The Stories of Refraining from Killing & Liberating Lives

The Butcher's Knife Severed His Own Tongue

Long ago, in Huang-cao-tang of Chang-shu County, Jiangsu, there lived a butcher named Xu. His job was to slaughter the cows. Before slaughtering a cow, he would slice off its tongue first. The poor animal would scream in great pain while undergoing such extreme torture. However, Xu was not at all bothered. After slaughtering the cow, he would bring the tongue home, cook and eat it with wine. He felt that it was especially delicious eating it this way.One day as Xu was placing his butcher knife on top of the door frame, he heard a noise caused by two rats fighting up on the door frame. Out of curiosity, he looked up with his mouth agape. Unexpectedly, the knife was then pushed down by the rats and landed right into Xu's mouth. The knife severed his tongue and he died instantly.Xu who was extremely brutal and enjoyed eating cows' tongues and drinking wine was eventually killed by his own knife. The morale of the story was that the corresponding rewards or retributions in the working of cause and effect is indeed true and are not simply fabricated by anyone.

Disasters Can Be Avoided By Being Compassionate

During the MIng Dynasty, there was an Upasaka named Wang who was a very pious Buddhist. He would recite the Sutras and make obeisance to the Buddha everyday. During that time, there were natural disasters and calamities everywhere and Wang was very concerned about this. When he heard that in Xiao Dongtian, there lived a Sangha who could look into the pasts and futures, he decided to pay him a respect as well as to seek his advice.After making obeisance to the Sangha, Wang said: "There are bandits everywhere. People wage wars all the time. May the Honored One be kind and compassionate and help the living beings." The Sangha smiled and explained: "If people could liberate lives and refrain from killing, they would be free from disasters and calamities." After saying that, he shut his eyes and sat in meditation.Note: Today's world is a world of wars, famines, epidemics, natural disasters and man-made calamities which occur one after another. The reason behind these happenings is the karmic effect of killing. They are not brought upon us by ghosts or spirits. These incidents warn worldly people to refrain from killing. If a man could refrain from killing, he would be free from disasters and calamities. If a family could refrain from killing, it would be free from disasters and calamities. If the practice of non-killing could be extended to a village, a county, a province and the whole country, the people therein would be free from disasters. Worldly people blame the heavens when disasters and calamities strike. They fail to recognize that these actually originate from our own actions. We are the ones who caused the natural disasters and man-made calamities to befall on us. If a man can make a vow to liberate lives and to abstain from killing, then even if he were to be surrounded by dangers, or go into battle, or encounter famine and pestilence, he would still be unharmed. If every man could truly believe in this and practice diligently, good effects will follow just like the form is following its shadow. From the past till present, the rewards and retributions of good and evil deeds can be seen clearly. In fact, there were many records written on the efficacy of cause and effect. So why are people still hesitant about starting the good practice of non-killing?

Elephants Which Filled The Drying Pond With Bags Of Water

During the time when Sakyamuni Buddha descended to this world, He gave Dharma talks to all living beings. Only then did worldly people understand the connection of cause and effect (that is, good and bad actions with their corresponding rewards and retributions) and the merits of abstaining from killing and of releasing lives. In the sutra of the Most Supreme King of Golden Light Illumination, there was a story of kindness and compassion which described how the elephants helped relieve the sufferings of other living beings.In ancient India, there was a virtuous man who was the son of Liu-shui, the Elder. He was very kind in nature. One day, while he was out traveling, he came upon a big pond beside a hill. The pond was nearly dried up because of the scorching summer heat and shortages of rainfall for months. In the pond, there lived thousands of fish, prawns and other living beings. Should the pond dried up further, these living beings would not survive.On witnessing such pitiful sight, the Elder's son immediately returned to seek the king's help. He wanted to borrow 20 elephants to help carry water to the pond to save the living beings. The king who was also a Buddhist and had taken refuge with the Triple Gem, gladly granted the permission to use his elephants. The Elder's son together with his 2 sons then went to the wine merchant to borrow some leather bags. These large bags were usually used to store wines. Instead, they were filled with water and then carried by the elephants to the pond.Upon reaching the site, the water was poured into the pond. The elephants made several trips and the pond was eventually filled up. The Elder's son was extremely joyful when he saw the living beings swimming happily in the pond. He then talked to them on the Dharma of suffering, emptiness and impermanence. When these fish, prawns and other living beings passed away, they were able to attain a rebirth in the Heavens. Such an attainment was possible as they had 'listened' through their senses to the Dharma given by the Elder's son.

