The Method

When, Why, What & How

    The most beneficial of all composite roots of virtue
    is the protection and ransoming of the lives of
    sentient beings. A variety of that is saving the lives
    of livestock, which frees those animals from present
    danger to their lives. Through the blessings of their
    being offered to the Three Jewels （100） and of hearing
    names and dharanis （101） they will be ultimately freed
    from inferior births. Through the power of that, and
    as the result concordant with the cause, the
    practitioners themselves will undoubtedly receive
    benefits, such as increased lifespan. If this is done in
    a ritual context, it is more powerful.
    Jamgon Kongtul - The Essence of Benefit and Joy! (102)


When & Why

As a spontaneous act: The opportunity to save life can present itself at any moment. It can be as simple as returning a fish washed up on the shore to the sea or jumping into a river to save a drowning person. To respond to these situations requires compassion, which the Dalai Lama has defined as a mental attitude based on the wish for others to be free of suffering and which is associated with a sense of commitment, responsibility and respect towards others.(103) With this attitude, it would be very difficult to ignore the plight of a fish wriggling on the shore, let alone a fellow human struggling for his life. In short, the cultivation of compassion increases our awareness of others' suffering and, in so doing, prepares us to respond in a spontaneous and beneficial way.
   
As a practice: Karma is one of the major forces that define our circumstances, and therefore the ripening of negative karma can have catastrophic effects on our lives. These effects can be felt on an individual level, such as experiencing ill health, poverty or misfortune, or collectively, as in the case of a region devastated by drought or famine. While no one will deny that worldly knowledge is vital in confronting these problems, it is also essential to recognize the influence of karma and to act to transform the nature of its flow. Take someone who is continually sick, for example. Although a direct remedy is required — it is not sufficient to merely sit at home and chant mantras — and that a doctor should be consulted, the underlying karmic causes for the continued adversity also need to be acknowledged. Negative karma must be purified, and positive seeds planted. Of the numerous practices for purifying karma, one of the most powerful is the Vajrayana practice of Vajrasattva,(104) while saving lives is considered the most effective way to plant positive seeds and dilute the consequences of past negative actions.
   
In traditional Buddhist societies, it is common to hold regular life-releasing ceremonies. This can be done at any time, though in terms of merit, they are most effective when conducted on auspicious days such as the Buddha Shakyamuni's birthday (105) or on the days that commemorate the four great events in his life.(106)

In addition to religious occasions, it is also beneficial to release life at times of sickness or death, and when praying for one's spiritual teacher to remain in the world. A celebration to commemorate a birth or marriage is also an excellent time to plant the positive seeds of releasing life. At the very least, we should not sow seeds of misfortune by slaughtering animals or destroying natural resources at these times. On this point, the Kshitigarbha Bodhisattva (107) Sutra states including some minor editing changes):

        The dwellers of Jambudvipa (108) should not
    kill or commit any other act of evil such as
    offering living sacrifices to spirits or gods on
    behalf of the departed one.
        The deed of offering blood-sacrifice will not
    give even the smallest benefit to the deceased,
    but will actually increase their suffering.
        Their future woe will be more severe as a
    result of this bloodshed. Even if the deceased
    have done some good deeds during their life
    that would help them to attain a heavenly or
    human rebirth, the evil acts performed on their
    behalf by relatives will act against their welfare
    and delay their progress towards liberation.
        If the dying being have no good deeds to
    their credit, and according to their personal
    karma, they merit a low rebirth, why should
    their families be so ill advised as to kill on their
    behalf?
       Just as a person who has suffered hunger for
    three days and travelled from afar carrying a
    heavy load of more than one hundred katis, and
    then some neighbour suddenly adds to the load.
    The total weight will be unbearable.(109)

In order to understand saving life in the larger context of benefiting society and the environment, it is perhaps pertinent to review the subject of emptiness and interdependence discussed in earlier chapters: for example, a flower does not suddenly appear, but arises as the result of a combination of factors. It grows from a seed, which, in order to sprout, requires soil, moisture, warmth and light. While the development of a plant has its own natural cycle, it is also dependent on the environment. This kind of interdependence is not only true for a flower, but for all phenomena. All things in the universe are interconnected. It is like a net that has a polished jewel at every juncture, with the characteristics of each jewel depending on the other jewels as they infinitely reflect each other.
 
