Activities

《Glorisun Lecture Series 9》

Topic: Animals in daily monastic life: between India and China

Date: 8 April 2026 (Wed)

Time: 4:30 to 6:30 pm

Venue: Room 123, Chen Kou Bun Building

Speaker: Prof. Ann Heirman, Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University

Language: English

Abstract:

Buddhist texts generally prohibit the killing and harming of all sentient beings. This is certainly the case in vinaya (disciplinary) texts, which contain strict guidelines on the preservation of all human and animal life. When these texts were translated into Chinese, they formed the core of Buddhist behavioral codes, influencing both monastic and lay followers. Chinese masters, such as the highly influential Daoxuan 道宣 (596–667), wrote extensive commentaries on and accounts of the vinayas to ease the introduction of Indian concepts into the Chinese environment. These texts comprise rich sources of information on material culture in Buddhist monasteries and beyond.

The subject of this lecture is animals and their complex relations with human beings, as discussed in the disciplinary texts. The focus is both on domesticated animals, as well as on annoying animals. Domesticated animals were bred and reared for their meat, for the protection of property, for transport, for hunting and other pastimes, and as rat-catchers. Depending on the context, they could be perceived as filthy, dangerous, useful, or friendly. At times, their owners mistreated them or killed them for their meat. There was even debate over whether humans should own animals in the first place. Annoying animals, such as ants and lice, on the other hand, are never owned by anyone, but still interact regularly with daily life: food can be spoiled, clothes can be destroyed, bodies can be harmed, and living can become very troubled. As such, these animals easily fall victim of human activities trying to eliminate them.

Yet, all of these considerations were overshadowed by the Buddhist proscription against harming or killing any sentient being. Hence, the main focus of this talk is Daoxuan’s interpretation of this principle in relation to the treatment of animals, informed by his reading of Indian normative texts and his own Chinese context. As we will see, his guidance was complex, but he always attempted to remain true to what was—and remains—a central tenet of Buddhism.