Why I won't eat eggs anymore (sutra)

 

(Death and Dairy Girl aka Steak and Butter Gal) Fake eggs? Farmer exposes what they are now quietly putting in eggs to increase profits and destroy our health

• BlackRock Corporation
• The Vanguard Group
• Monsanto (now Bayer Corporation, which is protected by corrupt and for sale Pres. Trump)

SUTRA: Oh, Buddha, should we be eating eggs?

Silanisamsa Jataka: "A Good Friend" (Jat 190)

 

The Buddha told this birth story (jataka) at Jetavana Monastery about a pious lay follower.

One evening, when this faithful disciple came to the bank of the Aciravati River on his way to Jetavana to hear the Buddha, there was no ferryboat at the landing. The ferrymen had all pulled their boats onto the farther shore and had themselves gone to hear the Buddha speak.

However, the disciple's mind was so full of delightful thoughts about the Buddha that even though he walked onto the river, his feet did not sink below the surface: He walked across the water as if on dry land.

But when he noticed the waves as he reached the middle of the river, his ecstasy [absorption] subsided and his feet began to sink.

As soon as he again focused his mind on the qualities of the Buddha, his feet rose [levitated, floated] and he was able to continue walking filled with rapture over the water.

When he arrived at Jetavana, he paid his respects to the Buddha and took a seat respectfully to one side.

"Good layman," the Buddha said to that disciple, "I hope you had no mishap on your way here."

"Venerable sir," the disciple recounted, "while on my way here, I was so absorbed in thoughts of [the excellent qualities of] the Buddha that, when I came to the river, I was able to walk across it as though it were solid."

 

"Friend," said the Blessed One, "you're not the only one who has been protected in this way. In olden days pious lay followers were shipwrecked mid-ocean and saved themselves by remembering the virtues of the Buddha."

At the man's request, the Buddha told this story of the past:

Long, long ago, at the time of the Buddha Kassapa [3], a lay disciple who had already entered the path [who had become a stream enterer] booked passage on a ship along with one of his friends, a rich barber. The barber's wife asked this disciple to look after her husband.

 

A week after the ship left port, it sank mid-ocean. The two friends saved themselves by hanging onto a wooden plank until they were cast onto a deserted island.

Killing eggs and birds

Famished, the barber took eggs from nests [the island being a rookery], killed some birds, cooked them, and offered a share of his meal to the follower of the Buddha Kassapa.

 

"No, thank you," that [partially enlightened disciple] answered, "I'm fine." Then he thought to himself, "In this isolated place, there is no help for us except the Three Gems [the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Enlightened/Noble Sangha]."

As he sat meditating on the Three Gems, a naga king (naga-raja, reptilian, dragon, royal serpent) who had been reborn on that island transformed himself into a beautiful ship filled with the seven precious things [4]. Its three masts were made of sapphire, the planks and anchor of gold, and the ropes of silver.

 

The helmsman, who was a spirit of the sea, stood on the deck and cried, "Any passengers for Jambudīpa?"

"Yes," the lay disciple answered. "That's where we're bound!"

"Then come onboard," the sea spirit told him.

 

The layman climbed aboard the beautiful ship and turned to call his friend the barber.

"You may come," the sea spirit said, "but he may not."

"Why not?" the disciple asked.

"He is not a follower of the pure life," answered the sea spirit. "I brought this ship for you, but not for him."

"In that case," the layman announced, "all the gifts I have given, all the virtues I have practiced, all the powers I have developed — I give the fruit of all of them to him!"

"Thank you, Master!" cried the barber.

"Very well," said the sea spirit, "now I can take you both onboard."

The ship carried the two men over the sea and up the Ganges River. After depositing them safely at their home in Baranasi [Varanasi], the sea spirit used his magic power to create enormous wealth for both of them. Then, poising himself mid-air, he instructed the men and their friends: "Keep company with the wise and good."

"If this barber had not been in company with this pious layman, he would have perished in the middle of the ocean." Finally, the sea spirit returned to his own abode, taking the naga king with him.

