Misunderstanding about the Buddhist Practice of Releasing Lives to Freedom –Zhen Lin

The benefit of the Buddhist practice of releasing lives to freedom is huge. This is so because by doing so we keep lives from being killed, show compassion and kindness. However, there seems to be misunderstanding about the practice—some take it as a magic wand to diseases, keep them away from disasters, and extend their lives. True, if we do it in the right way, such practice does bring such benefits.
However, Buddha also reminds us that “whether it is right or wrong, good or bad, depends on our heart and mind”. This is particularly so with the Buddhist practice of releasing lives to freedom. If you do show compassion when doing so, certainly it brings huge benefits. However, many do so while keeping eating meat food. They are still killing lives. They do so for the sake of getting the benefits. Besides, most people would buy animals from the market, then release them. They fail to realize that doing so would only prompt the sellers to capture more wildly. Wouldn’t that only be more harmful to the animals? If so, how beneficial it can be for us?
Releasing lives to freedom is actually a means of how we practice goodness, show compassion, and stay away from killing. What matters is how we think and understand it, not how much money we spend doing it. It is effective only when we truly understand it and practice it from the bottom of our heart in our everyday life. Only in this way can we enjoy its benefits of extending our life span, keeping us from disasters and diseases, and enjoying peace…