[Buddha-l] Re: Buddhist pacifism

[Mike Austin]

In message <001901c5d209$8c12ad20$6900a8c0 at vic.bigpond.net.au>, Kate 
<marshallarts at bigpond.com> writes

>Why do you consider getting rid of pests a kind of aversion
>rather than prudent or wise?  I agree that termites are just doing what
>termites do but wouldn't it be considered wise to stop them from doing so.
>The act is done to save the house, not to kill the termites.

 From what I have heard, karma occurs on the basis of one of the three 
afflictions - ignorance, attachment  and aversion. Were you to kill the 
termites because you thought it was good, that would be ignorance. If 
you were to kill them to eat, that would be attachment. If you were to 
kill them because you disliked them, that would be aversion.

The affliction that takes the termites as an object is the deciding 
factor. In the example you quote, it seems to be both the afflictions of 
ignorance and aversion. Aversion alone would motivate one to kill the 
termites wherever they are, and ignorance alone would probably mean that 
the question would not be asked at all.

I had a similar situation many years ago when I had some major roof work 
done. The builders discovered a wasps nest and could not safely continue 
their work. Reluctantly, I had to call in pest control. In the meantime. 
I tried shifting the wasps myself by smoking them out with incense. I 
had no aversion to the wasps, and I was not entirely ignorant. However, 
turning a blind eye to things probably constituted ignorance.

-- 
Metta
Mike Austin