Qu Shi Liberated The Carp

A man, named Qu-shi, who lived in Yuan-cun saw a fisherman carrying a red carp. He was actually on his way to sell the fish in town. The carp looked sadly at Qu-shi and struggled piteously as if it as seeking his help. Qu was sad to see this and decided to buy and free it back to the river.Later, Qu fell sick and he dreamt that he had been invited to the palace of the Dragon king. The King said to him: "You are supposed to die now but as you had saved my son, your blessings and lifespan will be increased by twelve years".Qu saved the carp when he was forty-eight years old. Thereafter, he lived till sixty years old before passing away peacefully, leaving behind many descendants.

Severing The Bull's Tongue Harmed His Sons

This story was recorded in the book of Fayuan Zhulin. In the year of Wu-de, during the reign of Tan Gao-zu, there lived a farmer who was by nature a cruel man.One day, while out checking his fields, he saw his neighbor's bull trampling on his crops. Extremely angered by it, he caught hold of its head, tied the bull's tongue with a rope and pulled hard enough to sever it. The poor animal's mouth was filled with blood; but it could not cry out in pain. The villagers who had gathered around to witness his evil act reprimanded him for being so cruel.Later, he got married and had three sons who were all born mute. Everyone knew that this was the visible retribution for a cruel and unkind man.

The Birds Which Buried The Corpse

Soon Liang-si was a kind-hearted villager. He was not rich but whenever he saw birds being kept in cages, he would try his best to accumulate enough money to buy and set them free. Whenever he saw the birds chirping away merrily after flying out from the cages, he would be extremely joyful. He continued to liberate birds thought his life. The number of birds being freed by him was countless, even though he still remained a poor man.He died at the age of seventy. He was too poor and did not leave behind any money for his burial nor did he have any friends or relatives. His body was then left on top of a hill. It was indeed a pitiful sight.Not long after, there suddenly appeared thousands of birds : each carrying some soil in the beak, they dropped the soil on Soon's body. In less than a day, the corpse was covered completely, thus given him a proper burial. The neighbours who witnessed the incident were very surprised. They exclaimed that this was the efficacious reward of Soon who often liberated birds. These grateful birds had come back to repay the kindness which he had shown to them.

The Broken-Hearted Doe

There was a young man named Xu Zhen Jun who enjoyed hunting. One day, he was hunting on a hill and shot a young deer with his arrow. Not long after, he saw a doe running towards the injured deer without any thought of her own safety. She licked its wound with her tongue and look extremely sorrowful. Not long after, she laid down and died.Xu then brought the deers home. Upon slitting open the doe, he found that the liver and intestines were badly shattered. On witnessing this pitiful sight, he was grief-stricken and broke down immediately. Feeling remorseful, he destroyed his bows and arrows and vowed never to hunt again.All animals, just as human beings, love their offsprings. They would feed extremely sorrowful when they were separated from their loved ones. The doe loved her injured fawn deeply and thus could not bear to leave him. The pain and sorrow overwhelmed her and she died piteously.

