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"One day in his wanderings, Buddha came to a village. The residents of the village were performing a yajna and as a part of the rituals, were preparing to sacrifice an animal. Buddha saw this and advised the villagers not to do so.
He said, "No harm must be done in any manner whatsoever to any living being, because God dwells in all."
Isanah sarvavidyanam.
Isvara sarvabhutanam.
God is wisdom. God dwells in all beings.
Buddha added, "This is what I have learnt. God dwells in all; therefore the individual is God and God is the individual. Hence, it is wrong to kill this animal."
The head priest replied, "Sir, we are not killing this animal; we are offering it liberation."
Amused by the reply, Buddha said, "You are offering liberation to an animal that did not ask for it. Instead, why don’t you liberate a person who is asking for it? Your argument has no basis in the scriptures. No Veda advocates what you are saying. Your observation is false and untrue. Do you think Lliberation can be granted by inflicting harm, pain, and injury? No! Your father, mother, wife, and son all want liberation. Why don’t you offer them in sacrifice and grant them all the liberation that they seek? You are so eager to liberate an animal that has no desire for it but unwilling to liberate fellow humans who are hungering for it. What kind of perverted logic is this? What you are trying to do is the worst of sins. Never hurt, injure, or kill living beings."
This is how Buddha conveyed the idea:
Ahimsa paramo dharmah.
Ahimsa (nonviolence) is the greatest dharma of all.
The love principle inherent in man is equally present in all beings, birds and beasts included. Therefore, one has to place the same value on the lives of all beings. Share the love latent within you with not only fellow human beings but also with all creatures in nature. This is the true universal love principle. Such principle alone should be the basis of one’s life."
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