No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 156: | Line 156: | ||
<h4>Dedication for the Animal Realm Beings</h4> | <h4>Dedication for the Animal Realm Beings</h4> | ||
Having dedicated his merit to the welfare of beings in the various hell realms, in verse 16 Śāntideva moves on to the animal realm. | |||
{{QuoteCite | |||
|quote-text=And may the stooping animals be freed | |||
From fear of being preyed upon, each other’s food. (10.16ab)<ref>Wulstan Fletcher and Helena Blankleder (Padmakara Translation Group), trans., The Way of the Bodhisattva: A Translation of the Bodhicharyāvatāra, by Śāntideva (Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2006), 165.</ref> | |||
}} | |||
It is said that the animal realm is generally characterized by ignorance. There are certain exceptional cases where animals show unique mental capabilities, but in general animals lack sophisticated cognitive abilities. Crucially, they are nearly always unaware of any consequence to their actions. They are therefore unable to comprehend what would be necessary to abandon to follow the path to liberation and what actions to take up in service of the path. | |||
Some animals have been born through unusual karmic ripening into situations of great comfort and luxury. But the majority of the wild world is usually prey to uninterrupted suffering. The domesticated animals we see around us, especially the pets of humans, lead lives which are not representative of life in the animal realm. In the wild, most creatures are in constant terror of losing their lives. The threat of direct predators is ever-present, and we see with our own eyes how creatures are in a constant state of agitation. They concern themselves only with immediate needs, such as food, shelter, and mates. | |||
These days we see the new and ever-increasing threat of human impact on the natural habitats of the world, with many species being brought closer and closer to extinction. Here, Śāntideva encourages us to dedicate all our merit for these helpless beings trapped in their animal existence, and particularly from the most direct threat of all, the threat of losing their own life. | |||
<h4>Dedication for the Hungry Ghosts</h4> | |||
It is said that coveting the wealth and possessions of others and being miserly with one’s own is what produces rebirth as a hungry ghost, or preta. The next verses dedicate all accumulated merit to the relief of suffering for beings in the hungry-ghost realm. | |||
}} | }} | ||
The purpose of this website is to provide a resource hub for trustworthy information for learning about and teaching Bodhicitta ("bodhichitta") and Śāntideva's ("Shantideva's") related texts. Unique content will be shared here and the site will act as a broker for other projects and authors that have already created quality materials, which we will curate for a wide range of audiences.
See General disclaimer for more information.