The Shramanera Saved The Ants

Long ago, there was a shramanera who practiced under a Sangha. His Master, who had attained the Path, possessed the spiritual power of foreseeing others' lives. He knew that the shramanera had only seven more days to live. So he told him to go back to his hometown to see his mother. He said to him: "You can come back after the eight day". He expected that he would die by then.After seven days, the shramanera returned. The Sangha was very surprised to see him alive and also noticed that his physiognomy had undergone a change too. He then sat in meditation and entered Samadhi so as to contemplate the happenings in the past seven days. He found that the shramanera, on his way home, had used a branch to save many ants which were stranded by flood waters from the stream. The stream had burst its banks as it was raining heavily that day.The Shangha then related what he seen to the shramanera and confirmed that it was indeed true. The Master was glad and said: "You were supposed to die within the past seven days but because of a single thought of kindness and compassion, you had saved many ants and hence accrued abundant merits. Your physiognomy has undergone a transformation and you will attain longevity".The shramanera had indeed escaped from the destiny of a short lifespan and lived till the age of eighty. Besides, he also attained the sagely fruition of Arhatship, thereby freeing himself from the sufferings of transmigration on the six paths.

Wailing Piteously For Three Months

Cao Sheng-yuan was a villager from Gang-nan in Nanxiang town, Jiading County of Jiangsu state. He enjoyed eating dog meat and often slaughtered them to be cooked.One day, as he was ready to cut a slaughtered dog soaked in a basin, the dog suddenly leapt out of the basin and attacked his neck. Cao fainted as he bled profusely. All those around him were frightened by the horrifying sight.Since bitten by the dog, his wound became infected and no doctors were able to cure him. His condition worsened and he suffered great pain as if his organs were torn apart. Everyday, he would moan from day to night. He eventually died after suffering for 3 months.Those who enjoyed eating dog meat were so frightened by the incident that they stopped taking the meat completely.

Liberation Prolonged Lives

During the Qing Dynasty, in the year of Tao-guang, there as an officer by the name of Tu Qin-wu. Before he was appointed as an officer, he was once seriously sick. To aggravate the situation, the doctor gave him the wrong prescription and as a result, his life was in grave danger. On his sick bed, he repented on his evil karma and vowed to benefit people and the world. He showed no concern towards other worldly affairs.One night, he dreamt of Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa. The Bodhisattva told him: "In one of the past lives, you were an officer in the state of Chu. You were very just but at the same time you were overly strict. You were not humane enough. Though you were impartial, your rank and wealth would nevertheless be reduced. Besides, you often killed animals and that was why you will not live long. Fortunately, you have brought forth a firm resolve during the period while you were sick. In every thought, you are thinking of benefiting others. You do not grumble nor complain. So according to the rules of the Dark Realm, you can prolong your life by liberating animals. Your blessings and wealth will be increased too."When he woke up, he realized that he had just experienced a revelation. Henceforth, his family refrained from killing and often liberated living beings. In winter, he was appointed by the Imperial Academy to be the Tai-shou of Jiu-jiang in the state of Yuan. He was granted special favors by the Imperial Court. He finally recovered completely form his sickness by next winter.

Enjoying The Blessing Of A New Life

Long ago in Su-zhou, there was a man named Wang Da-lin. He was a very kind man by nature and had showed great concern towards all beings. Besides, he always bought animals to be liberated. Whenever, he saw children in the village playing tricks on the fish, birds, worms and other forms of life, he would try every means to discourage them from doing so. He would also give them money so that they could liberate lives too.He would always say to the villagers: "We must nurture the minds of the young and teach them virtuous conduct like humanity, kindness and compassion so that they will know how to show concern towards all beings. We should discourage them from the bad practice of killing living beings." The children in the village all listened to his teaching. Even the elders respected him and would too follow his example.One day, Wang fell seriously sick and was on the verge of dying. In a trace, he seemed to hear the following words: "In this life, you have accrued much merits and virtues by liberating lives, your age will be increased by three twelve-year cycles."Following that, he recovered and lived long enough to see five generations of his descendants. He enjoyed much blessings. At the age of ninety-seven, he passed away peacefully.

