The following is a very interesting Substack post concerning AI. It is dated April 11th, but I just got around to reading it today:
Renaldo
Just to clarify, that in the vinaya monks need to do a thing called “kappiyaṃ karohi” where a knife is sliced by a kappiya on a fruit that has viable seeds or anything else that can grow and is considered a living plant (5 types).
In any case. There are stories about this where devas are living in these plants.
11. bhūtagāmasikkhāpada
11. the training rule on plantstena samayena buddho bhagavā āḷaviyaṁ viharati aggāḷave cetiye.
at one time when the buddha was staying at āḷavī at the aggāḷava shrine,tena kho pana samayena āḷavakā bhikkhū navakammaṁ karontā rukkhaṁ chindantipi chedāpentipi.
the monks there were doing building work. they were cutting down trees and having them cut down.aññataropi āḷavako bhikkhu rukkhaṁ chindati.
then, when a certain monk was cutting down a tree,tasmiṁ rukkhe adhivatthā devatā taṁ bhikkhuṁ etadavoca—
the deity that lived in it said to him,“mā, bhante, attano bhavanaṁ kattukāmo mayhaṁ bhavanaṁ chindī”ti.
“venerable, don’t cut down our dwelling because you want to build a dwelling for yourself.”so bhikkhu anādiyanto chindiyeva, tassā ca devatāya dārakassa bāhuṁ ākoṭesi.
not taking any heed, he just cut it down, and he hurt the arm of that deity’s child.atha kho tassā devatāya etadahosi—
the deity thought,“yannūnāhaṁ imaṁ bhikkhuṁ idheva jīvitā voropeyyan”ti.
“why don’t i just kill this monk?”atha kho tassā devatāya etadahosi—
but then it reconsidered,“na kho metaṁ patirūpaṁ yāhaṁ imaṁ bhikkhuṁ idheva jīvitā voropeyyaṁ.
“it wouldn’t be right to just kill this monk.yannūnāhaṁ bhagavato etamatthaṁ āroceyyan”ti.
let me instead tell the buddha about this matter.”atha kho sā devatā yena bhagavā tenupasaṅkami; upasaṅkamitvā bhagavato etamatthaṁ ārocesi.
and it approached the buddha and told him what had happened.“sādhu sādhu, devate.
“well done, deity!sādhu kho tvaṁ, devate, taṁ bhikkhuṁ jīvitā na voropesi.
it’s good that you didn’t kill that monk.sacajja tvaṁ, devate, taṁ bhikkhuṁ jīvitā voropeyyāsi, bahuñca tvaṁ, devate, apuññaṁ pasaveyyāsi.
if you had killed that monk, you would have made much demerit.gaccha tvaṁ, devate, amukasmiṁ okāse rukkho vivitto tasmiṁ upagacchā”ti.
the tree over there is empty. take that as your dwelling.”manussā ujjhāyanti khiyyanti vipācenti—
people complained and criticized the monks,“kathañhi nāma samaṇā sakyaputtiyā rukkhaṁ chindissantipi chedāpessantipi ekindriyaṁ samaṇā sakyaputtiyā jīvaṁ viheṭhentī”ti.
“how can the sakyan monastics cut down trees and have them cut down? they are hurting life with one sense.”assosuṁ kho bhikkhū tesaṁ manussānaṁ ujjhāyantānaṁ khiyyantānaṁ vipācentānaṁ.
the monks heard the complaints of those people,
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Yes, it’s undeniable that plants have vital functions.
However, the rules concerning plants may not have been established due to any presumed sentience on their part. Rather, they might have been intended to avoid harming the beings that dwell in or around plants — including devas — and to prevent criticism from those who believe plants are sentient.In that case, the concern would not be for the plants themselves, but for the safety and sensibilities of other sentient beings.