After the departure of a beloved pet, we often encounter questions regarding the burial of their ashes or the pet’s body, with pet owners asking, ‘Can we bury their favorite clothes and food alongside them?’ Subsequently, owners present cat or dog food, pet snacks, hoping we can inter these items with their pets. It is commendable that these thoughts and actions represent the owner’s care and consideration for their pets.
In times of grief, as a compassionate gesture, this can be done. However, from a Buddhist standpoint, this practice is truly more harmful than beneficial! What sustenance do pets have after death? As mentioned in the previous discussion, pets experience a bardo stage after death until they are reborn, which can last up to 49 days, or at least a few days. Without transcendence, the bardo stage generally lasts 49 days before being reborn into one of the six realms (primarily the three lower realms). The bardo is satisfied with fragrances, including those from incense offerings and the aroma of food and fruits. Due to the different karmic results and merits of each bardo, there is a disparity in the size of their blessings. Those with great blessings prefer high-quality fragrances and are satisfied by them. Those with lesser blessings can only feed on foul odors, even if high-quality fragrances are available, they cannot partake. In fact, those with experience in rituals may have noticed that the various dishes, pastries, and other foods we offer during ancestor worship or to deities quickly lose their flavor, which differs from natural evaporation. The disappearance of the fragrance of the offerings is much faster than natural evaporation because the fragrance is absorbed by the objects of worship and offering. Upon learning that our pets feed on fragrances after death, we still face the question: why is offering pet food more harmful than beneficial? Like attracts like! Offering pet food can be a catalyst for the degeneration of pets in their next life. ‘Like attracts like, shared karma attracts’ is a Buddhist concept in the cycle of cause and rebirth, similar to the saying ‘birds of a feather flock together,’ but more profound. Buddhist scriptures record that where beings are reborn in the next life depends on the good and evil deeds they have committed in the past and present. It is said, ‘Those who diligently practice the ten wholesome deeds and widely make offerings ascend to heaven; those who strictly uphold the five precepts without defect gain human form; those who cultivate the ten wholesome deeds with impure minds become asuras; those who are greedy for meat and alcohol, indulge in pleasure, and are foolish and in debt, are born into the animal realm; those who are stingy, envious, and selfish become hungry ghosts; those who commit the five heinous crimes and deny cause and effect fall into hell. ‘ This is the cause and effect relationship in the six realms of rebirth, fundamentally related to the good and evil of beings themselves. Depending on which realm they are drawn to, they will be attracted to it, which is the ‘karmic attraction’.Of course, aside from the karmic consequences of one’s own actions, the attractions one experiences are crucial. During the first 21 days of the bardo, the consciousness retains a very strong memory of past life actions, clearer than any recollection during life, akin to the difference between watching standard and high-definition visuals. The lifespan of the bardo can last up to 49 days, with each 7-day period offering an opportunity for rebirth. This explains why, if we offer pet food to our beloved pets during their bardo, they may be drawn by the scent of their favorite food from life, igniting attachment and desire. Such cravings can lead to the maturation of karmic conditions for rebirth in the animal realm.
What should we offer to our departed pets? The diet we use for offerings should be pure and clean. ‘Pure food’ refers to food that is free from meat, fish, blood, and has not been consumed or tampered with. For example, we can offer offerings that include unscented ingredients, fruits, pastries, meals, beverages, and milk. These foods have a pure aroma and do not incite attachment in the pets being offered to. During the offering ceremony, it is necessary to perform rituals using scriptures and Buddhist chants to truly satisfy the bardo consciousness of our pets, maximizing the aroma of the food and allowing the bardo consciousness to understand karma while being nourished. This enables them to be blessed by the Buddha’s grace, and to embark on the path to liberation. Pet care centers often conduct 49-day post-death rituals and offerings for their departed pets, providing them with clean sustenance and Buddhist rituals and offerings to ensure they are well-nourished, understand cause and effect, and are reborn in a virtuous realm, ultimately reaching a pure land.