Having finished this discourse, the Buddha identified the birth tale (jataka) and taught the Dhamma, after which the pious layman in front of him entered the fruit of the second path.

 

"On that occasion," the Buddha said, "that faithful disciple attained the fruit of the fourth path (arahantship). Sariputta was the naga king, and I myself was the spirit of the sea." Source

• Steak and Butter Gal; Jataka Tales of the Buddha Part III retold by Ken and Visakha Kawasaki (Jataka Tales of the Buddha: Part III) edited by Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly

Unthinkable was once normal? (photos)

(History in Focus) These photos prove that the unthinkable was once considered normal. | Historical photos

Science: AI decodes CROW language

(Galaxy Vault) Is a Crow a surprisingly intelligent "avian ape" smaller than a Raven?

Mahakala

Ven. Thanissaro (trans) edited by Wisdom Quarterly (Thag 2.16 PTS: Thag 151-152)

A swarthy woman,

[preparing a corpse for cremation]

crow-like and enormous,

breaking one thigh then the other,

breaking one arm then the other,

cracking open the head

like a claypot of curds,

sits with them heaped up beside her.

Whoever, unknowing,

makes acquisitions,

that fool

returns over and over

to disappointment and suffering.

Discerning,

making no acquisitions,

may I never again lie

with my head cracked open.

Sankicca

Ven. Thanissaro (trans) edited by Wisdom Quarterly (Thag 11.1 PTS: Thag 597-607)

What do you want in the woods, my boy?

You're like a bird [1] exposed to the rain.

Monsoons refresh you.

Seclusion is for those in meditative absorption (jhana).

As monsoon winds drive the clouds during the rainy season,

so thoughts concerning seclusion impel me.

A black crow, making its home in a charnel ground

[of corpses], inspires within me mindfulness

— rooted in dispassion for — the body [2].

One whom others guard not, who do not guard others,

such a monastic who lies down in ease, unconcerned

with sensual passions.

With clear waters and massive boulders,

frequented by monkeys and deer,

covered with moss and water weeds,

such rocky crags refresh me.

I have lived in wildernesses, canyons, and caves,

isolated dwellings frequented by predator and prey,

but never have I known an ignoble, aversive resolve:

"May these beings be destroyed, be slaughtered, fall into pain."

The Teacher has been served by me;

The Awakened One's bidding I have done;

This heavy load I have laid down;

The guide to becoming [3] uprooted.

And the goal for which I set forth from the home life into the left-home life

I have reached: the end of all fetters.

I delight not in death, delight not in living.

I await my time like a worker his wages.

I delight not in death, delight not in living.

I await my time mindful, alert.

NOTES

• 1. Ujjuhaana. The Commentary offers two interpretations for this word. The first is that it is a hill covered with jungle and many streams that tend to overflow during the rainy season. The other is that it is the name of a bird that can stay comfortable even when exposed to cold, wind, and rain. The second alternative has been chosen here. K.R. Norman speculates that the term could be written ujjahaana, in which case it would be the present participle for a verb meaning "abandoned or cast off." However, none of the manuscripts support this speculation.
• 2. In other words, the sight of the crow taking up residence in skulls and other body parts provided a chastening perspective on how the mind takes up residence in the body [for each rebirth in the sensual sphere].
• 3. The guide to becoming [rebirth, relinking, rearising, reappearing, being reborn] is craving.
• See also: Thag 5.8; Thag 14.1; Thag 18.

How to save a hummingbird (sutra)

SUTRA: The compassion of past buddhas (DN 1)

The wondrous kalaviṅka bird

...“When he was reborn, [the being-bent-on-supreme-enlightenment] the Bodhisattva’s voice was clear, gentle, and harmonious like the voice of a kalaviṅka bird.”

The Buddha then spoke in verse:

“He was like the bird of the Himalayas

That drinks flower nectar and sings.

The most exalted of bipeds [the Buddha]

Had a voice that was just as clear.

“When he was reborn, the Bodhisattva’s vision could see clearly as far away as a yojana.”