A Torturous Death For Cruel Killing

There was a magistrate who enjoyed eating goose feet and the hearts of goats.Whenever he wanted to eat goose feet, he would first place a goose in an iron cage over a fire. After a while, the base of the cage would become red-hot. The poor animal would be jumping frantically by then. However, the magistrate was not disturbed by it at all. The heat would cause the feet to swell as blood rushed to it. After that, he would sever the feet and fry them. It was indeed a horrible sight to see the goose undergoing such torture.In addition to the above act, he would often order his servant to tie a goat to a stake and instruct the cook to slit open the ribs of the goat while alive. He would then remove the heart and cook it. The poor goat would wail in great pain and finally die a cruel death. In order to satisfy his palate, the magistrate tortured countless animals before killing them for food.Later, the magistrate fell sick and his body began to develop malignant sores which no other medicine can cure. He moaned in great pain day and night. It was only after suffering for a long time did he die eventually.

The Eels Bit The Arm

In Gui-Zhou, there lived a Mr. Lu who was nearly sixty years old. He enjoyed taking eels for every of his meal. The number of eels killed by him were countless in number.One day, he went to town to buy some eels. As he wanted to choose the fattest and fleshier eels, the fishmonger allowed him to pick them himself. He then rolled up his sleeves and put his hand into the earthen pot. To his surprise, the whole group of eels gathered and attacked him, biting deeply into his arm. The pain caused was so acute that he fainted with his face turned deadly pale. Even after removing his arm from the pot, the eels jaws were clamped shut as they clung to him in a row on his arm with the teeth pierced deeply into his flesh.At that time, the people in the market were gathering to witness the incident. When his son arrived, he quickly carried him home. His son then cut off the eel's bodies but their jaws were still clamped tight on the arm. Finally his son had to hit the eels one by one by using a knife. By the time he removed all the eels, Mr. Lu's flesh was already torn. Mr. Lu was in severe pain before he finally died.

The Karmic Retribution For Catching Frogs

During the Qing Dynasty, in the sixteenth year of Tao-guang, the magistrate of Jiang-yin county in Jiangsu put up a notice to prohibit people from catching frogs. There was an illiterate and stubborn farmer, Zhang A-xi, who earned a living by catching frogs and teaching people hot to cook them to perfection.Some people advised him: "The frogs are beneficial creatures which protect the crops. The government has also put up a notice to prohibit us from catching them. You can earn a living by other means so why must you insist on carrying out this practice?" However, A-xi refused to take their advices and continued with what he was doing.One day, it was raining heavily and the water level in the river rose quickly. Again, A-xi went out to catch frogs. As he was not particularly careful. He slipped and fell into the river and drowned. After two days, his corpse was found floating on the water and countless frogs were seen devouring the flesh.The process of slaughtering frogs is extremely cruel. The frogs are slaughtered alive. Their feet and heads are chopped off first and the poor frogs will struggle for a long time before they finally die. This torture is the same as that in the hell. Just imagine that if you are in its place and had to undergo such acute torment, will you be able to take it?

The Visible Retribution For Those Who Killed

The people from Tai-hu in Jiangsu were mostly fishermen and hunters. They all enjoyed killing fish and birds. Except for Shen Wen-bao and his family who always performed good deeds. Whenever they saw birds and fish being caught, they would buy them for liberation. They often advised people to perform good deeds. They said: "A man who kills lack the virtue of being kind and compassionate. His blessings and lifespan will gradually decrease. Therefore, retribution will befall on himself and his future generations."At that time, there was an epidemic of plague in the area. One night, a villager saw two ghosts of plague, they were carrying a lot of flags. The villager heard them saying: "We will put the flags on the doors of all the houses except for Shen Wen-bao's family."The next day, the whole village of about 300 families with the exception of Shen's family fell ill with the disease. Shen's family was completely unaffected. As Wen-bao had been performing good deeds throughout his life, he enjoyed good health until a ripe old age before passing away peacefully.

