Buddha and the Cat

So you learn something new everyday right? Through the plight of a friend I can across something interesting in Buddhism within the last half hour.

In Japan, legend has it that a mouse was sent to get medicine for Buddha. Along his journey however he was met a hungry cat that sealed his fate and ate him. At the funeral, the cat did not repent, nor mourn the Buddha's death (he and the mamushi [a venomous serpent] were the only two that did not among all those in attendance).

As a result, the cat was held to be a cursed creature.

As a Jedi- what do you see in this story?

That ignorance of compassion and breach of dharma might be a karmic stain - which could be considered a 'curse' perhaps. I don't necessarily think karma need directly match how I view the Force, but it would be in the same sort of concept of metaphysical causality.

The cat was cursed for following its nature...why was the serpent cursed...

In other forms of buddhism cats have a different reputation...most forms revere it...
http://thebuddhasface.blogspot.com/2011/06/buddhism-and-cats-cute-kitten-and-its.html?m=1

Should things be cursed for their nature? It's all about perspective, right?

I mean, Buddha didn't banish the cats. He was dead and gone. It was his misguided students who made the call. Actually just makes me question teachers' opinions.

I got that our actions have wider effects than we realise. And just because its in your nature to do something, doesnt make it the right thing to do.

also, dont invite cats and snakes to funerals. they kill the grieving vibe.

I got that our actions have wider effects than we realise. And just because its in your nature to do something, doesnt make it the right thing to do.

Or the wrong thing.

I see no morality in this.

Khaos wrote:

I got that our actions have wider effects than we realise. And just because its in your nature to do something, doesnt make it the right thing to do.

Or the wrong thing.

I see no morality in this.

Can you elaborate please?

Well, we do a lot of things that aren't in our nature, Brenna. We hold our piss in until we find a socially acceptable place to piss. Does this make it bad? Ask Hobbes.

Helllloooooo kidney stones :whistle: and bladder infections, and uti's...all from holding it in until we reach a socially acceptable location...

RyuJin wrote: Helllloooooo kidney stones :whistle: and bladder infections, and uti's...all from holding it in until we reach a socially acceptable location...

As I recall, there is a thread on bathroom habits elsewhere.

Can we stay on topic please?

Brenna wrote:

RyuJin wrote: Helllloooooo kidney stones :whistle: and bladder infections, and uti's...all from holding it in until we reach a socially acceptable location...

As I recall, there is a thread on bathroom habits elsewhere.

Can we stay on topic please?

was merely punctuating conner's point about how doing things not in our nature can be bad...

morality is varied by region,culture, and individuals... just like how in buddhism alone there are varying perceptions of cats...in one form the cat is cursed for doing what is in its nature, while in other forms the cat is revered for doing what is in its nature...

RyuJin wrote: The cat was cursed for following its nature...why was the serpent cursed...

In other forms of buddhism cats have a different reputation...most forms revere it...
http://thebuddhasface.blogspot.com/2011/06/buddhism-and-cats-cute-kitten-and-its.html?m=1

http://stottilien.com/2012/06/03/the-symbol-of-serpent-and-dragon-an-jungian-view/

Well, first of all the serpent has, since ancient times been viewed as cursed or evil as it has strong connections to the symbology surrounding Kundalini, which is an energy relatively sexual in natue, located at the base of the spine. An individuals identity strongly transforms and intensifies during puberty. The priests knew full well when they stamped their disproval upon the serpent, and followed up by making sex a sin. The last thing they wanted was for people to be in touch with their bodies and identity. The serpent was a symbol for one discovering about themselves, and the world in which they lived. So, by condemning The serpent the priests killed two birds with one stone, making knowledge and sex forbidden. Instill fear, take away the people's knowledge and identity, why that sounds like a slave race if I've ever heard one...
_

Good explanation, but I was referring to the story in the op where they give the reason for the cat, but not for the serpent...

I do find it interesting how in such different religions from such different cultures certain symbolism remains the same across the board..cats are often symbols of the sacred feminine while serpents the male...

I dont think it stated the snake was cursed, just that it didnt mourn.

This may be why...

Every year, 2000–3000 people in Japan are bitten by a mamushi. Bitten victims typically require one week of treatment in a hospital. Severe bites require intensive care, and approximately 10 victims die annually.

Primal fear then...

The same reason dragons contain some of the traits they have...amalgamation of predatory tools created by primal fears (serpents,claws, etc)

Nature gives 0 F@#%$ about you.

Hence the reason I use a condom and don't leave her my number, back to the topic of serpents (and cats) I find it ironic that the imagery of the snake has been adopted and utilized by the medical profession, and yet most people don't seem to give it a second thought. I think the fear or stigma attached to these animals comes from a lack of understanding, mixed with the fact that the priests and world's leaders knew all too well how to use imagery to control the minds of the masses, and are still doing it today...

As far as the cat not mourning, the same can be said about the scorpion and the fox crossing the creek. One day the Scorpion catches the Fox crossing the creek, the Scorpion says (in a Norman McDonald voice) "hey I need a ride across." The Fox replies "but if I give you a ride across the creek you'll sting me." The scorpian quickly returned "yeah, but if I do that, it would kill us both, so how's about that ride?" The fox thinks about it and decides to let the scorpion ride along. Well the fox gets half way across, and feels a prick on his back. "What have you done? Now well both die." The Fox exclaims. The scorpion returns, "uh...it's my nature?"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QP4UV93TNM

Hence the reason I use a condom and don't leave her my number

Fine, this offers you no more escape from it than the Buddha, or the mouse though.

Khaos wrote:

Hence the reason I use a condom and don't leave her my number

Fine, this offers you no more escape from it than the Buddha, or the mouse though.

*Shrugs* Glad you have a sense of humor, it was joke tied to a line in a Nirvana song...