The Buddha taught that the universe is governed by five natural laws or cycles. (110) Although each cycle functions independently, the phenomena they govern, as we have discussed, are interdependent. The repercussions of, say, environmental damage therefore not only affect vegetation, but also the physical and psychological health of sentient beings. The reverse is also true. For example, a society that is governed by ignorance, greed and attachment is marked by hostile and selfish acts. On a subtle level, these ripen as a common karmic result, such as epidemics and disasters. At a gross level, these negative traits manifest in karmically more obvious ways, like an increase in polluting industries and deforestation, which over an extended period adversely affects the climate and natural cycle of events, such as rain falling in season. In response, science will target pollution as the cause of the problem, while Buddhism will focus on ignorance and its offshoots, greed and attachment, with pollution being identified merely as a symptom. In the Anguttara Nikaya Sutta, (111) the Buddha explains that unwholesome passion, excessive greed and distorted values cause an increase in violence. In due course, this situation leads to a disruption in seasonal rains, resulting in crop failure and widespread famine.(112) These are the collective results of sentient beings' past negative acts ripening at the same time.
    
In the same way that a river is defined by the quality of its tributaries, so it is with the stream of phenomena. When negative action predominates among beings, phenomena will be adversely affected. Saving life is an effective way to pump positive and beneficial karma into the stream. Consequently, extensive release of life is strongly recommended when clouds of war loom, when famines and droughts prevail, or following any other type of disaster.


What & How - relative and ultimate goals.

The relative goals of releasing life are to protect sentient beings and prolong their lives, and there are numerous ways to do this. Purchasing and releasing animals that are destined for butchery or sacrifice, or paying for a life-saving operation or medicine, are the most common. These acts directly save lives, and are therefore the most beneficial and meritorious.
   
When we release creatures into the wild, first and foremost we must assure their safety and well-being, as well as the protection of the environment. With fish, for example, we not only need to identify whether they are a salt or fresh-water species, but also whether the salt-water variety are a coastal or a deep-water type, and whether the fresh-water ones are lake or river dwellers. Finally, we must ensure that the fish or any other creatures that we release are an indigenous
species. Releasing non-native wildlife can wreak havoc with the local ecology, and doing so is illegal in many countries. In short, for a successful release, we need a liberal dose of common sense, as well as some prior research.
    
In the case of wild animals or birds, a professional release is recommended. This can be done by contacting a local animal care centre or wildlife sanctuary, making a donation and requesting that they undertake the release on our behalf. Most creatures do not adapt well to a new environment, and a professional release not only prevents unnecessary suffering and death, but also ecological damage.（113） Certainly, in countries with abundant wildlife reserves, such as India or Nepal, professional releases should be conducted. When considering which creatures to release, it is
important to remember that all beings equally possess Buddha-nature, and have the potential to achieve a higher rebirth and ultimately attain Buddhahood. Therefore, they do not have to be large and magnificent; even the humble worm bought from a fishing supplies shop is a worthy and often convenient candidate for release.

Domestic animals do not adapt to living in the wild, and when released, require food and care as well as sanctuaries in which to safely roam. In Taiwan, for example, charity groups have purchased tracts of land in the countryside to house homeless dogs saved from being put down at city pounds. Herbivorous animals require less attention in terms of feeding, but still need a large grazing area and shelter from the elements. Taking care of domestic animals requires investment. Land, buildings, food and provisions for health care are prerequisites to embarking on this kind of release.（114） As funding a project of this nature is often beyond the means of individuals, a group effort is perhaps the best way to proceed. During the Ming dynasty in China, for example, releasing-life societies were founded in order to purchase land and establish sanctuaries and lakes for released animals. In Tibet, monastic communities sometimes provide havens for released yaks.
   
While one of the relative goals of releasing life is to extend the life of sentient beings, the released beings are still entangled in the mental delusion and suffering of samsara, even though prolonging their lives is a praiseworthy and virtuous act. An extended life is, therefore, not the source of permanent happiness. The higher, more exalted aim is to create conditions that result in liberation from samsara, which, as stated in the opening verse, is more effectively accomplished when the release is conducted as a ritual.
   
The goals, then, are threefold: 1. to protect and extend the life of sentient beings; 2. to plant seeds for the beings to gain higher rebirth and ultimately break through the bonds of samsara; 3. to provide merit for the practitioners, so that they gain enlightenment with a view to being of greater assistance to sentient beings. The first goal has already been discussed, and we shall look now at the second and third.
   
Ceremonies accompanying the release of life vary, but the aim is always to create a karmic link that results in the beings gaining a higher rebirth and ultimate liberation from samsara. The methods for doing this are given in greater detail at the end of this chapter. Basically, the practitioner first purifies his or her motivation by reflecting on his or her relationship with the beings to be released and, in addition, offers them consecrated substances (such as blessed pills （115）). Then at the time of the release, mantras are chanted and aspirations made for their well-being and future
liberation.
   