The Buddha then spoke in verse:

“As a result of practicing pure deeds [good karma],

He got the marvelous glow of a god [deva].

The Bodhisattva’s eyes could see

At a range of a one yojana.

“When he was reborn, the Bodhisattva grew up to adulthood and was educated in the way [of governing] in the royal hall. His favor reached the common people, and his reputation for virtue was heard [about] far away.”

The Buddha then spoke in verse:

“In the royal hall, that young man

Educated the world with the way.

He made a variety of decisions,

So he was called Vipaśyin.

His pure knowledge was vast

And deep like the ocean.

He delighted the mass of beings

And improved their wisdom.

Gandhara=Scythia=Saka Land

“At that point, the Bodhisattva wanted to go out sight-seeing, so he ordered his driver to prepare a chariot and horses to go tour a forest park. Once the chariot and horses were ready, the driver returned and said, ‘Now is a good time.’ The prince then rode in the precious chariot to the scenic park. While they were on the road, they saw an elderly man. His hair was white, his teeth had fallen out, and his wrinkled body was bent. He walked wearily with a cane and was short of breath.

“The prince asked his aide, ‘What sort of man is that?’

“He answered, ‘This is an old man.’

“The prince also asked, ‘What is “old”?’

“He answered, ‘Old age happens as the end of one’s life approaches. When there aren’t many years left, it’s called being old.’

“The prince asked, ‘Will I be likewise? Will I not escape this hardship [inherent defect in rebirth]?’

“He answered, ‘Yes, anyone born is sure to become old. It doesn’t matter if they are rich or poor.’

“The prince was disturbed and unhappy at that point. He told his driver to turn the chariot around and go back to the palace. He silently thought to himself, ‘To think I’ll also have to suffer being old!’”

The Buddha then spoke in verse:

“Seeing an old man, his life about to end,

Walking weakly with a cane,

The Bodhisattva thought to himself,

‘I’ve yet to escape from this hardship!’...

• Hummingbirds rapidly evolved longer beaks to slurp more nectar from yard feeders, new study suggests | Audubon.org
• Backyard feeders changed the shape of hummingbird beaks, scientists say (NPR)
• Bird feeders have caused a dramatic evolution of California hummingbirds | Science | AAAS

The Great Legend

Long Discourses of the Buddha (DN 1) Introduction

Gareungbinga and Gongmyeongjo: Kalavinka and Jivamjivaka: 가릉빈가 & 공명조 (Koreabridge)

.

The Buddha Sakyamuni was not the only one

Thus have I heard: One time, the Buddha was at the Flowering Grove Hut in Jeta’s Grove of Śrāvastī [Savatthi]. He was accompanied by a large assembly of 1,250 monastics.

It was then that the monastics gathered in the Flowering Grove Hall after gathering alms. They engaged in a discussion with each other: “Venerables, the unsurpassed sage is so extraordinary! His miraculous powers are far-reaching, and his authority is tremendous. He has come to know the countless buddhas [supremely enlightened beings] of the past who have entered nirvāṇa, broken the bonds [of death], and eliminated idle speculation.”

“He also knows how many aeons [kalpas] ago those buddhas lived as well as their names, surnames, the clans to which they were reborn, the meals they had, the length of their lives, and what disappointment and happiness they experienced.”

“He also knows that those buddhas possessed such precepts, such principles, such wisdom, such liberation, and such abodes.”

“What do you think, friends? Does the Tathāgata [the Wayfarer, the Thus Come One, the Well Gone One, the Buddha] know this by discerning well the nature of things, or does he know these things because the gods (devas) come and tell him about them?”

The Bhagavān [the Blessed One, the Buddha] was in a quiet place at the time and clearly overheard the monastics having that discussion with his divine ear. He rose from his [meditation] seat, went to the Flowering Grove Hall, prepared a seat, and sat down.

He knew the answer, but the Bhagavān still asked them, “Monastics, what have you been discussing after gathering here?” The monastics then related to him what it had been.

