Excessive discussion about animal release

In nature, it is normal for one animal species to eat another, because it is a “food chain” that conforms to the law of survival, so that all species can balance and survive. Humans are also animals, especially high-level animals, so it is not a big deal that we eat animals to survive and maintain our species.

Animal rights.

In the modern era, one of the most terrible things is the mobilization of all resources, including (animal) life, to serve the very existence and development of mankind. The food industry, chemical medicine, and garment industry… are all developing strongly, and it is clear that they cannot be separated from killing other creatures to serve their “functions and tasks”.

Life is the enjoyment of humans, but the death of other creatures.

In the past, wild nature evolved unconsciously; but after the emergence of “conscious” human populations, social institutions were established and concepts such as “morality”, “humanity”, “good and evil”, etc. also appeared. And from the perspective of modern philosophy, the concept of “Animal Rights” was born.

“All things have souls”, meaning that animals also have souls and perceptions, so they all have basic rights that are respected as individuals, such as the right to live, the right to be free (birds can fly, fish can swim) and especially not to be brutally tortured or deprived of life. Obviously, not only humans, but animals also know joy - anger - love - hate, and … love life and fear death.

Releasing animals and blessings

Going back in time, the above mentioned “Animal Rights” were mentioned in Mahayana Buddhist scriptures with the concept of “Releasing Animals” popular in countries with the same culture: China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam.

Release means to let go, birth means to live. Release means to release animals so that they can return to their original life. This action is often seen as: rescuing animals from the butcher's knife, basin, and cage, giving them back their freedom to live.

In particular, although the act of releasing animals originates from Buddhism, and is based on the spirit of compassion and equality of all beings and the concept of reincarnation and cause and effect; whether you are a Buddhist or not, and whether you have religious beliefs or not, you can still release animals: bringing animals back to life.

And also from the Buddhist point of view, the merit of releasing animals is the perfect and ultimate merit of all good deeds. All living beings are equal, releasing animals is also accumulating merit for oneself. This is a positive way to develop compassion and mercy. Releasing animals is beneficial to building an ecological civilization, building a harmonious society, maintaining ecological balance and social peace.

Of course, there is no fairness for all. Humans are high-level animals, with consciousness, thinking, and social organization... so humans still have to exist, and thus still have to kill living beings, turning them into food to maintain life. Speaking of this, it must be admitted that humans are the number 1 gluttons, whether it is birds flying in the sky, or fish swimming in the water, or any species running on the ground... humans still find a way to pluck them, throw them into the pot and put them in their mouths. That is why humans are known as the king at the top of the food chain. This is undeniable.

But, if it is a thinking, conscious being, then it must have morality and humanity. That is why we should treat all living beings with compassion, love and respect. People who love dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, deer… are like that. And a very effective way to express that spirit is to increase vegetarianism to limit killing to the maximum extent possible.

Releasing animals is to sow unconditional love, which will certainly help the person releasing them: have inner peace, a bright appearance, a successful career, and a happy life. Especially, it will build world peace; because we still show respect and love to animals, so why wouldn't we, as humans, treat each other the same way?

How to release animals properly

The act of releasing life is a visual expression of Buddhist compassion, and is believed to bring immense blessings. Because of such a “promise”, many people today want to do it, invisibly creating a trend of “releasing life regardless”, meaning that releasing life becomes a careless and haphazard act, not creating great merit; on the contrary, it seriously damages the released life, destroys the ecological environment, and even disrupts people's lives.

Surely we still remember that in early 2017, Venerable Thich Chan Quang organized a ceremony to release White Bird fish into the Red River, which was strongly condemned by public opinion because the fish released were fish with sharp teeth that specialized in eating other small fish. It was thought that releasing fish would create immense merit, but in fact it destroyed the original ecological balance, due to the appearance of invasive alien species, leading to the extinction or destruction of many species and creatures.

In addition, with the growing demand for animal release, a chain of industries has been created to catch birds, fish, and other animals. This has turned animal release into a commercial interest for a group of people, deviating from the original meaning of Buddhist teachings. Animal catchers will actively hoard "goods" in small, cramped spaces lacking life sources, causing mass deaths before and after release.

This happens, the big mistake belongs to some monks who have been practicing for a long time and have become Great Masters and Great Virtues. They should have knowledge, have a voice, and grasp the essential teachings of Buddhism, so they should guide Buddhist followers to practice releasing animals in a selfless and reasonable way. Instead, they display elaborate rituals of incense, prayers, and chanting. They really only focus on the external form, forgetting the inner key, to the point that when they finish burning the incense, finish reading the petition, the bird is gone, the fish has drowned. Countless lives have been suffocated by these rituals that are nothing more than show-offs.

Therefore, when releasing animals, let us do it naturally, without any formality or ceremonial requirements. In particular, we should fully consider the possibility of the released animals surviving in the natural environment. Try to consider the micro-ecosystem of the release site, pay attention to the suitability of the species and the balance of numbers, and try to arrange and plan reasonably. Rescuing wild animals in distress and returning them to the wild after recovery is fundamentally different from buying wild animals and releasing them. The former is advocated because it is closer to the Buddhist mind, while releasing the latter is more similar to killing than bringing them back to life.

Release … people

Releasing animals is not simply releasing animals back to life, but also releasing people back to life. In the early 15th century, the Ming Dynasty in China occupied our country, massacred our race, burned our land, and destroyed our culture. When King Le Loi and the Lam Son army defeated the enemy and liberated the whole country, then“At that time, our generals and people hated the Ming army for killing their fathers, sons, and relatives, so they gathered together to advise the king to kill them. The king said:

"Revenge is a common human nature, but not liking to kill is the heart of a virtuous person. Moreover, if someone has surrendered, and you kill them, there is no greater evil omen. If the purpose is to satisfy anger for a moment and be infamous for killing someone who has surrendered, then why not spare the lives of millions of people, to put an end to the war for future generations, and have your reputation recorded in history for all eternity, isn't that great?"

Finally, our king pardoned the hundred thousand surrendering soldiers, saved their lives and allowed them to return to the North. Perhaps because of such great compassion for life, the whole nation was at peace. Because from then on, 362 years later, our country recorded another time when the Chinese invaders invaded Vietnam. Only then did we know that releasing people is a great merit.