Questions Meme: Paka's Questions

[emberleo]

There's a variation of the old 5 Questions meme going around. I don't like the modifications, so I revert back to Inquisition originalis:

If you want me to ask you 5 questions, just ask. Please post a link to your answers, or the answers themselves, in comments here when you are through, so that I am sure to find them.

On to paka's questions:

Comments

[rhylar]

I'd be interested to know what you consider an impossible standard that zen asks?

[emberleo]

Kill nothing.

Mind you, I get it that nobody is expected to live up to the standard in practice, only to aim for it - and that there's this hierarchy where it's more ok to kill plants than animals and more ok to kill animals than humans (depending on who you ask).

But the promise itself is "do not kill", with the understanding that this includes all life.

It's not possible to never kill. Either your food was alive and is now dead, or you die of starvation, killing yourself.

--Ember--

[emberleo]

In case it wasn't clear, my issue is with vowing to uphold this standard. I don't have a problem with the underlying philosophy of "here is an impossible standard that we aim for because falling short of this is better than not trying".

However, in my religion, it's not ok to make a vow you cannot keep.

--Ember--