Who is to speak of the insignificance of animal lives;
They are just the same flesh and bones.
You are urged not to shoot the spring birds,
For the nesting babies await their mother’s return.

If you save lives that are on the brink of death,
Heaven shall save you when you are the same.
There are no other ways to prolong life,
For longevity is no more than
abstaining from killing and releasing lives.

── from Lianxiu Bidu
(Essential Readings for Pure Land Practitioners)

My flesh is the flesh of sentient beings;
The names differ, but the essence does not.
We all share in having the same nature;
We merely vary in bodily form.
If I left others to suffer in pain;
For the sweet and tender are what I want.
No need to await Yama’s judgement;
I know myself what such deeds will cost.

── from Yongjue Yuanxian Chanshi Guanglu
(The Vast Record of Chan Master Yongjue Yuanxian)