable them to
learn Dharma or engage in merit accumulation. In fact, what they
did in search of happiness will merely draw them to plunge deeper
into samsara, where only more pain and suffering awaits them.
So, in our heart, we should sincerely
feel their pain and misfortune. Knowing that their Buddha nature is
of no different than that of ours, it's just because their current
lives and conditions do not allow them to realize their
primordially enlightened nature. Depth in our heart, we pray that
in future lives, they will be reborn in higher realms, in whatever
forms that it may take to enable them to meet the genuine Dharma
and master, and develop Bodhicitta and realize their Buddha nature,
and achieve complete liberation from the samsara. That's what you
should hold in your mind.
|
|
| Student: |
Does the number of lives being released matter in terms of
merit accumulation from the Buddhist point of view? |
|
| Rinpoche: |
Yes and
no. The number of life that one wishes or able to save is depending
on one capacity. For real wealthy people, of course they are
capable of saving a huge number of beings . . . and if it's done
with pure heart, right motivation and genuine compassion, then the
merit accumulated will be vast too. However, if the ceremony is
performed mainly for selfish intentions, then the virtue derived
from the act will be minimal.
In contrast, if the poorest person
engaged to saving evens the tiniest insect for which he felt
compassionate concern, will bring him incredible merit.
In Buddhism, one has to remember; it's
not how the acts appeared to the eyes of ordinary, but the
underlying intention where one performed the acts.
A seemingly positive action done with
malicious or selfish motivation will not bring many benefits to the
doer. On the other hand, a generally perceive as a non-virtuous
deed to the world could be ended up as a beneficial thing if the
intention behind the act is right and noble.
Click here to
view the prayer text and listen to Rinpoche's chanting
on 'The Mantra to Bless Meat before eating'.
If there is any errors or
inappropriateness found in the transcriptions of Rinpoche
teachings, they are attributable sole to the transcriber, writer,
editor and web administrators; and are not a reflection of
Rinpoche's teachings, which is flawless and insightful as
always.
|
|