Buddhist Practice of Life Release Could Spark Ecological Crisis

[Aloka]

From the Buddhist Door website:

Environmental Expert Warns that Buddhist Practice of Life Release Could Spark Ecological Crisis

https://www.buddhistdoor.net/news/environmental-expert-warns-that-buddhist-practice-of-life-release-could-spark-ecological-crisis

Any thoughts about the article ?

:hands:

[philg]

An excellent article. If nothing else it shows how difficult it can be to make mindful decisions.

[Olderon]

Thanks for the article, Aloka.

This practice is but another example of how "ignorance" is the root cause of suffering.

This is the reason I prefer the precept: "Cause no harm to sentient beings." and the avoidance of intentional actions to obtain merit for the sole reason to act beneficially for the express purpose of attaining merit. ;)

[woodscooter]

How very sad.

Sad for the animals of course, but sad for the people who release animals, being caught up in a belief system that it's somehow bringing merit.

I'm especially saddened to see the article state
the increasingly common practice of capturing or breeding animals explicitly for the purpose of release—usually in exchange for money—resulting in a self-perpetuating and self-defeating cycle of suffering for the animals

Life release practice is surely a kind of attachment to rites and rituals. An inability to see a bigger picture, a refusal to think for oneself, just blindly following instructions.

[manoPG]

This is very interesting and challenging at the same time. As a former fisherman I can tell you that the average fisherman in the US practices the opposite of metta towards the Asian Carp, and they consider this to be metta towards all of the other fish.

Its above my paygrade to make an opinion on the matter.