Animals: Tradition - Philosophy - Religion Article from All-Creatures.org

Buddhist Narrative Re-Weavings of Animal Liberation

From Adriana DiFazio, CompassionConsortium.org
March 2023

Through further study and contemplation of my own personal karma and the Four Noble Truths of Suffering, I discovered that it was my moral imperative to reconsider how I perpetuated so many forms of harm that went beyond the human species.

Tiger on Buddha statue

When I was 23 years old, I decided to foster a dog. I rode the subway up to a Petco on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and picked up a small brindle dachshund-terrier mix that had just been rescued from the kill list of a Los Angeles shelter. The adoption agency was unable to tell me his name amidst the chaos of about 20 other barking dogs, but given his black, grey, and brown speckled coat, I gave him the name Peppino, an Italian derivative of the word pepper. Peppino was five years old and had human-like eyes that made him look like he was always sad. He was quiet, with a sweet and loyal demeanor that swayed me within 48 hours to apply for adoption and become his forever dog-mom.

Peppino and I did everything together. He slept in my bed, came to work with me, and ate the scraps from my meals. I knew I was beginning to see another, brighter side of him when he would stand on his hind legs and jump into the air with excitement when he wanted a treat or toy. The intimate friendship we developed persuaded me to reconsider my eating habits and switch to a vegetarian diet. I had considered vegetarianism before but thought it was impractical at best and at worst an obstacle to connecting to my Italian-Filipino heritage. But when Peppino came into my life, and I became familiar with the complexities of his inner emotional workings, I couldn’t reconcile how I could eat one animal, and say that Peppino, a dog, was my best friend.

A year after Peppino’s adoption, I took my formal Buddhist precepts and was forced to seriously consider the first precept “to not kill.” What did it practically mean to not cause harm? How was I promoting or hindering life? When the Buddha talked about the end of suffering, did he mean only for humans? What does liberation look like for all beings?

....

Please read the ENTIRE PRESENTATION HERE.

 

---

Return to Animals: Tradition—Philosophy—Religion Articles