Close encounters with wildlife

[Michel]

Well said, aglorincz. Thank you. You've made it clear to me what the various stages and tasks are that the mystic must undertake in order to reach a state of perfection.

[Jhanananda]

About a month ago I rescued a rabbit from a small cage that was placed just outside my front door.  I cannot stand to see animals in cages, so I asked my neighbor if I could care for it.  He said I could.

So, I put a fence around one of the 2 gardens here, and put the rabbit in it.  At first the creature ran about the garden as if it was in heaven.  After a week in the garden the rabbit dug an extensive burro system.  It would leave heaps of dirt near its hole in the morning, and I would rake it out to make it easier for the rabbit to get more dirt out of its burro.  It liked it when I raked. It would dance about.

However, after a few weeks the rabbit seemed to get bored with the garden, so I put a fence around the other garden and recycled some air-conditioning duct work for it to use as a tunnel between the 2 gardens.  Well after week it would have nothing to do with the tunnel.

So, I closed all of the little holes in the fence for half the yard, and let the rabbit run free there.  It was so excited to have new terrain to explore that it ran about, and sniffed; and it found the other garden.

Eventually I closed off the rest of the rabbit sized holes in the fence, and let it have the rest of the yard.  The rabbit was overjoyed.

After about a week of having the run of the entire yard it found ways to escape into the gravel parking lot; however, it just hung out just outside the fence and nibbled on the fresh weeds there.  It spent most of the evening, night and early morning outside the fence near my front door, and it always got itself back into the yard before sunrise.

Lately the weather in the mornings and evenings has been very pleasant, so I have returned to sitting under the tree and looking out at the famous Sedona red cliffs.  The rabbit joins me there.

[Michel]

It is a good thing to have animal friends. I like to sit in the backyard at times and watch the plants and insects and other forms of life. I especially like whatever wants to grow naturally in an environment. What they call "weeds," I call plants. They  grow very fast, they are vigorous and hard to eradicate, an are really quite beautiful, as opposed to sod, which requires constant care and watering. It is sad when the yard maintenance crews come to mow these magnificent plants down. This idea of having an impeccable lawn free of all other vegetation is insane. It is ugly. It requires a huge effort of time and money to maintain. They poison the place with herbicides, and they wonder why we develop cancers. The noise made by gas powered leaf blowers and lawnmowers is at times intolerable. Each week, in the townhouse complex I live in, it takes a full day for the army of yard maintenance crews to do their stuff. I've noticed that some of these workers are partially deaf from all the noise. It is not healthy for anyone. No wonder some people are so busy and miserable, they have no time for anything else when they're stuck on this idea of having to have an impeccable lawn. And God help anyone who happens to walk on their grass.

[Jhanananda]

Good points, Michel.  I agree.  Just think if all of those people who paid for yard workers just owned 1 rabbit, the lawn would be mowed for free.

[Michel]

Good points, Michel.  I agree.  Just think if all of those people who paid for yard workers just owned 1 rabbit, the lawn would be mowed for free.

Haha. Yes. Imagine having a goat which would cover even  a larger area as well as fertilizer, and at the same time provide them with fresh free milk that they wouldn't have to go out and buy in their SUV.

[Michel]

If I were in better health, I'd live in the countryside or the wilderness where I could lead a quiet sustainable lifestyle suitable for a contemplative.

Western civilization is insane. There's hardly anything civilized about it...


civ·i·lized  (sĭv′ə-līzd′)
adj.
1.  Having a highly developed society and culture.

2.  Showing evidence of moral and intellectual advancement; humane, ethical, and reasonable.

3.  Marked by refinement in taste and manners; cultured; polished.

There's an article today in the Huffington Post titled: "Why Are Canadian Kids So Stressed Out?" That says it all.
 

[Jhanananda]

In anthropology and archaeology we have our own definition of civilization.  It is when agriculture, a stratified society, and formal architecture appear.  The prehistoric puebloan societies of the Southwestern USA had agriculture, and formal architecture, but lacked evidence of a stratified society, so they are seen as proto-civilizations.  I see the prehistoric puebloan societies as evidence that a stratified society is not an essential ingredient in civilization.

As a mystic, I see civilization as institutionalized neuroses; and that humans belong, and are emotionally and physically healthier as hunter gatherers.

[Jhanananda]

On the topic of ravens.  Here is a Nova on Inside Animal Minds: Bird Genius

[Michel]

On the topic of ravens.  Here is a Nova on Inside Animal Minds: Bird Genius

Due to copy write the video is not available in Canada.

There's much that we do not know about animal intelligence and emotions. I understand that ravens and crows have some sort of vocalizations that they use to communicate amongst themselves, and maybe other animals. They call wolves and other predators to dead carcasses. It would be interesting to learn more about this.

It was when I was fifteen that I discovered that animals are capable of deep love. While camping in the wilderness, for no reason, I killed a young ground hog with a stone, and when its mother discovered her dead offspring she let out a loud mournful cry of such intense emotion that to this day has haunted me ever since. At that time I did not know that ground hogs were capable of such emotions. I knew that I had done something very wrong. I was totally ashamed of myself; and I'm still trying to forgive myself for having done such a thing. I have a debt to pay to the animal kingdom.

[Sam Lim]

I saw a video a while back with the problem solving technique of the raven. Very interesting, they can improvise and solve problems like a human does with tools. They are highly intelligent creature.


Are crows the ultimate problem solvers? Inside the animal mind

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVaITA7eBZE

[Jhanananda]

Interesting story, Michel.  When I was about 10 I had discovered the bee bee gun, and became the killer of many birds.  Eventually I understood that I was causing harm, I felt shame, and stopped my killing spree.

Thanks Sam, for the link to another video on crows.  I have spent a great deal of time near ravens.  In fact there are a lot of ravens here.  They are intelligent, but they also lack courage as well.  They are mostly nest robbers, and sneak thieves.  But they are definitely articulate in their language development.

[Michel]

Interesting story, Michel.  When I was about 10 I had discovered the bee bee gun, and became the killer of many birds.  Eventually I understood that I was causing harm, I felt shame, and stopped my killing spree.

Many of us were mass murderers of harmless little creatures when we were young. When I discovered the pellet gun I killed anything that moved in the backyard. I thought that it was OK to kill for the sport of it. Like you I came to realize that animals too had feelings. Nowadays I will even go to great lengths to avoid killing insects that live in my house. I watch my step.

[Jhanananda]

I suppose one way of looking at how boys tend to kill animals is hunting is instinctual, because humans are predators.  On the other hand a few of us grow out of it, and develop compassion, even though we are still predators, and may even hunt.

[Michel]

The 1st precept is one should abstain from killing. Is it OK to kill animals in order to survive? What do the suttas tell us?

[Jhanananda]

I thought you might like this video A Vegetarian's Nightmare or A Dissertation on Plants Rights. While Siddhartha Gautama was not a hunter, he was also not a vegetarian, so that should give you your answer.