What is Release of Life? Why Should We Practice It? The significance of the act of releasing life and how to do it correctly are questions many people have when participating in this ritual. The following article will address some of these concerns; feel free to refer to it.
Release of life refers to the act of freeing animals that are captured and on the verge of being killed for meat. Driven by compassion, we may spend money to buy animals that are about to be unjustly killed to set them free, thus creating merit and encountering good fortune in life.
Releasing life helps sentient beings escape from suffering and fear when they are trapped in cages, pens, or are being tortured and are about to be killed. With a bodhicitta mindset, we use every means possible to bring life and peace to all beings whose lives are under threat.
The significance of freeing an animal is akin to releasing prisoners who have been confined for a long time, giving them a good opportunity to regain their freedom. Furthermore, the act of releasing life reflects a spiritual aspect of boundless compassion that does not discriminate between humans and animals. Releasing life is an act that embodies compassion, wishing to bring happiness and peace to all beings.
Releasing Life Requires Intention and Understanding
On the 15th of the seventh lunar month, many people organize release ceremonies to pray for their families and loved ones. In various temples, as soon as fish and birds are released, there are individuals who immediately catch them again to sell. There is no merit gained, only visible wrongdoing!
Ms. Quỳnh Liên from Ho Chi Minh City recounts her experience when she accompanied a friend to release life at Diệu Pháp Temple. She witnessed her friend releasing fish, only to see someone follow behind to catch them again and sell them at the fish stall outside the temple. She was left wondering, “What meaning does such an act of releasing life hold?.”
This thought is quite negative and hinders the development of compassion. The law of cause and effect operates like a shadow following a form. Killing will inherently bring about its own negative repercussions, while releasing life will yield its own positive results. We practice our good deeds while others create their own negative karma. In the future, the results of good and evil karma will manifest; the law of cause and effect is absolute and never fails.
Dead Released Birds.
Many visitors to temples witness the phenomenon of sellers cutting off the wings of birds to weaken them before selling them to temple-goers for release. However, few birds can fly away, while many die or are recaptured. Despite numerous objections to these shocking images, this situation continues, especially during festivals and the 15th of the seventh lunar month in many places.
Dr. Nguyên Hương, a Buddhist scholar, states that catching birds or fishing for a living is a necessity for some individuals. They may be forced into these actions to feed their families. However, those who wait to catch released fish and birds for profit are acting out of greed and a lack of understanding, which can be considered evil karma.
According to Dr. Nguyên Hương, individuals going to the temple or intending to perform a release should not buy from these opportunistic sellers, as it supports those who exploit their compassionate actions. The Buddha advises that whatever one does should come from the heart and be rooted in true understanding.
In later developments of Buddhism, the act of releasing life became a means of practice. Formally, it means to let beings be free without constraints. On a deeper level, releasing life signifies freeing oneself from negative mental states such as greed, jealousy, rivalry, and hatred, thus attaining personal freedom. The profound meaning of releasing life in Buddhism is not merely purchasing birds or fish for release; understanding it this way is superficial and simplistic.
How to Release Life Correctly?
Many people mistakenly believe that the current ritual of releasing life is based on the teachings of the Buddha. In reality, this ritual emerged later, influenced by Chinese Buddhism, where rituals were once highly regarded. When Buddhism entered China, it had to use these rituals as a medium to convey messages of compassion and respect for all forms of life. However, due to a lack of deep reflection, people merely replicated the ritual forms while forgetting the true significance of the actions.
Let Beings Be Free.
So how should we understand the act of releasing life correctly? Should we practice it? Sister Nguyên Hương suggests: “Instead of performing a ritualistic release, one should release beings as the situation arises; for instance, rescuing them when they are in danger. For example, helping a dog stuck with tape in its mouth leading to necrosis, assisting a bird trapped in a snare and in pain, or purchasing a wild animal that has been caught to restore its life… Such urgent cases require immediate action without the need to bring them to a temple for ritualistic purposes.”
According to Dr. Nguyên Hương, when helping any sentient being, one should act quietly and sensitively. Choose a secluded place or an appropriate environment for the animal being rescued, where it has a chance to survive and thrive.
In any action, one should infuse it with intention and understanding rather than follow trends. Many people have spent substantial amounts of money to buy birds for release, yet they also support the consumption of wild game, birds, and other endangered species…
“We have numerous opportunities to do good; instead of spending money on buying fish or birds for release, we could visit and gift elderly individuals living alone or orphans, as well as help those in difficult circumstances when possible,” Dr. Nguyên Hương states.
Release of Life Does Not Need to Be Elaborate: Many people believe that before releasing life, one must perform rituals and recite prayers to gain merit. So, if one does not perform rituals, does the act of releasing still carry any merit?
Releasing life can be quite simple; there is no need for elaborate procedures or incense to be placed on the animal before release. The incense does not hold any importance in this regard. Many individuals who wish to release life may not even know where to buy incense, and thus wait until they acquire incense only to find that the animal has died.
When releasing life, it is not necessary to go to a temple for monks to chant blessings; practitioners can perform this on their own. Practitioners can recite: “All these sentient beings here take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Dharma, take refuge in the Sangha” or chant the name of the Buddha “Namo Amitabha Buddha,” “Namo Shakyamuni Buddha” about 10 times to sow the seeds of Buddhist Dharma for those beings.
