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Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Wed Oct 24, 2012 1:28 pm
by cvaidya94
:buddha1: :namaste: :candle: :buddha2:
In Sotar Sutta
The Listener
Buddha told:
"And how is a monk an endurer? There is the case where a monk is resilient to cold, heat, hunger, and thirst; the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles; ill-spoken, unwelcome words and bodily feelings that, when they arise, are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, disagreeable, displeasing, and menacing to life. This is how a monk is an endurer.
In Kayagata Sati Sutta
Buddha told:
Ten Benefits
"Monks, for one in whom mindfulness immersed in the body is cultivated, developed, pursued, given a means of transport, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, and well-undertaken, ten benefits can be expected. Which ten?
"[1] He conquers displeasure and delight, and displeasure does not conquer him. He remains victorious over any displeasure that has arisen.
"[2] He conquers fear and dread, and fear and dread do not conquer him. He remains victorious over any fear and dread that have arisen.
"[3] He is resistant to cold, heat, hunger, thirst, the touch of gadflies and mosquitoes, wind and sun and creeping things; to abusive, hurtful language; he is the sort that can endure bodily feelings that, when they arise, are painful, sharp, stabbing, fierce, distasteful, disagreeable, deadly.
etc. ..... (The [3] is important.
In Sabbasava Sutta
(All the Fermentations)
"[3] And what are the fermentations to be abandoned by using? There is the case where a monk, reflecting appropriately, uses the robe simply to counteract cold, to counteract heat, to counteract the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles; simply for the purpose of covering the parts of the body that cause shame.
"Reflecting appropriately, he uses lodging simply to counteract cold, to counteract heat, to counteract the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles; simply for protection from the inclemency’s of weather and for the enjoyment of seclusion.
"[4] And what are the fermentations to be abandoned by tolerating? There is the case where a monk, reflecting appropriately, endures. He tolerates cold, heat, hunger, and thirst; the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, and reptiles; ill-spoken, unwelcome words and bodily feelings that, when they arise, are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, disagreeable, displeasing, and menacing to life. The fermentations, vexation, or fever that would arise if he were not to tolerate these things do not arise for him when he tolerates them. These are called the fermentations to be abandoned by tolerating.
:juggling: :sage:
:reading: Sorry, but I don't know the real answer of your question that how "bad" is killing a mosquito? I don't know how to measure "badness." If rebirth is considered as the measure then I think one will be reborn as a mosquito (and someone else will kill it again).

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 6:52 pm
by Parth
What does one do if somebody is with his / her pregnant wife / sister and there is malaria / dengue spread in town. What do u do then. Do u kill a mosquito or not, it may be a question of one life against two but how do u determine since u would be killing based on suspicion.

Metta

Parth

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 7:30 pm
by LonesomeYogurt
parth wrote:What does one do if somebody is with his / her pregnant wife / sister and there is malaria / dengue spread in town. What do u do then. Do u kill a mosquito or not, it may be a question of one life against two but how do u determine since u would be killing based on suspicion.

Metta

Parth
These questions are very difficult, and should serve as a motivator for us to continue our practice so that we may escape Samsara and not have to deal with them anymore!

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Fri Oct 26, 2012 9:16 pm
by Polar Bear
parth wrote:What does one do if somebody is with his / her pregnant wife / sister and there is malaria / dengue spread in town. What do u do then. Do u kill a mosquito or not, it may be a question of one life against two but how do u determine since u would be killing based on suspicion.

Metta

Parth
Tell your wife to wear a mosquito net of course :idea:

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 12:55 pm
by Parth
You can't wear a mosquito net, there needs to be gap between the net and your skin for it to work. Even if u have mosquito repellents but if a mosquito has managed through that, what do u do ! I mean it is a practical situation.

Regards

Parth

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Sat Oct 27, 2012 5:33 pm
by Kamran
Buddhism is not dogmatic like Christianity. Rational thought, rather than blind obedience to a scripture or teacher is encouraged.

