Living Harmlessly in the World by Hunter Liguore
Living
Harmlessly in the World:
On
Honoring the Buddha’s First Precept to Not Take Life
By Hunter Liguore
When
it came to the Buddha’s First Precept, to not take life, I thought for sure
this would be an easy practice to learn. How hard would it be to stop eating
meat and killing bugs in my house? As I grew more attentive to my daily
actions, however, I began to see how harshly I walked in the world. Fumbling
through the day, I saw how my actions, though unintentional, harmed other
creatures, due to my shear carelessness and lack of awareness. Over time, as I
developed a daily practice, vowing not to take life, I began to see an array of
opportunities to not only honor the precept and preserve life, but to deepen my
compassion for all sentient beings.
My
inspiration, for looking closer at my actions, came from hearing Jetsunma
Tenzin Palmo speak so candidly about “living harmlessly in the world.” As
Tenzin explains, we each hold ourselves most dear; for that reason, “We
shouldn’t harm or cause for harm. Just like we don’t want to be hurt, no one else
wants to be hurt. To each animal, its own life is precious.” That goes for
insects, fish, chickens, she adds. “A being truly wise would never even think
of harming another. So we’re trying to model ourselves to be like that.”
One
shift in my way of thinking came when I stopped to notice several insects
floating on top of the water I’d put out for the birds. I thought, at first, it
might be extreme to rescue them, but once I became aware that my action, of
putting out the water, created the condition for the insects to drown, I felt I
couldn’t ignore it. Especially, when I could see several flies fighting for
their lives on the surface of the water.
My
once lack-of-compassion originated from an unspoken hierarchy that dictated
which lives were worth my time to value. The First Precept is to do no harm towards
all sentient beings. But for me, I
was living from a place where humans were at the top, followed by cats and
dogs, horses, polar bears, cows; obvious beings I didn’t want to hurt. If I saw
a dead cat on the side of the road, I got teary-eyed, but if it was a squirrel,
I seemed to have no response or didn’t even notice. But somehow, when I started
to be more mindful of all life, I let
go of ‘me’ at the center, and put other sentient beings first.
That
first day of saving bugs, has became a daily, afternoon practice, one that has
allowed me to check in and be attentive to my ‘harmful footprint.’ One day, I
was impervious to the ripples I’d caused, and the next, I was lifting out a little
gnat most would find insignificant. My heart had opened and overflowed with
compassion for it.
As
human beings sharing this Earth, there are opportunities to heighten the level
with which we approach the precept in order to have a more gentle footprint. “Sometimes,
inevitably, we do have to kill, for the greater good of what we regard as a
more evolved being,” Tenzin explains. “If we’re forced to, don’t do it with
rejoicing, but with genuine regret, and the firm wish that these beings might
be reborn in a higher level of being.”
Her
advice, when facing an infestation of fleas on a dog, for instance, is to talk
to the fleas and “tell them to go,” earnestly, and then give them a chance to
vacate, a practice she insists is proven to work.
On
my journey to respect all creatures, and harm as few as I can, I try to
consider my present actions and the condition it will cause others. Over time,
I’ve learned a few tricks to decrease my harmful footprint:
By
Car:
To
avoid killing wildlife while driving, I’ve learned to slow down, in order to
give the animal and myself time to react. I practice mindfulness meditation
while driving: once I avoided hitting a deer, simply by being present and
alert, while scanning the sides of the highway. At night, I refrain from using
high-beams, to reduce the amount of bugs I kill. Insects, like the white moth,
are drawn into the light, so by using less light, many will avoid the beam and
car altogether.
In
House:
Insects
in the house are easily removed by having a cup and lid in the ready. I’ve
grown attentive to birth cycles to know when certain species will hatch, and
keep cups in each room, and kindly catch and release as needed. (Humane bug
catchers are available). House spiders, I’ve learned, maintain a natural habitat
in the house, so to put them outside, will actually lead to its death. For
mice, I light incense in bottles and place in the attic, to simulate a fire, which
signals ‘danger’ to them, causing them to leave; I also ask nicely. Lavender or
peppermint oil put out also works as a deterrent. As a last resort, humane
traps are also available, not to mention, ultrasound devises that emit a
vibration to keep insects and rodents away. I take measures to seal up the
house to prevent critters from getting inside in the first place. I avoid
spraying chemicals as a preventative, since poison is an intentional means of
killing; it also damages the ecosystem and can end up in groundwater, with
endless ripples for all walks of life.
Other
Considerations:
In
addition to not eating meat, I do my best to also avoid products that contain
hidden animal products that would entail loss of life for them. For instance,
gelatin capsules, used for most vitamins, comes from the bones of animals. At
restaurants, items like French fries are often cooked in animal fat. Some
detergents and fabric softeners, besides being harmful to the environment, also
contain animal products; selecting an eco or vegetable derived product, alleviates
harm. Even wine and tattoos are now available vegan! Shoes were a very easy
item to purchase vegan, as well. In some cases, it may be hard to avoid animal
products, so when I shop, I keep an eye open for vegan and cruelty-free
packaging, like ‘bird or shade-friendly’ coffees that go to extra lengths to
ensure safety to birds.
Decreasing
the amount of harm I cause living creatures has allowed me to see my oneness to
the whole. Rather than feel greater and more important than some beings, I see sameness. This has carried over to
viewing my relationship with people, as well, and how one action can cause harm
to those around me. Equally, the present moment really does matter, since my
present actions do create the conditions of the next moment, for me, and for
the whole. I’ve taken small steps to honor the First Precept, which has helped
me, and hopefully will continue to guide me in being a better person in the
world.
Hunter Liguore teaches social justice writing in the MFA program at
Lesley University. An award-winning author, her work has appeared in over a
hundred and fifty publications, internationally. Her eco-novella, L'ultimo Polare Orso, has been published in Italy,
2018. For more publications, visit: hunterliguore.org
Copyright©2019 by Hunter Liguore – All Rights Reserved