James Stewart
\nUniversity of Tasmania<\/p>\n
P\u0101li textual sources occasionally mention the existence of unusual animals with an aptitude for the Buddha\u2019s dharma. In the J\u0101taka<\/em>, clever animals do good deeds and are thus reborn in better circumstances. In the Vinaya<\/em>, the Buddha declares to a serpent that he should observe Buddhist holy days so he can achieve a human rebirth. But can animals develop spiritually? Can they move towards enlightenment? In this article I will be examining textual and ethnographic accounts of whether animals can hear and understand the dharma. Using ethnographic research conducted in Sri Lanka, I will show that although animals are thought to passively benefit from being in proximity to dharma institutions, there seems to be agreement amongst the monks interviewed that animals cannot truly understand the dharma and therefore cannot practice it. Animals are therefore severely hampered in their spiritual advancement. However, these ethnographic and textual findings do indicate that passively listening to dharma preaching, whether it is understood or not, has spiritually productive consequences.<\/p>\n Read article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ISSN 1076-9005 Volume 24, 2017 Dharma Dogs: Can Animals Understand the Dharma? Textual and Ethnographic Considerations James Stewart University of Tasmania P\u0101li textual sources occasionally mention the existence of unusual animals with an aptitude for the Buddha\u2019s dharma. In the J\u0101taka, clever animals do good deeds and are thus reborn in better circumstances. In the … Continue reading Can Animals Understand the Dharma?<\/span>