Buddhism vs. Nature and Real World
Upvote:3
In a nutshell, Buddhism is the art of living in harmony with the laws of nature and our own psychology. When this is achieved you will be unperturbed by all the worldly scenarios you have mentioned.
If we do not understand the universal characteristics of existence and expect something else or do not understand the true nature of our cognitive process and do something which is non-conducive, misery follows. Buddhism aims at understanding this at the experiential level. Being compassionate is a cornerstone of Buddhism but in so far as to maintain a healthy mind as when one becomes uncompassionate you generate negativity. Being over-attached to companion also generates negativity this is one of the contemporary view which was rejected by the Buddha.
Upvote:5
If you step back from this one life and look at the totality of Samsara then no being is better or worse than any other being. Samsara is so vast that any being that kills you in this life, is sure to have died for you in another life. A soldier kills his enemy but he most likely killed a enemy that was at one time his brother. If a being steps on another being without the intention in mind to kill, then it is not a violation of the first precept. On the other hand if one intends to kill but doesn't go through with it for some reason then that is a violation of the first precept. Hope this helps. π
Upvote:8
Human belongs to a separate realm other than animal's according to Buddhism's realm classification (the 6 realms are: hell, afflicted spirit, animal, human, asura, and heavenly beings). It doesn't mean we're inherently more compassionate than the animals. It just means we possess much greater potential to either do a lot of evil or a lot of good. You won't find anything in the animal realm like Hitler, PolPot, GenghisKhan, nor you'll find the Buddha, mother Teresa, or Jesus Christ. So, the question is which direction we want to go given our enormous potential? This is where the teaching of the Buddha comes in to play to help us and guide us..
Upvote:11
Samsara can be quite brutal and there is suffering. The Buddha acknowledged this in the First Noble Truth. And his last words urged his disciples to strive on with diligence toward their enlightenment. Only through Nibbanna will one escape the suffering of Samsara.
Nature is full of examples of suffering such as you detailed. The animals involved have no evil intentions. They simply eat to stay alive. This is why humans are so very fortunate. We generally don't have to live such a brutal life and we can think things through and form intentions and take actions with as much wisdom and compassion as we possess. This is a blessing.
Treating all beings with metta (loving kindness) creates peace in one's mind. Treating other beings with cruelty creates conflict and discord in one's mind. One is clearly better than the other for living a peaceful life and for creating better conditions for one's meditation and eventual enlightenment.
A sutta which explains this idea of taking care of others by taking care of yourself is the Sedaka Sutta. SN47
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