Can a person be a Buddhist if they hate bugs?

Question

I've been really interested in Buddhism, but the one thing that I really cannot get past is hating bugs and killing them. They can be dangerous, even deadly. How do Buddhists feel about micro-organisms? I know I shouldn't kill any living thing, any suggestions?

Answer 1

There are reasons for living things to be alive. It is the Middle Path which will help you overcome these irrational fears you have, for fear is part of our consciousness and it is full of irrational thoughts and fears. To understand our consciousness and its many irrationalities is part of following the Dharma.

You will find that a fuller understanding of the Four Noble Truths will assist you to understand yourself and overcome this fear you suffer. You will learn that it is your consciousness which is doing the fearing, you are made up of the four elements of earth, wind, water and fire. Everything else is made up of the parts of the consciousness and these parts are irrational, impermanent and insatiable. Do not cling to these feelings which are only a part of your impermanent and irrational consciousness and approach these bugs from a perpective of mutual respect and you will find that you'll realise their importance in their own right. Avoid them as you must of course but kill them you mustn't. Brush them aside and avoid their abode but they have a role to play in life.

Micro-organisms invade our bodies and are a part of us and our planet. They too play a role in life. Do not dwell on them, they will take care of themselves. Your intent is the key. Do not kill when any other course is open to you. Avoid the deadly bugs and bush aside the others...the Middle Path.

Do not dwell on fear of things for fear itself is natural. To dwell on fear is to be attached to fear, accept that you are afraid of bugs and move on, in this way you are seeing fear for what it really is, a natural part of life but nothing to rely on or cling to. Your suffering comes from clinging to the notion that you must fear bugs.

Do you become anxious because you feel cold in the winter...? Then do not become anxious when you feel fear when you see a bug, to a Buddhist these feelings are treated in the same way as are all feelings.

Peace from a Buddhist.....

Answer 2

You consider them "dangerous", "deadly", and you have aversions to them... understandable from a Western pov, however they do what they do for reasons. To label someone with labels such as these is based on how WE perceive things from our perspective, however from THEIR perspective, all they want is to be "happy" (according to their understanding of "contentment", "happiness" etc.) and if anything gets in the way of that, you get stung, bit, attacked etc. Survival is "happiness" to them. Same thing with bacteria, viruses and other micro-organisms... the most skillful thing is to understand this, however it doesn't mean you enjoy it and be thankful when you get hit with Ebola, Marburg, or a cold (although, once you cultivate understanding about what's going on, as you're dying or suffering, you'll actually suffer less by default... but that comes with time and practice)... it simply means:

Avoid the deadly ones... give them their space, don't attack them outright, be mindful of where you walk and how you conduct yourself. If there's a killer bee nest (Africanized bees) nearby, I don't toss in my latest acquisition of Rammstein, push up the bass and drive by the nest. If the insect is deadly and in your space and an immediate threat, remove it with as much compassion as you can, or just walk away... or have someone do it for you... if you kill it w/o the intent to kill it you don't accrue the same karmic debt that you would if you just killed it outright with intent and glee.

Buddhism is a mixture of logic and common sense. So is compassion and altruism. You don't let a murderer destroy your family, and you don't let a scorpion sting your child.

The more you study about the concepts of altruism, compassion, and karma, the better you'll understand... also the more you cultivate mindfulness, you'll find your path much easier to tread. There's far more to this than I can share with you here, in my miserable explanations of this, so I'll let you study further on your own. I hope this helps at least SOME.

Edit/addition: BTW Buddhism isn't about deeds, it's a philosophy. What makes a person a Buddhist or not is if they agree with the basic concepts of Buddhism (i.e. impermanence, emptiness as the Buddha defines it, etc.) or not... there's no such thing as being "excommunicated" or "heretical" in Buddhism... not really. If anyone tells you otherwise, they're incorrect.

_()_

Answer 3

You, and your body, naturally kill millions of microscopic living things every day, literally. You would not live long otherwise. Life and death are two aspects of the same thing. In the form of Buddhism I practice there is no restrictions on eating meat; even though our founder Nichiren chose to be a vegetarian, he did not say that his followers had to be. And even a vegetarian has to kill living things to live.

The real issue is, do you WANT to kill?

If someone were threatening to murder your family, and the only way to stop him was to use deadly force, Buddhism is okay with you using deadly force. If a dangerous insect were in your home -- and to many people a single bee sting can kill them -- it is okay to kill it to protect yourself.

If you are stomping on bugs just because you can, or burning ants with a magnifying glass, though -- that is totally different....

Answer 4

Learn all you can about bugs. Gain a deep level of understanding about bugs.

Also look into your own fear and revulsion/hate...why is it there? What is the root cause? Where does the misunderstanding lie?

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 5

Buddhism is focused on practice and way of living so you would have to confront your attitude to bugs and overcome it. Your fear of bugs is based on a delusion and delusions must be dealt with.

Answer 6

Mr Miyagi from karate kid killed bugs, and he was Buddhist, as he said, he doesnt live in a buddhist monastery.