For animals that will be freed professionally, the offering of consecrated pills and the chanting of the mantras can be done beforehand. One need not be present at the release, but one should make aspirations at the time of the event. As wild creatures are not accustomed to being among humans or held in captivity, in order to avoid traumatizing them, they should be handled in the most gentle and peaceful manner possible.
   
The value of creating a connection that will result in a higher rebirth is illustrated the following story related by Ribur Rinpoche （116） (paraphrased):

    Once, a householder named Pelgye made the
    request to be ordained. Before consenting,
    however, the Buddha Shakyamuni looked into
    the man's past to see whether he possessed
    sufficient merit to follow the path of a monk.
    The Buddha saw that he did, and revealed the
    cause of this merit: Once, in a past life, when
    the householder had been born as a pig, a dog
    chased him around a stupa. Even though the
    pig ran around the stupa to save his life, not out
    of faith, still the merit for this act was sufficient
    not only to result in a human rebirth, but also to
    establish a connection with a path leading to
    liberation.

Prior to releasing animals, it may not be possible for them to circumambulate a stupa or other sacred objects, but by chanting mantras, offering blessed pills and making auspicious prayers, we plant seeds for an auspicious rebirth and liberation from samsara.
    
Finally, we discuss releasing life from the perspective of the practitioner. The goal of the practitioner is to attain enlightenment in order to help sentient beings on a profound level, and as we discussed in earlier chapters, to accomplish this we need both merit and wisdom. Wisdom is generated through meditation and the realization of emptiness, while merit is accumulated through benevolent acts, among which saving life is supreme. The methods for directing the results of one's good deeds towards liberation are described in the chapter on karma. Here, they are combined with those for releasing creatures:
    
In order that our motivation flows from deep compassion, we first reflect that, due to our countless rebirths, there are no beings that have not at some time been our mother. Therefore, the beings to be released are not viewed as unrelated animals, but as our close kin.（117） Next, we should arouse the mind of bodhichitta by chanting and reflecting on the meaning of the following words:

    May all benefits from this act help sentient
    beings attain complete enlightenment.

If available, consecrated substances such as blessed pills dissolved in water are offered to the animals to drink, or in the case of fish, poured into their water tank. During the release itself, aspirations are made for the creatures' safety in this life, and for their future rebirth
as a human or in a pureland and for their ultimate release from samsara. In addition, we continuously chant the mantra of great compassion, Om Mani Padme Hum,(118) in a voice loud enough for the released beings to hear. Releasing beings in this way plants the seeds for higher rebirth and liberation.
    
While our aspirations are based on the relative truth of karma and compounded phenomena, we should also remind ourselves of the higher truth of emptiness by reflecting that the benefactor, act and beneficiary are all empty of inherent existence. Finally, we should seal the activity by dedicating the merit towards the enlightenment of all sentient beings. Reflecting on the emptiness of self and other in this way imbues the merit with an indestructible, sky-like quality, while sincerely dedicating the merit increases its value and ensures that its power is sustained until we attain liberation. The following dedication of merit can be chanted as a means to direct the mind:

    I totally dedicate all merit in the same way as
    the Buddhas of the past, Buddhas of the future
    and the Buddhas of the present.
    May it be a cause for the enlightenment of all
    beings.(119)

