Abstract
Buddhist texts generally prohibit the killing or harming of any sentient being. However, while such a ban may seem straightforward, it becomes much more complex when annoying or dangerous animals are involved. This paper focuses on one such animal—the rat. These rodents feature prominently in monastics’ daily lives, so it should come as no surprise that both Indian and Chinese Buddhist masters pay attention to them. In the first part of the paper, we investigate the problems that rats can cause, how monastics deal with them, and what the authors-compilers of Buddhist vinaya (disciplinary) texts have to say about them. In the second part, we focus on how Daoxuan 道宣 (596–667)—one of the most prominent vinaya masters of the early Tang Dynasty—interprets the vinaya guidelines and their implementation in Chinese monasteries. As we will see, he raises a number of potential issues with regard to strict adherence to the Buddhist principles of no killing and no harming, and so reveals some of the problematic realities that he felt monastics faced in seventh century China.
Highlights
As is well known, Buddhism calls for the protection of all living beings, humans and animals alike
We focus on how Daoxuan 道宣 (596–667)—one of the most prominent vinaya masters of the early Tang Dynasty—
Graha—*Viśes.amitra’s (?–?) commentary on the Mūlasarvāstivāda vinaya that the aforementioned Yijing translated into Chinese—insists that robes must be handled with care and stored in places where they will not be eaten by insects, chewed on by cows, or gnawed on by rats (T no. 1458, 24: 5.554b1–3)
Summary
Buddhism calls for the protection of all living beings, humans and animals alike. All of the Buddhist disciplinary texts, Indian and Chinese alike, regard every living being as a creature to be protected: that is, they should never be harmed or killed They do permit humans to safeguard themselves against dangerous and/or annoying animals.. 1428, 22: 3.585b21–22, 3.586c5) defines places where there are tigers, wolves, lions, bears, and other “evil animals” (zhu e shou 諸惡獸), including ants, as “difficult” (nan 難).6 While these ferocious animals may pose a mortal danger to monastics, annoying creatures—especially insects, such as mosquitoes, flies, ants, and bedbugs—have the capacity to plague their lives on a daily basis.. The vinayas provide recommendations on how to live alongside them, such as how to avoid or repair damage they may cause without harming the animals themselves It is self-evident from these texts that rodents were pervasive in monastic buildings, so handling them was a daily concern. Rodents provoke strong antipathy, leading to intense discussions on the fate of these animals
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