I didn't want to make this thread on /his/ because I'm not trying to discuss the provenance of Buddhism or anything, I'm looking for help from Buddhists. /his/ feels like it's 96% christians and nazis for that matter.Can killing invasive insects be permitted in Buddhism?I've had an ant infestation in the past, and the ants had to be killed. I've had a hornet infestation in the past, and the hornets had to be killed. I've had a termite infestation in the past, and the termites had to be killed.Every year, in the place that I live, there are enormous swarms of lantern flies that kill plants and crops in the summer time. Most months out of the year, there are carpet beetles that get everywhere.I keep a tidy house, I don't leave food laying around, I dust and sweep and vacuum, I keep the windows shut, I've had the house treated for termites, but I still get insects.I'm mindful whenever I kill an insect, but I still feel terrible about it.Theoretically I don't NEED to kill them, I theoretically COULD live my life in a house full of ants, hornets, termites, and carpet beetles, and for that reason I feel bad for not making a bigger effort to protect those lives. I feel as though I am prioritizing my comfort over the lives of thousands of creatures.I love insects, I don't like to hurt them. I don't know what to do to reconcile all of this.
killing anything is generally frowned upon, because it opens the heart to thinking things like that are a solution. relocation/redirection are always preferable, where those are not possible? then yes, reluctant extermination, done without malice, where the killing method is not cruel, you are working towards a better future where you will not have to do it and the goal is the prevention of greater harm and suffering, is permissable
>>34330652Passivity is a killer too. When you fail to eradicate a hornet's nest, someone's 3 year old toddler mindlessly encounters it while climbing a tree. The hornets swarm, the kid is stung 1,000 times, the kid falls, the kid dies. And all because a narcissistic aristocrat from Tibet who abandoned his own wife and child told you his ruminations from the depths of his belly button.
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>>34330652Hmm, if you don't want to harm them, then that requires a sacrifice. Letting your house become infested with insects.If your goal is to be a Buddha "of the straight path", then that's what you should aspire to.If you're a human, then killing them to prevent the infestation is also correct. Humans are selfish towards other beings by nature. And other beings are too. It's that simple.
