Posted by alexandra_k on February 23, 2005, at 16:21:34
In reply to Re: Animal Rights » alexandra_k, posted by Mark H. on February 23, 2005, at 14:23:37
You are welcome. Thanks for reading it :-)
> You wrote: "I think we should extend equal moral consideration to all beings who have the capacity to suffer."
> A couple of years ago, a friend of mine asked one of our visiting lamas, "Are all beings equal?" The lama looked at her for a long moment and said, "All *phenomena* are equal."Yes, all phenomena (in themselves) are equal. The world just *is* the case. It doesn't follow from the way things *are* what we *should* do. And the world (in itself) doesn't contain any values. Nothing is intrinsically worthwhile or worthless. Nothing has interests or whatever until a miracle occured - sentient beings arose.
And sentient beings have interests (in survival and reproduction primarily and in other things derivitavely. Then some phenomena can be described as *better* or *worse* *good* or *bad* *worthless* or *worthwhile* but these judgements are always relative to *our* interests.
The world without sentient beings, the world where there aren't any interests just *is*. All phenomena are equal.
And all sentient beings are equal too - in the sense that their suffering should be taken into account.
> I'm still struggling with that. Even in the practice of equanimity, it seems to me that we must still prioritize, that we have to say, "Doing this is more important than doing that."
Yes, of course we have to! We have interests and indeed there can be *facts* about which phenomena are *better* or *worse* *good* or *bad* BUT they are only those things relative to (or in virtue of) our interests.
>I like the *idea* of being able to extend equal moral consideration to all sentient beings, but I'm not there yet.
Thats ok. I am not vegan yet. But I hope to get there.
> As usual you've given me much to think about.:-)
> Many thanks,And thanks to you.
poster:alexandra_k
thread:461535
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20050215/msgs/462352.html