The Frogs Demanded To Have Their Lives Restored

During the first year of Ming Guo, in the county of Wu-wei, Anhui Province, there lived a barber who loved to eat frogs. The number of frogs slaughtered by him were countless.One night, he suddenly woke up and saw that his bed, straw mat, blanket, shirt collar and sleeves seemed to be covered with frogs. He got up immediately to make a fire at his stove and threw his mat, blanket and clothing into a pot of water. After the water had boiled, he went back to his room. Again, he found that the bed was all covered with frogs. He was traumatized and did not have a good night sleep.The next day, he told his neighbors what had happened the previous night. While they were still discussing on the matter, he suddenly shouted excitedly: "The frogs are again on my body!" But those people around him did not see anything. After some time, he again complained: "There are frogs on my hair and eye brows." Even after he shaved off all the hair on his body, he still felt that they were everywhere.Everyday, he would order his son-in-law to hit his body with a rod to get rid of the imaginary frogs. He also pounded his clothing in a mortar. After undergoing such torture for six years, he finally died.

Retribution For Those Who Kill

The people of Run-zhou of Jiangsu were mostly fishermen who earned their living by catching fish, frogs and spiral shells. They enjoyed killing. If they were to give birth to daughters, they would drown or leave them out in the wild to die. Everyday, they would gather spiral shells and catch frogs. The elders would then teach the children how to use a knife to cut up the frogs. As such, they had developed a habit of killing and felt that it was great to learn how to kill.In the village, there was an old lady named Kong-po who always abstained from killing. Although she was already seventy years old, she still earned her living weaving cloth. She would use her money to liberate lives. Besides, she also encouraged others to liberate lives. She would advise: "Sweeping spiral shells into the river and saving ants are ways to accumulate hidden virtues. Do not say that any goodness is too small to perform. A man must always be kind and compassionate and show concern towards all living beings. Look at the villagers, they took lives every-day. Oh! I really don't know what kind of retribution they will face in future."On the morning of the ninth day of the ninth month in the year of Yi-mao, Qian-long, the embankment of the river in Runzhou collapsed and the river water flooded the village. The whole of Run-zhou was submerged by flood water and many houses were swept away. Countless people died in this disaster. A few nights before the disaster, some fishermen reportedly saw a man in black attire retrieving a black record book from the river. The fishermen then asked him the reason and he answered: "This is the retribution for taking lives. You must all quickly stop killing and practice liberation." After saying that, he threw the book into the river and disappeared.In the afternoon of the day before the disaster, Kong-po brought her youngest grandson to make obeisance to the Buddha in a monastery. They stayed in a nunnery on the hill and so they were safe from the disaster. Because Kong-po was humane and kind, she and her family were blessed.

The Turtle Demanded To Have Its Life Replaced

In the Wu County of Jiang-su, there was a wealthy man who owned a lot of properties. He led an extravagant life and enjoyed partaking delicious food.One day, he decided to hold a banquet. The cook went to the market and bought a huge turtle. When he was about to slaughter the turtle, it started to wept. The cook felt very sorry for the poor animal and pleaded with his master to release it.However, the rich man was not concerned by the pitiful sight. Instead he got so agitated that he took a chopper and chop off the turtle's head. The turtle's head fell onto the ground but it suddenly hopped up onto the roof beam. Those who witnessed the incident were very shocked.After cooking the meat with spices, the soup tasted really good. He divided it into two portions and gave one portion to his relatives while the second portion was served at the banquet. He also tasted a few pieces of the meat when he suddenly felt dizzy. The wealthy man hallucinated that the beam was covered with turtle's head. His family members brought him back his bedroom and again he complained about seeing more turtle's heads on his bed despite having a mosquito net. He murmured to himself: "Hundreds of turtles are feeding on my feet!" There was no cure for him; for three days, he screamed out in severe pain before he eventually died.

