I hear other people who think that refraining from intoxicants is the only precept they don't keep, but really, do we really refrain from killing? At the gross level I understand not to kill another human and I trust I will always avoid that.
What about other things though - how do we refrain from killing mice when they invade our kitchens? Or ants when they cover our path ways and invade our homes? Or termites when they are found eating away at the timbers in our house? (This is an Australian talking - it may not be so bad in Europe!)
I try always to remove and return "creatures" to the garden with loving-kindness, or not to trample on them when they are on the footpath - but it isn't always so simple.
Let's get together and list all the ways we can manage to refrain from killing, whether it is that you know of special mice traps or wonderful ways to encourage ants to walk elsewhere!
Let me give you one example and then please tell me what you think are the best ways to deal with this specific situation, and other similar situations.
My specific problem this week was with kangaroo ticks. Kangaroos have little "beetle like" creatures on them called ticks. They latch onto the body of the kangaroo and suck its blood. They also like to do this to humans, for a yummy feast. They cause itchy swellings which last a long time (like weeks not days). Usually if people get one and try to remove it they kill it in the removal process.
Some of the ticks are tiny - pepper ticks - and are no bigger than a small grain of sand. If you have one in our body what would you do? Leave it there? Send it metta? Remove it and kill it? Remove it without killing it (how?).
I have seen one of the Anagarikas at Bodhinyana leave a larger tick in her shoulder and she sent it loving kindness, but I don't know how long this went on for.
This weekend I had 21 pepper ticks lodged in me. Now tell me to refrain from killing is easy?! What would you have done?
Metta to all creatures - even tiny biting ones!
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