The Bhagavān told them, “Good, good! With correct faith [saddha, confidence, conviction], you’ve left home to cultivate the path [to enlightenment and liberation], and you practice as you should. All of you have two types of conduct. The first is noble discussion of the Teaching, and the second is noble silence.

Meet the Army of Women saving India’s rarest stork | WILD HOPE

“This discussion of yours is as it should be: ‘The Tathāgata’s miraculous powers [are far-reaching,] and his authority are tremendous. He fully knows the events of countless aeons in the past. He knows it because he understands well the nature of things and because the gods come and tell him.’”

The Buddha then spoke in verse:

“Monastics gathered in the Dharma Hall

And held a noble discussion;

In a quiet place, the Tathāgata

Heard it all with his divine ear.

The Buddha sun’s light shines everywhere

As he discerns the Dharma realm’s meaning.

He also knows the past events of

The Completely Awakened and their nirvāṇa.

Their names, surnames, and families,

The births they received, I know, too.

The places where they had lived,

I recall them with clear vision.

Those gods of great authority,

Quite dignified in appearance,

Also come and tell me about

The Completely Awakened and their nirvāṇa.

Recounting their rebirths, names, and surnames,

Their kalaviṅka bird voices fully knew them.

To the Unsurpassed Sage of Gods and Humans,

They describe the buddhas of the past.”

Avians (Suparnas, Garudas) are diverse

The Seven Buddhas

He again asked the monastics, “Would you like to hear about the circumstances of past buddhas that the Tathāgata knows with the knowledge of past lives? I’ll tell you about them.”

The monastics said: “Bhagavān, now would be a good time for it.” “We’d be glad to hear it.” “Excellent, Bhagavān!” “If there’s time for a discourse (sutra), we’ll approve of it.”

The Buddha told the monastics, “Listen closely! Listen closely, and consider it well. I’ll discern and explain.” The monastics then accepted the teaching and listened.

The Bowerbird's Grand Performance! | Life Story | BBC Earth

The Buddha told the monastics, “Ninety-one aeons ago, there was a buddha named Vipaśyin who was the Tathāgata, the Arhat [fully enlightened], who arose in the world. Furthermore, monastics, thirty-one aeons ago, there was a buddha named Śikhin who was the Tathāgata, the Arhat, who arose in the world. Furthermore, monastics, thirty-one aeons ago, there was another buddha named Viśvabhū who was the Tathāgata, the Arhat, who arose in the world. Furthermore, monastics, during this present fortunate aeon, there was a buddha named Krakucchanda, another who was named Kanakamuni, and another who was named Kāśyapa. [It is called a "fortunate aeon" for having four buddhas.] Now, I’ve also achieved the supreme and complete awakening during this present aeon of fortune.”

The Buddha then spoke in verse:

“Ninety-one aeons in the past,

There was the Buddha Vipaśyin.

Next, thirty-one aeons ago,

There was the Buddha Śikhin.

During that same aeon,

Tathāgata Viśvabhū arose.

During the present fortunate aeon,

There have been countless millions of years.

There were four great sages

Who arose because of their pity for beings:

Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni,

Kāśyapa, and Śākyamuni. More

• 大本—Charles Patton (trans), suttacentral.net, edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Killing eggs comes back: Karma (epidemic)

I feel therefore I am, Descartes

Is an egg an egg? - Yes. Is it alive? - Yes. - How do we know? - We know because if cared for, it will grow (develop, transform, metamorphose) into a bird, often a bird (like a chicken) capable of procreating more eggs and birds.

Is killing unskillful (harmful, detrimental, resulting in suffering)? - Yes. - Is taking the life of an egg killing? - NO, that doesn't count! It's not a bird! It's a fetus, and a fetus is not a life! I'm not giving up my omelets and easy-overs! You tricked me! It's not killing. There's nothing wrong with stealing eggs, smashing them, and devouring the insides like common egg-stealing snake-animals from the warm wombs of mother-birds! I grew up on a farm, and all the hens gave us their eggs, I mean our eggs, and said, "Sure, eat 'em, I don't care! They come out of canal and mean nothing to me as long as the roosters are kept away so they can't be babies and we're forcibly confined for our safety to all lesbian prison-coops! Case closed, right-to-lifers! Keep your exalted karma philosophies out of my kitchen!"