The Visible Retribution For Slaughtering Cattle

In the record of Ji-Xian-Lan, it was stated that in his village, there lived a butcher named Guwho was strong but ugly. He had a wife who was also skilled in slaughtering cattle. Her way of killing the animals was as swift and fast as her husband. Throughout their lives, the couple had slaughter countless cattle.One day, Gu's eyes became infected and no medicine could relieve his pain. After some time, he became blind. His wife was also infected with a strange disease. Soon the skin all over her body developed festering sores. Whenever her skin came into contact with the clothing, she would feel such severe pain that it was as if she was being cut by a knife. She murmured to herself: "The beings in the Dark Realm are using my method of slaughtering the cattle to cut me up. Oh! I can't stand it anymore!" Her shrill scream was so piercing and horrifying that no one could bear to see her suffer. She cried and screamed throughout the day and night for a month before she finally died.This case was witnessed by Mrs Shen who was the mother of Ji Xian Lan's maid. The offence of killing is deep and heavy especially for those who slaughter cattle. These animals greatly benefit the people. And so why must we kill them for food? Please think about it.

The Cruel Man Fell To His Death In A Cauldron

During the Qing Dynasty, there was a butcher who lived in Lin-Qing County in Shandong. One day, he bought a bull for eight thousand taels of silver. The bull refused to follow him as it knew that it would be slaughtered. The butcher was so angry with the bull that he took out a whip and lashed at it. The bull tried to avoid the whippings and still refused to move. Finally, when it was too tired to resist, it followed the butcher home.When they passed by a rich man's house, the bull saw the master and suddenly knelt before him and wept, as if it was seeking his help. When the rich man saw the poor animal, he felt very sorry and offered to pay the same price, that was eight thousand taels of silver, to save the bull. But the butcher refused to sell because he was angry at the bull for being so stubborn. He said: "This bull is very stubborn. I can only vent my anger by killing it!" The butcher refused to sell it even when the rich man increased his offer. When the bull heard about this, it gave up all hope, stood up angrily and followed the butcher home.After slaughtering the bull, the butcher put the meat into the cauldron to cook. Then he went to sleep. The next morning, he woke up at five o'clock to taste the beef. When he did not return after a while, his wife was very concerned and went to take a look. To her horror, she found the butcher's body in the cauldron of beef soup, with the upper part already half-cooked.Like all human beings, animals do not wish to die. When the butcher saw the frightened bull, he did not show any pity and instead got angry and vented his anger by killing it. By then, the hatred felt by the bull had greatly increased. With such a powerful sense of resentment, the retribution of hatred would surely befall on the man swiftly.

The Retribution For Slaughtering Pigs

In Pai-tou district of He-fei County, in the province of Anhui, there was a butcher named Xuan-si who had been slaughtering pigs for more than twenty years. He was quite wealthy and owned three houses and a hundred acres of padi fields.One morning, at about five o'clock, Xuan-si woke up to boil water before slaughtering the pigs. His wife also woke up at that time to go to the toilet. When she walked past the sty, she saw two women lying on the ground. She walked closer to have a better look and having confirm what she seen, she became very frightened. She told her husband about it and suggested: "This is a bad omen. From this moment onwards, you better change your job. Please do not slaughter pigs anymore." However, as Xuan-si did not heed her advice, the wife could not do anything except to throw the butcher's knife in the toilet. As Xuan-si could not find his knife, he was unable to slaughter any pigs on that day. Any way, he still did not feel any regrets for his past actions.When Xuan's wife felt that her husband refused to listen to her advice, she asked her family members to talk to him about the division of their property so that she and her youngest son could move out of the house. After the separation, Xuan-si continued with his job as a butcher. When he had slaughtered all the pigs in his sty, his youngest son suddenly fell sick and died. Mrs Xuan was extremely upset that she quarreled with her husband the whole day. After the death of his youngest son, Xuan-si felt remorseful and decided to stop slaughtering pigs. Instead, he spent his time gambling, hoping to forget the sad event. Within a few years, he gambled away all his land and property.Xuan-si was poor again and he had to return to his old occupation as a butcher. After continuing for about twenty days, he was struck down by a strange disease. Thick and smelly blood flowed out from his mouth and nose. He was covered with filth and he experienced such severe pain that he shouted out like a pig from morning till night. He suffered for more than a year before he finally died.

