Is keeping pets (bought from Pet Store) allowed in Buddhism

Yf.cher SG · 2011-04-23T02:30:56+00:00

Owning or keeping pets have may have two unhelpful causes,one of overly

Yf.cher SG

I have bought and keeping hamsters as pets. However, my religion is Buddhism and I was told by my relative that keeping pets is actually not allowed in Buddhism. I wonder whether it is true? I check sites on buddhism and little information on this topic is found. However, there was one site says:

"According to the Bodhisattva precepts, it is discouraged to keep pets in general. Keeping pets is a subtle kind of enslavement, and can lead to attachment. Though many animals are domesticated, this domestication is a result of continual enslavement over the centuries – that rendered the animals no longer suitable for independent survival. Keeping pets perpetuates this for generations to come. Could reverse domestication be possible?"

Thus I went to find out about the Bodhisattva precepts and keeping pets does not really have direct impact on the precepts. Anyone got any ideas on this?

An Eternal Now SG

it is not disallowed. however my master would discourage it as it is creating an ignorant affinity with the lower realms, the animals realms. generally it is best to avoid creating affinity with beings from lower realms, be it animal or spirit realm

Yf.cher SG

Hmmm. I see. I will take in your Master's advice. Thanks for the info.

wisdomeye SG

What do u mean by creating an ignorant affinity with lower realms? Can u elaborate on the consequences...

An Eternal Now SG

i cant remember as it was very long ago that i heard about it. maybe got to do with animals ending up as your family members

TWE SG

Sigh type a whole lot of words but nothing came out :P nevermind save my energy . But whats wrong with animals becoming your family members ? And what makes you so sure your current family members are not animals in their past life ? SO do you want to avoid them too ?

"newbie" SG

we strive to gain enlighten or least gain rebirth in higher realm.

What I think affinity to lower realm is we should do charity to them and not attached to them, as the attachment may lead to your own rebirth back to the lower realm.. and this make us unable to practice the buddha dharma.

An Eternal Now SG

What newbie said is true. These articles explain the reason why: http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol4no4e.htm

http://www.humanbliss.com.sg/MyImages/SiYangDongWuDeGuanNianYingGaiBian(1)GuanNian(4)YuChi.pdf

reborn76 SG

I think sometime Buddhist spiritualize thing without proper understanding of modern living. There are many report in the west on how keeping a pet such as dog can make a old folk happy which lead to healthier body and mind.

On the other hand, in Singapore, a lot of youngster kept pets out of fun when the fun period died down. They tend to dump and mistreat the pet. Some parents out of kindness will release the pets in parks which indirectly cause their death. Since the pets has been domesticated therefore they are unable to live due to the lack of survival skill. They end up being starve to death.

I think one word of advise is if one want to keep a pet, please put in extra effort to look after it. Finally, I don't think there are any sutra that said you can't keep a pet. In fact, a lot of temple keep dogs and cats to guard the temple from burglary and rodent. Last round, I even saw a youtube how a nun kept a praying cat in Korean Buddhist temple.

There is always two side to a coin. It depend on one's view. The important thing don't mistreat the pet and always keep the environment clean so that paraside will not be pass on to the owner and family.

sinweiy SG

i think a real good monk/nun won't purposely buy a dog to guard "his" wealth. they go by affinity, if have, have, if don't have, don't have. :)

read a good praxis, if his previous life never commit stealing, his belonging opening put on street also nobody will take. :)

think some of the 'stray or unwanted' pet/cat/dog just came by affinity to the temple. and the temple can't reject affinity or sent them to SPCA to end their life.

the key is also don't be emotionally attached to them, like u have a strong relationship with them bah.

Bubblyl3 SG

i suggest you adopt those kana abundone dog/cat. They are very poor thing. If you don't adopt them. if they old or sick will be put to sleep. You keep them is to save a pet life. I believe to help those in need whether they are human or pet.

wisdomeye SG

What newbie said is true. These articles explain the reason why: http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol4no4e.htm

http://www.humanbliss.com.sg/MyImages/SiYangDongWuDeGuanNianYingGaiBian(1)GuanNian(4)YuChi.pdf

Thanks, helpful articles.Amazing how you always manage to pull these quotations out...

I have always been a bit uneasy when seeing people being too attached to pets... esp when i see a fellow dharma friend being very attached to her pets. But had never been able to vocalise out the problem. Thanks for clarifying.

Wiser SG

If you keep the Bodhisattva vows, one of the vow is NO Pet keeping allowed in the house.

However, i ever saved a small red fish from office which would be flushed down the toilet if i don't and that started my aquarium . Now it become a fengshui good luck object in my house. I didn't mean to keep pets but from saving a small fish, i end up keeping fishes as pets or fengshui blessing. So tell me , is this right or wrong?

paperflower SG

i bought my dog from a pet shop many years ago and it's been staying with us since as part of the family for almost 8years. so it means that any of us would take rebirth in the lower realm?

i disagree from the 2nd sentence onwards. it needs some refinement and/or it's misintepreted.

reborn76 SG

If you keep the Bodhisattva vows, one of the vow is NO Pet keeping allowed in the house.

Would someone kindly quote the actual vows or sutra that said. You can't keep a pet.

Weychin SG

There are two sources of Bodhisattva vows:-

There are mainly two specific sets of vows that Buddhists take in formal settings nowadays, although every Mahayana aspirant is encouraged to make individual vows too.

One set is from the Brahma Net Sutra and followed in China, Japan & Korea & the rest of East Asia.http://www.purifymind.com/BrahmaNetSutra.htm

The other is used as an expanded set of rules for those aspiring to become Bodhisattvas, by the Tibetan & Mongolian Mahayanists of Central Asia:

http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org: Bodhisattva Vows

Weychin SG

The secondary vows numbered 48 and 46.

The issue is also whether you've undertaken any of the vows.

Lotusea SG

Either you heard incorrectly from your master or your master does not have good insight in buddhism. Aren‘t we ourselves and many living beings still in lower realm. Buddha is not able to liberate beings of lower realm without having affinity with them. They are buddha by nature.

bohiruci SG

Ya. keeping pet is against the Bodhisattva precepts of Brahma Net but NOT in the yogacara Bodhisattva Precepts

still comes back to initial motivation

when i was young , father buy alot of goldfish and guppy

we rear and never have any survive more than 9 months

its kind of sad to see them eventually die

so i never want to rear pets fm then onwards

realization SG

This is slightly off-topic, but I thought I'd mention it anyway.

A few months ago, when I stumbled upon the website for the Sanghata Sutra , there was advice in it to recite this sutra in the presence of pets or other animals in order to benefit these other sentient beings.

Thinking aloud, I wonder if keeping pets depends really on the intention and motivation behind doing it. If it's to save them from certain death at temporary animal shelters, then I would have thought it is ok. If we expose them to the Dharma by letting them listen to sutra recitations, dharma talks and even play Buddhist chants for them, I would think the effects are meritorious both for the owner and the pet. But these are just my personal opinions on the matter.

One thing I definitely do agree with though, we should not get too attached to pets, in the same way that we should not be too attached to even our own family members. The Buddhist goal afterall, is liberation.

(and if anyone has vowed to keep the Bodhisattva precepts, then of course one should abide by them.)