The document discusses loving kindness and compassion for animals in Buddhism. It describes how the Buddhist texts teach to radiate lovingkindness to all beings, including animals. Animals are seen as responding positively to people who have a kindly presence. Buddhism teaches compassionate treatment of animals, such as releasing trapped animals, saving injured animals, providing food and water for animals, and saving animals from harm or death.

1. Loving kindness for animals
 The Karaniya-metta Sutta speaks of
radiating lovingkindness to all types of
beings.
 ‘Hard/harsh words irritate even animals’
 Animals are seen as responding in a
positive way to those who have a kindly
presence.

2.  Both humans and animals respond
better to those who they feel are
friendly, so that loving-kindness is seen
to protect a person.
 Animals are seen as responding in a
positive way to those who have a kindly
presence.

3.  ’In the Theravadin monastic code,
monks are allowed to release trapped
animals or fish, if this is from
compassion rather than a desire to
steal (Vin III.62-63).
 Gotama saved a goose which his
cousin Devadatta had shot with an
arrow, and went on to nurse it back to
health

4.  the Brahmajala Sutra says: ‘One should be
willing to forsake one’s entire body, one’s
flesh, hands and feet as an offering to
starving tigers, wolves, lions, and hungry
ghosts.
 Altruism towards animals can also be at a
very simple level: it is karmically fruitful even
to throw dishwater into a pool or cesspit for
insects and other creatures to feed on (A.
I.161).

5.  Among the charitable deeds of the
emperor Asoka was the planting of
medicinal herbs, and the development
of wayside wells and shadetrees, for
both humans and animals .
 This accords with one of the duties of
compassionate Cakkavatti: protecting
animals and birds

6.  Buddhism also regards the liberating of
animals from death as a karmically
fruitful act.
 In Buddhism, particularly at the time of
certain festivals or holy days, crabs are
returned to the sea, birds are released
to the sky, and chickens are saved from
slaughter.

7.  Livestock are sometimes released into
the care of large monasteries, perhaps
with contributions for their upkeep.
 Such monasteries may also have a pool
for fish rescued from fishmongers.

8.  In Buddhist countries, people feed the
protected turtles and fish at
monasteries, and it is seen as good to
rescue fish from pools that are drying
out, and to transfer them to a river.

9.  At certain festivals, people also buy
birds from traders, so as to do the good
deed of releasing them.
 An unfortunate side-effect of this
custom, though, is that birds are
deliberately captured for this purpose!