As Buddhists, we often release animals. If the release is done according to the law, the merits will be incredible; if it is not done according to the laws and regulations, the merits will not be very great. So, this is very important to us. Today, we talk about the issue of releasing animals.
All the behaviors of Mahayana Bodhisattvas can be summarized into six categories, which are the six perfections and six paramitas. Originally, the Mahayana Bodhisattva's views, actions, practices, and undertakings to benefit and save all living beings are vast, but all these methods can be summarized into the Six Perfections.
If we can release lives according to the law, even if we release one life, we can still achieve the six perfections. How to have it? Let’s talk about them separately below:
If you can use the three extraordinary qualities of motivation, right action, and devotion to Bodhi, releasing lives is a very extraordinary good deed.
Everyone has committed endless sins of killing from beginningless time to the present. Not to mention that since time immemorial, even in this life, from birth to the present, there have been many sins of killing, which are enough to drive us to hell. Release of life is the best remedy. At the same time, we must also resolve not to intentionally kill living beings from now on. If we have such determination, the sin of killing will definitely be purified, there is no doubt about it. If you can't make up your mind like this, you can still choose in life. For example, starting from today, we will not kill snakes or loaches for the rest of our lives. If we make this vow and then release them, we can purify our sins of killing snakes and loaches since time immemorial until now, but the sins of killing other living beings cannot be purified.
Releasing animals is the best way to purify the sin of killing. However, if you release lives just to purify your own sins, although your sins can be purified, this does not belong to Mahayana Buddhism. It is your choice to use life release as a remedy to purify your sinful karma of killing, or to develop Mahayana bodhicitta.
Countless Buddhas in the past, including Sakyamuni Buddha, when they first aroused bodhicitta, vowed to save all living beings, and after all living beings became Buddhas, they themselves would become Buddhas. But before we became Buddhas, they had already become Buddhas. What is the reason for this? Did Shakyamuni Buddha violate his oath? no. The Buddha's compassion is vast, so he makes this vow. Because his vow was very great and extraordinary, he could become a Buddha very quickly. And we are always considering our own selfish interests, and we are still struggling in reincarnation. Therefore, whether you can become a Buddha depends on your own motivation.
Some people think that the life of the fish market is like the sand of the Ganges River, and what we buy is only a small part of it, so we are very disappointed. There are so many fish that we can’t buy them all, so what’s the point of releasing them?
If you want to save all lives, don’t talk about us, not even the Buddha can do anything. The Buddha can only save sentient beings who are predestined to be saved, and there is nothing he can do about the sentient beings who are not predestined. The same is true for life release. Even if you are as rich as Emperor Shakti, you cannot buy all your life. Because sentient beings are boundless, there are times when the Buddha can save and transform sentient beings beyond our reach, let alone us. Therefore, we can only do our best to help sentient beings.
Everyone who participates in the life release can obtain the same good roots, which is recorded in the scriptures. For example, if one hundred of us kill one person, the sin is not shared among the one hundred of us, but each of us is fully guilty of killing one person. The same goes for doing good. For example, if a hundred people give up one life, each person has the merit of saving one life, but this merit is not shared by one hundred people. We have now released nearly 200 million lives, and everyone who participates in the release can receive this merit. This kind of good deed is incredible in itself. If coupled with the proper motivation and dedication, the merits will be even more incredible, and it will definitely be able to purify all our sins.