As Thanissaro Bikhu has said you have to be true to yourself not to the Pali Canon or any teacher.

"How do you know if the texts are what the Buddha really said ? " - Thanissaro Bikhu

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 3:36 pm
by theY
Preparation is the most important method for you.

1.In fact,

if you prepare in every way before your dears will face with mosquitoes, your dears will survive from their strike. But you may forget to prepare or your preparation is defectively.

2.In fact,

if your sons didn't kill/strike another, they will secure now.

3.In fact,

you can drive out by hand or other tools, but you may be lazy, or bore, aren't busy because you can kill mosquitoes, to drive out them.

4.In fact,

you can call for constitution changing, but you completely can't call for changing of success action. So, why you didn't ask like this 'Is the taking a side with mosquito killing' action let you completely get literal twice 3 benefits?

etc.

Conclusion fact,

you should try more to change your unwholesome behavior--forgetfulness to prepare, killing another, lazy/bore to drive mosquitoes out by yourself, and thinking more about benefits of acting, because you can't change the laws of phenomena. But you can develop some phenomena to get some better phenomena by your self.

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2012 2:20 am
by xtracorrupt
I think a possible reason for why you killed the mosquito was attachment to your son, I think the attachment is probably of goodness, as I think you are probably concerned with the suffering of your son, but I still think that judging the life of the mosquito as less valuable then your son's life is ignorant because I don't understand how one life can more valuable then another's unless that person's life ends more suffering. I think you should have tried a method of causing less suffering, as the mosquito had no need to lose it's life and I think the killing of something is always bad because I think we don't know how long until that mosquito gets to live again(rebirth). I now think you should and make your son bring the most happiness to this world as I think this will bring good karma and I think it will make the bad karma of killing the mosquito less bad.

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 5:57 pm
by Moth
Why kill the mosquito? Just blow it off.

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Sun Nov 04, 2012 6:22 pm
by DAWN
Moth wrote:Why kill the mosquito? Just blow it off.
:rofl:

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Sat Nov 10, 2012 2:47 am
by Parth
The question which i raisdwas : What does one do if somebody is with his / her pregnant wife / sister and there is malaria / dengue spread in town. What do u do then. Do u kill a mosquito or not, it may be a question of one life against two but how do u determine since u would be killing based on suspicion. Blowing away may not be a solution in such a circumstance since you will realise later if the mosquito bites one in the leg.

I mean what will u do with rats if plague has spread in the city.

Metta

Parth

Re: How bad is killing a mosquito?

Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:27 pm
by Sambojjhanga
parth wrote:The question which i raisdwas : What does one do if somebody is with his / her pregnant wife / sister and there is malaria / dengue spread in town. What do u do then. Do u kill a mosquito or not, it may be a question of one life against two but how do u determine since u would be killing based on suspicion. Blowing away may not be a solution in such a circumstance since you will realise later if the mosquito bites one in the leg.

I mean what will u do with rats if plague has spread in the city.

Metta

Parth
Of course, this brings up the whole issue of washing one's hands, use of antibiotics, pest control, etc., etc.

I'll be honest and say that I don't have a clear answer for you, but rather remind all of us that it has to do with intent and common sense. We aren't Jains. There ARE ways to have pests removed without personally killing them.

Here's a situation most of us are more likely to be faced with. How do you get rid of ants in your house? Personally, I call a pest control service. I live in an area where the ants aren't so much interested in food (the first thing to do is make sure you keep your place clean) but are more interested in finding water (I live in an arid clime.) I'm not sure if this is the most skilled way to handle the situation or not, but I don't really see any difference in this and my eating meat that I haven't personally killed.

Again, I'm not saying I have the best answer, but there has to be some sensible solution between personally killing every pest we don't care for and simply living with every creature crawling all over every thing. I think ants make a good case as it's not really practical to remove them individually as I might do the errant spider or beetle I find from time to time.

Do the Suttas give us any guidance in this at all?

Metta,

:anjali: