Written by: Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen
Lu
Translated by: Harmony
Edited by: Dance Smith
Proofread by: Jessie
Chapter 7: Overdoing And Underdoing
In New York, animal rights activists beat up a lady wearing a mink
coat. The lady shrieked in distress, "I am also an animal!
Who will protect me?" The animal rights activists are committed
to protecting animals. However, they forgot that humans are also
a species of animal.
In Hampshire, England, another group of animal rights activists
sneaked into a mink farm at night and released 6000 minks. It takes
40 minks to make a mink coat. The organization had good intentions,
but they failed to realize that minks are bestial killers. They
are violent animals in nature - they not only fight for food, they
also prey on their own kind and others. Although minks are not big
in size, they are capable of attacking larger animals. Imagine 6000
minks running all over causing a great disturbance, affecting all
the domestic and wild animals in the area. They even invaded homes,
threatening the safety of young children. The English government
had headaches dealing with this kind of "alternative terrorism".
Releasing these 6000 minks caused tens of thousands of other animals
to get hurt or killed. These people really forgot that other animals
are also animals.
Buddhism is against killing and encourages the freeing of living
beings. This is the right thing to do. Nevertheless, if releasing
an animal will cause harm to even more animals, is it correct? I
feel they went too far.
Moreover, just because they wanted to save minks, they brutally
beat a person wearing mink. I feel they overdid it. Even though
Buddhism is against killing, Buddha once killed a man to save the
lives of five hundred others! Buddha taught us the principle of
the Middle Way. To over-protect and to under-protect animals are
both inappropriate. One should observe the teaching of the Middle
Way.
