.....teaches reverence for life
On the surface sounds good. You read about Buddhist monks living on a desolate, cold mountain who decide to build a new temple. In the process they uncover some worms who in keeping with there beliefs they escort (Their word) outside. I liked it so I adapted it as a principle.
Not everyone lives on desolate mountains in rural areas.
I happened to be living on a sail boat in the deep South.
One day some ants showed up. In keeping with my reverence for life I let them alone...to ...breed and multiply very rapidly.
My faith and principle were being tested in the real world. I was going to be strong and firm in my beliefs, so I let them alone.
One day I'm smoking a joint covered in ants when the first crack in my resolve occurred. For the first time I thought this can't go on. I have no place else to live. There is no "escorting" individuals, it would be more like herding.
I agonized over it for awhile then apologized to the Dali Lama for my lack of faith, went and bought a can of bug spray.
Chemical death is particularly gruesome. Thousand upon thousands men, wimmen and children, old and young screaming, bodies everywhere. I took to drink, red wine and a joint eased my stress and soothed my guilt.
Things went fine until the cockroaches showed a year later. I was not happy. I again apologized and took action.
It was too late. They multiplied faster than I could kill them. They were everywhere, they would crawl over my lips at night. I reluctantly resorted to chemical war fare. I didn't want to do it because the screams of the dying ants were still in my memory. I did what I had to do.
That didn't work. I resorted to smoke bombs, setting off a couple every three or four days. I think they were getting hi on the stuff. Poison finally worked. I was able to relax.
Until the rat showed up. I'm laying in the forward berth smoking a bed time joint when I hear a noise that shouldn't be there. I looked over my shoulder. There was a rat next to the food. We made eye contact. The next day I put a big gob of peanut butter where it had been.
In the morning it was gone. I went and bought a trap but didn't mention it to the Dali Lama. I put a big gob of peanut butter on the trap as bait and went to bed. I was in the middle of a wet dream when I was woken by the sound of the trap, a brief frantic struggle then silence. I went back to sleep.
In the morning the trap w/rat was given a sea burial. Please don't snitch on me to the Dali Lama
It's not easy being Buddhist in a modern society but I'm working on it
