法苑珠林 64.5

64.5

With reverence we examine: The Tathāgata established his teachings, profoundly esteeming benevolence and compassion; among the articles of precepts, the prohibition against killing is paramount. Sentient beings are defiled by greed and cherish their own bodies, punishing and harming the lives of others to nurture their own flesh. Bound by the craving for savoury flavours, they practice fishing and hunting in a hundred ways; coveting sweet and fatty meats, they set snares and nets of ten thousand kinds. Some hold falcons and loose hounds, braving and crossing hills and mounds; clasping swords and raising spears, they burst through forests and marshes. Or they lower lines into rivers and seas, and cast nets over streams and lakes, angling for fish with fragrant bait and shooting birds with golden pellets. Thus light scales lose their lives and frail feathers cut short their years; burrows are bereft of new litters, and nests are void of old eggs. Having exhausted the grassy marshes, they call their companions to make merry and return. Thereupon the fat melts in cauldrons and kettles, and flesh is minced from withered forms; consciousness adheres to the soup, and the soul lingers in the sliced fish. How could they expect their own bodies to be precious while other lives are deemed light, thereby destroying the forms of others to nourish their own bodies and lives? Caring only for their palates, they disregard bitter agony; merely for the kitchen, they recklessly inflict slaughter and dissection. This causes enemies and grudges to fill the underworld, and debt collectors to pursue them across the entire empty realm. With signs of unwholesome karma, they adorn themselves; never for an instant do they cast off their various evil disciplines. For this reason, the Bodhisattva knits his brows, and the Great Being weeps tears. Yet consider that through the four forms of birth they alternately undergo rebirth, transmigrating in the six destinies. A storehouse of enmity in this life was once a closest relative in the past; an intimate friend of a former life has now become an estranged acquaintance. Having transformed their forms and altered their appearances, they no longer recognize each other. Perishing there and being born here—how can this be fathomed? But for the Path of Compassion, rescuing and extricating come first; within the Bodhisattva's bosom, sympathetic deliverance serves as the practice. One should always traverse the hells throughout, taking on suffering in their stead, widely delivering sentient beings and bestowing peace and happiness.