• Karma: The high cost of eggs (Silanisamsa Jataka)
• VIDEO: Is karma real? Deeds cause results?

So you admit to having mixed feelings, with so much reactivity, that slurping the wombs of big mother-birds to devour their egg in the shell is kidnapping, killing, and cannibalizing fellow living beings? Kind of, but so what? EVERYONE does it! - Well, not everyone. Those who do meet with trouble, not the least of which are salmonella infections, E. coli epidemics, bowel distress, possible death, and when they meet with the results of their karma (deeds), they will not be happy about it.

Isn't the salmonella and E. coli infection the karmic result of killing? - No. That's just a natural consequence of consuming contamination. The abducting of eggs, killing of birds, the slaughter and slurping of the dead, that's the karma. And the karmic result and fruit (vipaka and phala) of killing will not be good.

• CDC warns of Salmonella outbreak linked to eggs | CDC
• Outbreak Investigation of Salmonella: Eggs (June 2025) | FDA
• Costco organic egg recall escalated to highest level | SF Chronicle
• Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Eggs Sickens Dozens - The New York Times

The Buddha tells a story of the past: Silanisamsa Jataka

It's not a sutra, Homer, it's a jataka. - Shut up, Flanders! *Whisper* I'll be back for those eggs.

.

This ship is going to sink, friend.

Long, long ago, at the time of [a previous buddha named] Buddha Kassapa [3], a [stream-enterer] lay disciple who had already entered the path [reached the first stage of enlightenment] booked passage on a ship with his friend, a rich barber.

The rich barber's wife asked the Buddha's disciple to look after her husband. But a week after it left port, the ship sank in the middle of the ocean.

The two friends saved themselves by holding on to a plank of wood and were eventually cast up on the shore of a deserted island rookery.

Hungry, the foolish barber raided egg nests, killed birds, slaughtered and cooked them, offering a share of his bloody meal to the Buddha's disciple.

Farmer trying to steal the mother chicken's babies/eggs goes viral

The wise go for guidance to the Buddha.

"No thank you," the disciple answered, "I'm fine" [not wishing to encourage the foolish barber in his defilements and unskillful karma]. He thought to himself, "In this desolate place, there is no help [guidance] for us except the Three Jewels [the Buddha, Dhamma, and noble Sangha]."

As he sat meditating on the Three Jewels, a naga (reptilian, dragon, CDs) king who had been reborn on that island magically transformed himself into a beautiful ship filled with the seven precious things [4]. Its three masts were made of sapphire, the planks and anchor of gold, and the ropes of silver.

The naga king transforms into a ship to save the good man

The helmsman, who was a sea spirit, stood on the deck and yelled, "Passengers for Jambudipa [earth, subcontinent, or India] now boarding for immediate passage!"

"Yes," the virtuous lay disciple called back, "that's where we're bound!"

"Then come aboard," the sea spirit invited.

The virtuous layman climbed aboard the beautiful ship and turned to call his friend the foolish barber.

Go vegan with an abundant mindset: How much are New Yorkers

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(The Simpsons) Stealing to kill and devour mother and their offspring

"You may come," the sea spirit declared "but he may not."

"Why not?" the disciple asked.

"He is no follower of the pure life," answered the sea spirit. "I brought this ship for you, but not for him."

"If that's the case," the virtuous layman announced, "then all the gifts I have given, all the virtues [restraints and exertions] I have practiced, all the powers I have developed — I give the fruit of all of them to him!"

"Thank you, Master!" cried his friend the barber.

"Very well," relented the sea spirit, "now I can take both of you aboard."

List of the Buddha's rebirth tales or Jataka Stories (Wiki)

.

