First Precept Broken?

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The first precept in Buddhism is Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami or I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures. Now, what do you think of this? If you have dissected a frog in a laboratory, has the first precept been broken?



Comments

Liudmila said…
When I see documentaries where lions or snakes, for example, eat alive victim I feel bad.

When I see dogs, monkeys, rats that human make suffer an entire life, infecting them with all types of illnesses... I don't know what to say.
Maybe it's natural selection.
February 20, 2008 at 10:09 AM
footiam said…
I wouldn't be surprised if people attribute karma to this. A being has to perform lowly acts due to past karma, perhaps, I have heard someone said but really not everything is attributed to karma. A blogger from blogcatalog said that he had believed in karma for more than 30 years and lately had realised that it would tied you the cycle of suffering, which of course, is true to a certain extent. But the thing is, some action could be fresh actions, creating new karma and some actions have nothing to do with karma at all. If let's say, someone die during tsunami, it wouldn't have to do with karma, I suppose. What do you think?
February 25, 2008 at 6:29 AM
Liudmila said…
Karma is only the law of conseguences, nothing other. So as I understand it.

From the seed can grow a plant. If there are soil, rain, sun, right temperature in the night -all together. If not -no.

The causes have their "period" as a wave. If this perod finishes with the suffering of the birth and death, the physical body finishes it's existance after this suffering. If the "period" is longer, we need time to exhaust the causes with other sufferings like illness, ageing. That s why all religions don't accept self-murder.

Not all persons were dead during tsunami. Not all newborn children were dead in the hospital under the fallen roof. They were all together in the same place, but some of them survive miracolously... Are you sure, they will be happy for it 20-40 years later? And they will not ask the God "Why I was not dead with all others that day???"
February 26, 2008 at 8:12 AM
footiam said…
That's a great idea. I bet as we wait for the causes to be exhausted, new causes will be created and the period will be prolonged. Not everything is caused by karma then, some of the thing are caused by our actions. Our actions created new karma. And yes, not everyone dies during the tsunami. But it wouldn't be karma that causes the death or the miraculous escape. Outside factors are important too in determining a person's fate. A person may not be happy 20 to 40 years from now, if he never learns to be thankful; thankful that this human world is the best compared to other planes.
February 28, 2008 at 1:08 AM
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