Killing, Is it necessary?
All creatures (animals and humans) love their lives. If we do not
want to be hurt or killed then we can imagine that others do not want to be
hurt or killed either. When I was younger, I heard Khun Yai Chandra taught that
people must not kill even small creatures such as mosquitoes and ants. She said
mosquitoes eat only small amounts of our blood. The result of their eating is
death. They merely hurt us, but we kill them. I did not realize then how not
killing mosquitoes would be very important. However, I follow khun Yai
Chandra’s teachings. After avoiding killing insects for a while, it became my
habit. This habit changed my thought and made me feel afraid to kill even
bigger animals. Now I avoid any killing or hurting.
Anger is the beginning of desire of the desire to hurt and kill.
Once, I went out on a boat with a friend that likes to fish on Lake
Superior, Michigan. I asked him if those fish were hurt when he tried to get
the lure out of the fish’s mouth. He said “yes.” I thought the orthodontic
treatment and the pain of the bands and braces in my mouth. I thought about the
pain that the fish must feel when the lures are in their mouths. It must be
more painful than my orthodontic treatments. I think many people fish for fun,
but those fish do not feel the fun. They feel real pain. I now appreciate what
Khun Yai Chandra taught. The more I avoid killing and hurting animals, the more
I do not want to hurt humans.
If we give good karma, we will get good karma in return.
Anger is the beginning of desire of the desire to hurt and kill. If
I am not angry when a mosquito bites me, I can just chase it away or spray
insect repellant to protect myself. If I were angry I would probably swat it
right away. Taking other people’s lives has many bad effects. If someone is
killed, people in his family will be very sad and angry and maybe seek revenge
and so forth. A killer’s mind is usually rude and brave. Those who do not kill
or hurt anybody will eventually be confident, gentle, and brave. Their minds
will be more powerful and pure. They are not harmful to others. Thus, they will
be loved, and no one will want to hurt or kill them. We do not need to kill. We
will have thoughtful solutions to avoid this killing and hurting in our daily
lives, when we do not want to kill and hurt others. Not killing and hurting is
good karma. If we give good karma, we will get good karma in return. The one
who does not kill is the one who both gives and receives life.
