Have you ever felt your heart melting when you look at your adorable pets and wonder about their consciousness? Buddhism offers a unique perspective on this matter.
In Buddhism, the concept of an unchanging soul doesn’t exist for humans or animals. Instead, there’s a continuum of consciousness that flows through multiple lives. The Dalai Lama explains this in “The World of Tibetan Buddhism”:
“The continuity of consciousness that goes from life to life is called the ‘mindstream’ … From the Buddhist point of view, the mind or consciousness is non-physical, non-material.”
Buddhism recognizes animals as sentient beings with consciousness. In the Lankavatara Sutra, the Buddha states: “In this long course of rebirth there is not one among living beings with form who has not been mother, father, brother, sister, son, or daughter, or some other relative. Being connected with the process of taking birth, one Is kin to all wild and domestic animals, birds, and beings born from the womb.”
This teaching emphasizes the interconnectedness of all beings and encourages compassion towards animals. The Dhammapada, a collection of sayings of the Buddha, further reinforces this:
“All tremble at violence; all fear death. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.” So, what does this mean for us?
- Treat animals with kindness: They’re not so different from us. The Buddha taught in the Metta Sutta:
“Just as a mother would protect her only child with her life, even so let one cultivate a boundless love towards all beings.” - Be a responsible pet owner: Your pet’s experiences now could shape their future lives. In “The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying,” Sogyal Rinpoche writes: “If we have a good heart and live a good life, there is no need to fear death.”
- Understand impermanence: Your relationship with your pets, like all things, is temporary. As the Buddha taught in the Sutta Nipata: “The world is continuously burning. Why this laughter, why this jubilation? Shrouded in darkness, will you not see the light?”
- Consider a vegetarian diet: Many Buddhists avoid meat because animals are seen as sentient beings. The Mahaparinirvana Sutra states: “The eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion.”
In conclusion, Buddhism encourages us to see the world through a lens of compassion, recognizing the consciousness in all beings. As the Buddha said in the Dhammapada:
“All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?””