The ship carried the two men across the sea and up the Ganges River that pours into it. After depositing them safely at their home in Baranasi [the holy ancient city of Varanasi/Benares], the sea spirit used his magic power to create enormous wealth for both of them. Then, poising himself mid-air, he instructed them and their friends:

"Keep company with the wise and good. If this barber had not been in the company of this virtuous layperson, he would have perished in the middle of the ocean."

Arguing more details

What about other eggs? - Avoid harming beings.

[Doesn't that depend on whether a rooster (cock, man-chicken) inseminated and fertilized it? - That's what some people say. But is cannibalizing a fellow human's womb, the afterbirth, okay after a human birth? - That's sick. - Yeah, but people do it, saying human cannibalism is nutritious and what a waste to throw all that flesh and goo away after it is expelled from the womb and vagina, mixing with bum juices and all but being washed and sauteed before being cannibalized. - Sick! - Sick, yes, but is it killing?

- No! No one died, and no one was kept from being born or developing! - Right, so if that cannibalism is all right, why not eggs that have not yet developed a blood spot, the sign of fertilization? - Ugh, it's all so gross. I don't think humans are carnivores, given that they don't have the features of carnivores but share so many similarities with herbivores. - Meat eaters call human bodies "omnivores" like dogs, capable of eating anything. - Any nutritive substance will do, no matter how contaminated or how fouled by harmful substances that intrinsically mixed in. Carnivore bodies are the way they are to deal with quickly expelling the toxins. - Anyway, don't we HAVE to eat something, so we have to kill something to do it?

- No. We can live without killing, but let's say some lower lifeform does die in the process, are we killing it or calling for it to be killed? No. Even vegetables do not have to be killed for us to eat and live well. - How? - Fruitarianism, for example, is a great way to live on food produced by plants without killing the plants -- beans, grains, vegetable parts other than roots, bioavailable minerals, chlorella, nuts, and much more like nonplants, such as mushrooms and mycelia.

There's breatharianism, subsisting on prana and amrita, but the West doesn't believe in that, so it's out of the question -- but we know it to be true, rare as it is, upending everything we think we "know" about this body and this human life. Vegetarianism is another example, which comes in different varieties. Veganism is a better example, as it steers clear of all dead animals, dead insects, dead and killed higher lifeforms, and avoids using their slaughtered bodies and byproducts. - Is there no way to eat the dead? - There are plenty of ways to eat the dead. Look around.

- No, I mean, any ethical, moral, non-karmically-harmful way? - I can think of one, but it still has the problem of the dead's bodies being rotten, filled with harmful things that the human body will suffer to have to deal with, but at least karmically might not be a problem, other than maybe ghoulish beings standing around delighting in the dead body and its devourment.

- Well, you don't make it sound appetizing, but what is it? - What if someone were to eat the already-dead, that is, that which is dead by not being killed? - What do you mean? - Roadkill, aged animals, sick animals, dead by predation, dead by accident, and so on, these bodies, while dead, might not have been killed by the consumer aiming to consume them NOR paid to be killed, nor by approving of killing as happens when one hires and pays a butcher, a delicatessen, a slaughterhouse, abattoir, a rancher or other torturer of animals who raises them for slaughter or facilitates their slaughter.

- Never mind, I'd rather go vomit and never eat another living being if you put it like that. - The Truth is that the Truth is, whatever it is, and that may be what karma knows, regardless of our rationalizations saying, "This isn't so bad" or "This is not as bad as that" as if any of that makes killing okay, or approving of killing, or rewarding someone for killing, or digesting the dead.]

• Eds., Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY, ANALYSIS

Parrots: Avoid fools, associate with wise

I had to get out of that situation. I'd rather fly alone than keep company with a fool.

25 funniest comics about parrots, illustrated by keeper of the birds herself (boredcomics.com)

• In honor of World Parrot Day (Protecting Our Feathered Friends) WORLD PARROT DAY 2025 (National Today), we bring back this classic post.

Stay far away from fools, and instead associate with the wise

Avoiding fools and

Associating with the wise,

Giving respect to the deserving,

This is [among] life's highest blessings.

Sattigumba and Pupphaka

Asevanā ca bālānaṃ, paṇḍitānañca sevanā;

Pūjā ca pūjaneyyānaṃ

etaṃ maṅgalamuttamaṃ.

