"Not to Kill any Living Being" - The First Buddhist Precept | Dhamma Talk by Ajahn Dhammasiha

On the first Full Moon Day of this year's Rains Retreat, Ajahn Dhammasiha dedicates his Dhamma Talk to the first Buddhist precept:"Pāṇātipātā veramaṇi sikkhāpdaṃ samādiyāmi"."I undertake the training-rule to abstain from killing any living being".Ajahn quotes from a military study that found the majority of US American soldiers in 2nd World War deliberately avoided shooting to kill. They tried to shoot intentionally high or low, or not at all, even in the middle of battle when their own life was in danger.[S.L.A. Marshall: "Men Against Fire - The Problem of Battle Command"]Of those who fired to kill, the vast majority later suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The very small percentage who shot to kill, and did not suffer from PTSD, showed the profile of 'psychopatic personality' in psychological testsInterestingly, nowadays even drone operators, who do the killing remotely in bunkers thousands of kilometers from the battlefield, and who were not exposed to any danger themselves, still get PTSD. This shows that the condition is not caused by exposure to danger alone, but can result simply from the bad karma, and the feeling of regret and remorse caused by killing other humans.Ajahn mentions other instances where "Heros of the First Precept" showed great courage in order NOT to kill. They face danger and disadvantages, but are willing to take it, rather than killing another human:The Soviet Navy officer Vasily Arkhipov on a submarine during the Cuban missile crisis. Under attack by American depth charges, the Soviet submarine captain wanted to launch a nuclear torpedo in return. But he needed the agreement of two other officers to proceed. One officer agreed, but Vasily objected, and finally prevailed in a heated argument. His courageous decision probably averted global nuclear war.The German Stasi officer Harald Jäger. He was in charge of a border crossing in the Berlin Wall. On 09/11/1989 a huge crowd of Est Germans started to gather at his crossing, pushing and demanding to get across to West Berlin. He decided, on his own authority, against explicit order, to completely open the checkpoint, avoiding a boodbath and triggering further openings at other checkpoints.On a weekend where rubber bullets are being fired in Australia, Ajahn reminds us all to maintain unwavering commitment to not-killing. The Buddha's teaching on non-violence is unambiguous: No social pressure, orders, commands, heated emotions, views, or anything at all could ever justify the intentional killing of a human being.www.dhammagiri.org.auwww.facebook.com/dhammagiri-forest-hermitagewww.youtube.com/channel/UCJINt0JJBfFm_x0FZcU9QJwwww.tinyletter.com/dhammagiri/archive