While in terms of merit or relative benefit to sentient beings no act surpasses the direct saving of life, we should not underestimate the value of indirect contributions to their welfare. Making donations to hospitals, clinics, animal care centres and to charities that work in famine, drought and disaster relief, as well as campaigning for the abolition of the death penalty and blood sports, and contributing to HIV and cancer education programmes are examples of things that can be done to save life indirectly. In order to transform these deeds from mundane acts of charity into spiritual endeavours that have far-reaching benefits, they should also be performed in the context of the practices explained above.
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(100) The Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
(101) Mantras.
(102) Jamgon Kongtrul, 2000: 3.
(103) Dalai Lama, 1998: 91.
(104) A peaceful deity associated with the practice of purification. Deity practice is based on the understanding that we are intrinsically pure, but due to our obscurations and flawed perception, we fail to realize it. The deities are manifestations of this pure nature, so when we visualize ourselves as a deity, we establish ourselves in our original nature and, at the same time, deconstruct our dualistic thought patterns. This practice accords with the Tantric view that the nature of mind in samsara and nirvana are the same, the difference being in our perception of reality.
(105) The date varies according to the tradition. In the Vajrayana school, it is commemorated on the seventh day of the fourth month. * In the Theravada tradition, the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana are all celebrated on the fifteenth day of the third month. ** Dates are according to the lunar calendar.
(106) 1. Chortrul Duchen (fifteenth day of the first month*): The first fifteen days of the year celebrate the fifteen days on which the Buddha produced a miracle in order to increase merit and give rise to devotion in future disciples. 2. Saga Dawa Duchen (fifteenth day of the fourth month*): The Buddha's enlightenment and parinirvana (according to the Vajrayana tradition). 3.Chokhor Duchen (fourth day of the sixth month*): The Buddha's first teaching, called the First Turning of the Dharma Wheel. 4. Lha Bab Duchen (twenty-second day of the ninth month*) The Buddha's descent from Indra's heaven where he had taught for three months. * Dates according to the lunar calendar.
(107) One of the eight Dhyani Bodhisattvas, the guardian of the earth.
(108) The southern continent, i.e., the world in which we live.
(109) KB. Chapter 7.
(110) The Buddha stated that phenomena follow five natural laws: 1. utu niyama, 2. biju niyama, 3. citta niyama, 4.karma niyama and 5. dharma niyama. These refer respectively to laws that govern the inorganic, such as ice melting in heat, flowers opening in the day and closing at night; the biological, such as the characteristics of fruit and vegetables, for example, the fact that apple seeds will produce an apple tree; the psychological, such as the process of consciousness, the ability to perceive objects and telepathy; cause and effect, such as the fact that an action will produce a result based on the intention behind it; and natural phenomena, such as the interdependence of all things, gravity, tidal flow and impermanence of phenomena. The term niyama means ‘certainty’ of ‘fixed way’, and each niyama functions within its own cycle, except the last niyama, dharma niyama, which also works within the other cycles.
(111) AN.I, 160.
(112) These kind of collective results are often misunderstood as punishment. Buddhism, however, does not recognize any being or deity as having the jurisdiction to pass moral judgment. These results are purely the automatic effects of karma. As was discussed in earlier chapters, actions that strengthen the sense of ‘I’ inevitably create negative consequences, while those that counter and weaken the sense of ego, produce positive results. There is no being who decides that unwholesome passion’ and so forth are bad and that the perpetrator must be punished, but if we think about it in terms of Buddhist logic, we will understand how it works. A person consumed with lust or wanton greed is definitely not concerned with the welfare of others. His motives are self-serving, and the other person is merely regarded as an object to fulfil his desires. There is no sense of caring or love, just personal gratification. A relationship built on such foundations will inevitably be very traumatic. If this attitude of selfishness is extended to society as a whole, the consequences will be dire. As in the example of climate change in the above text, the connection between the result and root cause may not be immediately apparent, but when considered   from the point of view of karma and interdependence, the relationship becomes more obvious.
(113) In some countries, it is the custom for wild animals, generally birds, to be captured specially to sell to Buddhist practitioners for release. These creatures were originally in no danger of being killed. This is an example of a practice losing its original value and becoming distorted, and the custom should not be encouraged.
(114) Animal sanctuaries may also need to be registered with local government authorities. Enquiries should be made before proceeding.
(115) Skt. Amrita. Tib. Mendup.
(116) (1923-) A Gelupa Rinpoche from Kham, East Tibet.
(117) See the chapter on ‘Releasing Life,’ for instruction on how to contemplate released animals as one's own mother.
(118) In traditional Buddhist countries, it is also common to establish a link between the Buddha Dharma and the released beings by thrice chanting Namo Buddha Ya. Namo Dharma Ya. Namo Sangha Ya. Furthermore, in countries where the Mahayana tradition predominates, it is also a custom to continuously chant the name Amitabha in order to forge a link with the Buddha Amita and the Sukhavati pureland, which was created by his merit.
(119) If we wish to dedicate the merit to someone in particular and for a specific reason, then the final line of the verse can be adapted. For example, we could say, ‘May it be a general cause for all beings to be blessed by good health, and in particular for person A to recover from sickness’. When dedicating in this way, it is very important to include all other beings. Merit can also be edicated to one's own attainment of enlightenment, being reborn in a specific place under certain circumstances or in favour of re-establishing the relationship with one's spiritual master in the next life. The motivation for making these aspirations, however, is to place one self in a stronger position to help beings on a profound level, not for personal benefit. Likewise, all sentient beings should be included in these prayers.

related post:  Appendix 1

Source Of Information:
《Releasing Life: An Ancient Buddhist practice in the Modern World》, by Shenphen Zangpo (Stephen Powell), distributed by: Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Amitabha Malaysia, 90 & 92, Jalan Pahang, Gombak, 53000 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)
*** The information provided above does not contain personal opinion of this blog.