Toh 2309The Inconceivable Practice of Killing, Advice to the Butcher
Pāli / Sanskrit:shan pa la gdams pa gsod pa'i sbyor ba bsam gyis mi khyab pa/
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Exposition: Instruction for the Butcher — An Unimaginable Practice
Context
The Tengyur — the Treatise Collection of the Tibetan tradition — records profound teachings on the bodhisattva path in the Mahayana, especially instructions on altruistic practice and compassion in the most complex circumstances. This scripture, recorded as Toh 2309, is a unique teaching on how to cultivate bodhicitta through a circumstance that seems most dark and painful: the direct encounter with the act of slaughter.
This teaching is recorded in the context of the Mahayana bodhisattva path, where all sentient beings are regarded as having been Buddhas in the past. This scripture deeply reflects the principle of “skillful means” (upaya-kausalya) — the ability to adjust the teaching to suit the circumstances and disposition of each individual, even those who seem to be in the deepest darkness.
Main Content
The instruction for the butcher in this scripture is not permission to continue that action, but an unimaginable path of practice (acintya-carya) — beyond ordinary practice. First, one who has committed killing is encouraged to recognize that, if they have caused suffering to sentient beings, they must take responsibility, repent, and arouse the mind of awakening.
The key point is the transformation of motivation. Instead of continuing with a mind of greed, hatred, and delusion, the butcher is taught to perform that action with immeasurable compassion — wishing that the animals about to die may be liberated from their suffering bodies and be reborn in a fortunate realm. This is a special bodhisattva practice, seemingly sacrificing oneself in order to rescue lives.
The teaching also points out that the ultimate aim is not the acceptance of killing as a permanent means. Rather, it is a transitional stage — where the mind can move gradually from darkness into light, from ignorant action into wisdom. The butcher is reminded of the “four immeasurables” (Brahma-vihara) — loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity — and is encouraged to cultivate them in every action.
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