Topic: Feline Sutra

[Nichi]

[Michael]

Just remember, that somewhere in Buddhism, cats are the only animal that achieve final liberation.

[Nichi]

Just remember, that somewhere in Buddhism, cats are the only animal that achieve final liberation.

I hadn't heard that before - interesting. In light of that information, here is the passage which captioned this photo, which I omitted because the source was not cited (still don't know about the source, but perhaps it legitimately comes from somewhere...)::

The Lord Buddha's all-seeing eye traveled the epochs to come, and his heart was heavy with the suffering he witnessed. He knew that few people would be able to hear, read or understand the Dharma that could heal their hurts. The Buddha's cat, Mojo, bowed at his beloved master's feet. The Buddha stroked the silky fur and felt the soft purr beneath his hand. In an instant of silent communion, the cat offered itself to the benefit of all humans. Lord Buddha smiled and placed all his wisdom and compassion into the soul of the cat so that the Dharma could gently awaken and comfort all people throughout time.

[Michael]

Actually it was one of my typical typos:

It should have read:

Just remember, that somewhere in Buddhism, cats are the only animal that can't achieve final liberation.

  Sorry about that - I do it all the time. 

[Nichi]

Actually it was one of my typical typos:

It should have read:

Just remember, that somewhere in Buddhism, cats are the only animal that can't achieve final liberation.

Hunh... so they can't achieve final liberation because of this sacrifice they've made for humans, per the above-quoted passage?

[erik]

In some Buddhist cultures cats can be regarded as holy creatures particularly so as they are perceived to be one of the more ‘mindful’ animals and have traditionally been useful in keeping down pests such as mice and rats that feed on food stores. The Birman cat - also known as the sacred cat of Burma descends from cats that were raised in Buddhist temples in Burma and the monks regarded that the souls of the departed returned to earth as a cat. Traditional folklore posited that on the death of a person if he had reached the highest level of enlightenment then their soul would return to earth for one last time as a cat and when it dies would be freed to reach nirvana. Furthermore the cat is believed to speak with Buddha in favour of its owner that is still alive. Thailand has similar beliefs and so the cat is respected highly amongst Buddhist monks and many temples will have cats that live amongst the monks and Buddha statues and images.

http://thebuddhasface.blogspot.com/2011/06/buddhism-and-cats-cute-kitten-and-its.html

[Nichi]

So that source seems to indicate that cats can achieve liberation...

(Thanks E.)

[erik]

It is a matter of belief. The opposite side argues that:

... the traditional belief was that cats are supposedly cursed, because of their pride and sense of superiority, which apparently caused them to refuse to bow before the Buddha in his lifetime, and that this therefore means they are barred from achieving Nirvana. Consequently, the prevailing thought is that no cat may go to Heaven.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_Who_Went_to_Heaven

Cats weren’t particularly well regarded by Buddhists, either: they came up with a story that cats were banned from heaven for rebelling against Buddha. (The most likely cause for the uprising is that Buddha failed to produce the right kibbles for the kitties, or refused to offer up his lap while meditating.)

Legend notwithstanding, Buddhism honors the cat – as well as all other animals – as sentient beings capable of suffering and joy, living creatures that seek life and happiness. From this perspective then, all creatures—and not just Americans—have the inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness.

http://cat-tales-blog.blogspot.com/2007/10/cats-and-buddhism.html

Refusal to bow is equalled with rejection of teachings. Thus, pride is the main obstacle for cats.

[Michael]

That sums it up Juhani.