Turning Into A Goat

In Chang-shu county of Jiang-su, there lived a butcher, Xue Qing-guan who slaughtered goats for a living. He was quite wealthy. Every morning, he would wake up at five o'clock to carry out his work. The poor animals would cry and scream in pain and these screams were simply unbearable to those who heard them. His friends and relatives tried to persuade him to change his job but he simply ignored them. In a total of ten years, the number of goats killed by him were countless.The retribution for committing offences without feeling any remorse will definitely befall the offender. When Xue was about forty years old, he fell sick suddenly. After seeking the help of many doctors and taking medication for nearly half a year, he recovered. However, he had spent nearly all his money on his-treatment. Worst of all, his face had transformed into that of a goat, with protruding nose and mouth. He was very upset that he looked so horrible. He realized that this was the retribution for killing goats and henceforth he stopped killing again.About a year later, he and his neighbour rented a boat to travel to Anhui to buy rice. He carried with him three hundred gold pieces. Unfortunately. he fell into the river and drowned. His family sent a coffin to bring back his body but they could not find it.Goat is a type of animal which knows about love and righteousness. Just take a look at the young goat- it kneels below its mother's abdomen when feeding.There was again a butcher living in Ben-zhou. One day, he tied a nanny goat which he was going to slaughter soon. Before he could kill it, he saw the young goat kneeling before him and cried tearfully. The butcher was so moved that he stopped killing goats from the day onwards.

Digging Ponds For Liberating Lives

Taken from the book "The Stories of Refraining from Killing & Liberating Lives".During the Sui Tang Dynasty, the Patriarch of the Tian-tai sect was Venerable Master Zhi-zhe. He was also know as Zhi-yi. Emperor Sui-yang who was very respectful towards his virtuous conduct bestowed upon him the name of Zhi-zhe (The Wise One). The Great Master was always worried for those who killed animals cruelly for food. As he wished to change the mindset of the people, he asked his lay disciples to contribute towards the building of a pond meant for liberating lives. He used the money to buy sixty plots of lowlands in Zhejiang. The land was located next to the sea and its length measured more than four hundred miles. A large liberating pond was constructed on the land. Then, he would advise people to liberate lives and refrain from killing. Besides, he also managed to convince the Imperial Court to erect stone tablets with engraved wordings to prohibit people from catching fish. These tablets were still around until the year of Zhe-guan in the Tang Dynasty.Later, many wise emperors and Sanghas also set good examples towards liberating lives. In the reign of Tang Xu-zong, in the second year of Rian-yuan, the Emperor ordered all Counties to dig ponds meant for liberations. Also, in the reign of Song Zhen-zong in the year of Tian-xi, the Emperor also widely encouraged his people to dig liberation ponds. The Lake Xi-hu in Hang-zhou was originally a liberation pond. It was dug during the Song Dynasty. It has now become a famous place of interest. During the Ming Dynasty, a Sangha, named Lian-chi also dug ponds for liberating lives at Shang-fang and Chang-Shou. Besides, he even wrote on the merits of liberating lives and abstaining from killing. He circulated his writings widely throughout the country to encourage people to be kind and humane and to abstain from killing. As you can-see, in ancient times, there were countless followers who had brought forth the mind to liberate lives.However, times have changed since then, all the good practices advocated by our ancestors are diluting. We can see lighted fishing boats everywhere. At every midnight, the fishermen would be out at sea. Besides this, there are also different forms of fishing competitions and cruel sports which encourage the killing of animals for pleasure. It is indeed sad.