Click-a-Sermon 15:   "The Right to Life"  

The Right to Life

The issue of "the right to life" has become very important in the world today. This is a matter that is equally important in Buddhism, since Buddhism has from its inception always advocated "the right to life." Yet the Buddhist approach is quite different from the emotionally charged viewpoint that is currently being debated for "the right to life" issue only involves humans.

The Buddhist view of "the right to life" encompasses every form of sentient life, of which humankind only forms a small portion. Yet humans, although being a minority, have assumed the arrogant view that all other forms of life should be at their disposal.

And, if we view the situation from another aspect, humankind is the greatest threat by far to all forms of sentient existence. As humans, we alone now possess the means to destroy this entire world and annihilate all forms of existence, including our own. That awesome power should make us humble and aware of our tremendous responsibility. But has it? Do we recognize "the right to life" among sentient creatures other than our selves who inhabit this world in which we live. And among those we consider, are they because they catch our fancy for being humanlike or else useful for humankind?

In Japan and many other Asian nations a great number of seafood restaurants allow their customers to choose from an aquarium the live fish that he wishes to eat. The fish are only regarded as delicacies for the human palate, and they have no "right to life." In the Western world there are turkey farms also who allow the customer which specimen he wishes to eat for his Thanksgiving dinner. And we have all been ensured to ignore the fact that those red slabs of meat in the supermarket were once upon a time a living, feeling creature. Perhaps in our civilized world we have become very like the cannibals who became accustomed to size up other humans as tasty morsels. Yet, the thought of cannibalism is abhorrent to us. Are we so different?

Environmentalists wish to save whales and dolphins since they are close to humankind. But has anyone ever suggested "saving the sardines?' Only if we fear we might run out of them for food. Humankind does need other forms of sentient life for existence. Sad but it is human Karma. And becoming vegetarian does not resolve the problem since we have never even begun to consider how sentient plant life might be. But what is the solution? First, it is to avoid eating living or near living creatures simply as delicacies for our palate. And above all, it is to avoid the terrible, terrible waste of sentient life that we arrogantly use every day, most of the time without needs. Remember that every food we consume is a nourishing gift form sentient beings. Whatever sentient life we need to use we should only accept with extreme gratitude and humility forever remembering that every living creature has "the right to life" as we do. 

As we receive daily food, we have to remember that it is a gift from numerous sentient lives.  We are only a small part of sentient lives in this universe and we should be forever humble and thankful for the gift of lives given to us.       

In Gassho,

© Reno Buddhist Church, 2003