Maṅgala Sutra

That's a good bird! - Thank you, sir.

These lines verses from the "Blessings Sutra" uttered by the Buddha who was asked, “What is life's highest blessing?” He spoke of 38 blessings. However, this first verse is perhaps the most important. We are smart to distinguish the fools from the wise.

The Commentary to this verse explains: Fools commit unskillful karma (demeritorious deeds of body, speech, and mind).

The wise create skillful karma (meritorious deeds of body, speech, and mind). The wise develop virtue (sila, morality, ethical conduct).

Lay Buddhists keep Five Precepts, Eight Precepts on fasting (lunar observance) days, and Ten Precepts on retreat or during intensive practice). Monastics vow to adhere to 227 Precepts, including eight more for females who follow the garudhammas.

When a wise person hears about or recollects the Five Precepts, or a wise monastic hears about or calls to mind the 227 Precepts, that person becomes happy.

When one hears of the unskillful karma created by breaking precepts, one becomes happy because of not having broken those precepts and knowing that bad karmic results (resultants and fruits or vipaka and phala) will be avoided.

When one hears of skillful karma due to virtue, one becomes happy, knowing that welcome results will come. This is true for "wise" people, according to the Bālapaṇḍita Sutra (MN 129).

I'm not a fool. I'm drunk -- and loving it. 🤢🤮

Fools (bāla) are described in the same discourse:

Suppose a fool is sitting in a council hall, street, or crossroads, where people are discussing what is proper and suitable. And suppose that fool is someone who kills living creatures, steals, engages in sexual misconduct, lies (deceives), and uses intoxicants that occasion negligence.  That fool thinks:

"‘These people are discussing what is proper and fitting; those things are found in me, and I am seen in them!’

"This is the first kind of suffering and sadness a fool experiences in the present life.

"Those who fail to uphold the Five Precepts [which are useful for all humans of whatever religion or philosophy] for lay practitioners or 227 for monastics become fearful when they hear these precepts and the negative results from breaking them. They are called fools."

Actually, the ones who become afraid have some hints of wisdom, for they know they should change [so as to avoid future suffering].

I'm starting to think you might be a bad influence on me. - Shut the front door, Birdbrain.

.

It is the ones without fear who do not become afraid at all when hearing these things who are absolute fools. They are the most dangerous because they hold wrong views and act on them. They are dangerous because they believe the unskillful actions they do are actually skillful, and they spread these wrong views with others.

The Commentary to the Maṅgala Sutra, "The Discourse on Blessings," says that this is like a house on fire, burning: It easily spreads to neighboring houses.

Spiritual development starts with being morally wise. After morality is developed, one is capable of developing stillness of mind (samatha, samadhi).

Those who have developed stillness (samadhi, unification, concentration, coherence) have completed the second part of “being wise.”

The third part is to develop insight knowledge or vipassana. One must have the ability to focus, be calm, and remain still to develop insight knowledge. And one must have virtue (morality) to develop focus (non-distractedness).

That is why it is said that virtue, stillness, and wisdom (sīla, samādhi, and paññā), in this order and not in any other order, is the path to enlightenment.

The highest level of insight is the glimpsing or realization of nirvana (Pali nibbāna). And the highest level of attaining nirvana (while still alive) is full enlightenment or arahant knowledge.

• While a person yet lives, this is called enlightenment with remainder because one is still experiencing the results of previous karma, while no longer accruing any new karma. All intentional actions at this point are called kriyas or "simple (functional) actions." They do not bear fruit. When one enters final nirvana or parinibbana, this is enlightenment without remainder.

An arhat (arahant) is someone in whom passion (greed and clinging), aversion (hatred and fear), and delusion (ignorance and wrong views) are completely destroyed without remainder. These are the noble ones who have laid down the burden, who have made an end of suffering and rebirth here and now.

Where do I ordain?

