Our Cruelties Towards Animals

The Buddha's approach to the use of domestic animals for hard toil is also very clear from description that has come down to us in our texts of His inner reactions, when he saw the poor creatures groaning under the yoke that man has placed on them for his own benefit.

For long has man treated the domestic animal purely as an object of utility. These animals yield to man the maximum benefit in hard toil, in milk and wool as well as eggs, etc, but when this service has been rendered, they are without compunction offered on the sacrificial altars or killed to provide man with meat, hide, bones and sinews.

With the dawn of the machine age, man has entered into a new heritage. He easily can if he is progressive, wise, intelligent and truly humanitarian, make use of machinery where manual labour or animal power is being utilized. He can relieve the animals from unremitting hard toil and use them only for light work.

The sight of the oxen, that are yoked for breaking land, during summer heat, panting for breath, prodded with sharp goads, receiving beating with kicks, fists and whip as well as abused foully, all through their period of toil, by a no less harassed peasant is not at all an edifying sight, for a truly sensitive man.

The same pitiable lot is of the lone bullock, who is yoked blindfold to an oil ghanny. It cannot but arouse deep compassion in the heart of a kind inclined man.

Is it now necessary?

For long have we continued these cruel practices but the time has now come when man has to ask himself whether with his greater scientific knowledge is it at all necessary for man's existence that the domestic animals should be put to its present unremitting hard toil when without much difficulty all this toil can easily be transferred to machinery.

There is however no harm, if the domestic animals are used for lighter jobs as it will keep them fit and give them joy of living.