..but as I was coming in to work this morning there were a million of them on the sidewalk leading up to the hospital!!
Now this would not usually be a problem, but when I took refuge on Monday, one of the vows involved is never to kill. Anything. Including ants (which is why the flower below looks a little scruffy ...) It has to be *conscious* to count, mind you -- if I don't see the ant before I step on it, no harm, no foul -- but that only means I'm looking for them more than I was before.
There are five lay (pratimoksha) vows that one can elect to take as part of a refuge ceremony: not to kill, steal, or lie, and to refrain from "sexual misconduct" (variously defined) and "intoxicants" (also variously defined). I hate the taste of alcohol, so that last one is a no-brainer. The others are also not that difficult when one comes from an observant Jewish or Christian background, all being covered in the Ten Suggestions.
But not swatting mosquitos is going to take some getting used to.
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