Wanting to practice a direct path to enlightenment free of all worldly distractions, many people ask where to ordain. To find a proper abbey, look for spiritually wise monastics. While this is difficult to discern by merely looking, morally wise monastics are easier to detect.

One cannot be spiritually wise without being morally wise. Therefore, start at a place where both the monastic rules (vinaya) and meditation are regarded as important.

Rotten apple

[In the West, one bad apple rots the entire barrel.] In addition to a burning house spreading fire to another, the Maṅgala Sutra Commentary speaks of rotten fish spreading rot to nearby objects.

One who ties up putrid fish

with blades of kusa grass

makes the kusa grass smell foul:

so it is in the following fools

(It 68, 9-12, Ja IV 435, 28-29, JaVI 236 4-5).

Maṅgala Sutra Commentary: In contrast, the commentary explains that if one were to wrap tagara jasmine flowers with leaves, those leaves would become wonderfully fragrant.

One who ties up tagara

with leaves [fallen from a tree]

makes the leaves sweetly fragrant:

So it is in following the wise

(It 68, 13-16, Ja IV 436, 1-2, Ja VI 236, 6-7).

Maṅgala Sutra Commentary: This is literally used to explain that whatever is near to us can easily “rub off” on us. Perhaps the best example of this is our language or accent.

Not long ago, if someone were from New York City or Long Island, one could easily tell by the way that person talked.

My father is from the Bronx, and everyone who hears him speak knows it. This is becoming a thing of the past because of TV and internet videos that are homogenizing us.

Think about it. Television and internet media affect us in deeply rooted and subconscious ways. They affect the way we speak without us realizing it. If they can affect the way we sound to others, why would they not impact our attitudes, beliefs, and morals without us realizing it?

As internet algorithms choose more and more polarizing and extreme material to present to us, those things will become a part of us. They become the new normal. They already have.

We are encouraged to associate or live with the wise, with those who are higher than us in terms of morality and wisdom. This is very important because it will be easy for this to rub off on us, such as the fragrance of flowers.

The twin parrots Buddhist birth story

The Sattigumba Jātaka is listed in the Commentaries quoted above to explain this point.

It is the tale of two parrots born as twins. A storm comes, and they are separated shortly after birth.

One bird is raised by a gang of thieves, the other by hermit wandering ascetics. The king comes across both parrots at different times. The first encounter is the bad parrot who speaks of stealing and killing, while the other speaks of sharing and kindness. The king is moved by the difference between the two.

This story may seem hard to believe, but we can find examples of parrots on YouTube that point this out. Believe it or not, many parrots are in need of shelter. Enter “parrot + a location” into a search engine and see the many organizations looking for new nests for their avian orphans. 

• The video above is about a rescued bird who lived with bad people and witnessed a terrible crime.

This parrot witnessed the murder of its owner. It became a key witness at the trial in the human world. Likewise, there are numerous channels with loving parrots who obviously had loving owners, such as this one:

Hey, give me a kiss. - Sure, 'bout time you asked. Hey, WTH? Why you you little love-blocker!

Hello? What the H do you want? - Les, is that U?

This post by Bhante, now edited by Wisdom Quarterly, is dedicated to Bhante’s cousin, Les Brodie, who died. He had a well-trained talking bird and told me about what a joy it was to have it. It had its own bike, and the bird would often pick up the house phone with its claw on the first ring and imitate his voice, “Hello? Uh huh...ummm...yes...uh huh…”

Apparently, sometimes his friends would have whole conversations with the bird without Les knowing it. He was a very special bird, and his person was not so bad either.

If we are parents, our children are our parrots. They are watching and listening whether we like it or not, and they will mimic and model themselves after us.

Moreover, WE are all talking birds, parroting whomever we follow and associate with. Those with whom we associate rub off on us like wrapping around stinky fish or fragrant flowers. So it is wise to be wise in choosing our associates.

Avoiding fools and

Associating with the wise,

Giving respect to those worthy of it,

This is life’s highest blessing.

• Pa Auk Sayadaw student Bhante Subhuti (americanmonk.org), 4/22/22; Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly orig. published June 3, 2024