Dhamma
[Truth, reality, the Buddha’s teaching; dharma (Sanskrit).] allows us to respect all life itself. We recognise that animals have the same pain that we have. Some people think that a dog’s experience of pain—of being kicked, for example—is different from their own. Contemplate that! I don’t really know, not being a dog, but how
could
it be different? The dog is a conscious and sensitive being. It feels, not only pain, but also the nastiness of that state of mind which just sees a dog as something to abuse. A dog will pick that up along with the physical pain. I’m reflecting now; just contemplating pain and suffering. When you contemplate like this, then you feel an empathy for the suffering of creatures—not just human beings, or not just nice people that you get along with, but even the horrible ones.