I came across the Kutadanta Sutta (on ‘a bloodless sacrifice’), which records how the Buddha taught about the superior and ultimate spiritual sacrifice not being that of any sentient being’s life, but the sacrifice (giving up) of one’s defilements. As the sutta is quite long, I summarised the second half of it into prose form, [...]

This is a message from Human Society International. It might be belated, but it’s important and we can work towards ending the next round of killing… We urgently need your help [by signing the petition here] to stop the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of animals [some say half a million] next week during the [...]

Yet another birthday celebration with an eggless cake. Yet another attempt to educate on why it’s insensitive to animals’ suffering. Call me a killjoy perhaps, but there is no joy in being killed for others’ joy. Below is my reply to all to a mass email asking for fund-pooling for a bought cake. Hi, Apologies [...]

The graphic travelogue ‘French Milk’ by Lucy Knisley is mostly about her good times during her six week vacation in Paris. However, the ‘scene’ that caught my attention most was that of her feeling ‘miserable about feeling miserable’, lying down radiating ‘waves of self-loathing (instead of sending waves of loving-kindness to herself)’. She had finished [...]

We jail and fine those who abuse and torture pets, but isn’t culling harmless animals the extreme form of abuse and torture? A good friend sent an email asking signatures for an on-going petition to help stop the extermination of all stray cats in Singapore. It is really sad to know that in this age, [...]

Pol: Does your brother eat what he fishes? Jat: Yup. Pol: Eweeh! He should just catch and release. I do that. I think it’s too cruel to eat what you fish. Yah: Huh? Catch and release isn’t kind either. Pol: True, but at least it won’t have to die. Jat: Did you cut away the [...]

A Tit for a Tat (20) Tit: Hey, why spray the insects? Tot: Because they are pests. (Tot is four years old.) Tit: Because Tot wants to kill them, Tot is a big pest to them! Tot: But they sometimes dirty the place. Tit: Because Tot sometimes dirty the place too, should we spray Tot [...]

In ‘Timbuktu’ by Paul Auster (illustrated by Julia Goschke for an abridged graphic novel), the author explores human homelessness via the vision of a vagrant dog. Ostracised by society, as Mr. Bones the dog put it, ’He would have to keep on moving, even if he had nowhere to go.’ There is no true lasting refuge [...]

Understanding ‘Underworld’ Underdogs http://buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,7765,0,0,1,0 ‘Underworld: Rise of the Lycans’ is the instalment of the trilogy that explains how the lycans (werewolves) were enslaved by the vampires in the first place, and how the the first came to rebel against the latter, thereafter becoming enemies. Psyche-wise, the vampires resemble asuras who are power-hungry while the lycans [...]

I came across the following stories from the Theravada tradition relating how even animals can be reborn in the heavens. Here’s a a take with a more Mahayana flavour… Animals can also be born in Pure Land – which is a good reason to take care of them while exposing them to the Dharma. Perhaps [...]

The ‘Twilight’ or Dawn of Desire? http://buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=12,7673,0,0,1,0 What if you have the power of great strength and speed, and are able to remain ever youthful? Sounds like invincible eternal life? Not really, as the vampires in the movie ‘Twilight’, like others, can die too – especially when slayed by other equally powerful vampires. What literally [...]

I was at a group dinner last weekend, during which the conversation centered mostly around food. That seen as ‘great food’ for most is but burnt carcasses to me, no matter how well masked the meat is with herbs and spices. I can no longer comprehend why anyone can be fascinated by meat, isn’t it [...]

The below email dialogue with a fellow reader is about the ethics of neutering cats to prevent the multiplication of strays, which might lead to their culling by animal control authorities. She is for the neutering of cats, but was posed some tricky questions by other Buddhists. (She keeps two vegan cats, one a stray [...]