in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

A forum for discussion of Buddhist ethics.
Jesse
Posts: 2127
Joined: Wed May 08, 2013 6:54 am
Location: Virginia, USA

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Jesse »

I'm kind of weird, I find bugs to be good company haha.. I do move dangerous ones outside and move the benign ones away from where others will harm them.
Image
Thus shall ye think of all this fleeting world:
A star at dawn, a bubble in a stream;
A flash of lightning in a summer cloud,
A flickering lamp, a phantom, and a dream.
User avatar
Kim O'Hara
Former staff member
Posts: 7066
Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:09 am
Location: North Queensland, Australia

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Kim O'Hara »

Jesse wrote:I'm kind of weird, I find bugs to be good company haha.. I do move dangerous ones outside and move the benign ones away from where others will harm them.
There's nothing weird about that, Jesse, although it is, sadly, a bit unusual.
Bugs are generally good neighbours, going about their little lives as peaceably and quietly as possible. They don't torment each other for fun, or attack each other for believing in a different Big Bug in the sky, they don't lie or cheat ... they are better than most people in some ways.

And remember, they deserve our compassion as much as any other living creature. We're all in this together.

:namaste:
Kim
User avatar
Redfaery
Posts: 569
Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2014 1:14 pm
Location: Smalltown USA

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Redfaery »

:good:

Yep.
NAMO SARASWATI DEVI
Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever. - GANDHI
I am a delicate feminine flower!!!!
User avatar
Vajrasvapna
Posts: 414
Joined: Fri May 03, 2013 1:45 pm

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Vajrasvapna »

mossy wrote:when it rains the spiders like to find a warm dry place. problem is that warm place happens to be my home. now i don't mind little bugs popping in for a visit, but some of the spiders that drop in for a unexpected visit are dangerous. if one of the unknown visitors were to take a nap in my shoes or blankets, i am in for a trip to the hospital when they are surprised and "defend" themselves. in the past my cat would "take care" of uninvited guests. don't know how she did it without getting bit, but she found a way. now that she is older she is not down for chasing a faster bug all over the house. if she cant get it in a few jumps she gives up walks over to me and begs for petting. so now i am faced with a issue, how do i ethically deal (not killing) with the bigger spiders that find a crack to squeeze into my house? i have done the best i can to seal off the outside from getting in, but nature will alwase find its way in to a nice warm place when it is cold outside. i need a way to remove spiders that is fast,reliable, does not require me to be close to them (don't want to get bites) and most of all does not require me to kill them. :thanks:
Some sources:natural repellent spider - Google
List of pest-repelling plants

I noticed that meditation and exercises that help purify negative emotions act as a repellent too. Before I start the practice of meditation and recitation of mantras I was constantly tormented by insects.
"People these days use whatever little dharma they know to augment afflictive emotion, and then engender tremendous pride and conceit over it. They teach the Dharma without taming their own minds. But as with a river rock , not even a hair’s tip of benefit penetrates the other people. Even worse, incorrigible people [are attracted] to this dharma that increases conflict. When individuals who could be tamed by the Dharma encounter such incorrigible, their desire for the sacred Dharma is lost. It is not the fault of the Dharma; it is the fault of individuals." Machik Labdron prophecy.
User avatar
Kim O'Hara
Former staff member
Posts: 7066
Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:09 am
Location: North Queensland, Australia

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Kim O'Hara »

Vajrasvapna wrote:... I noticed that meditation and exercises that help purify negative emotions act as a repellent too. Before I start the practice of meditation and recitation of mantras I was constantly tormented by insects.
Is it possible that there are just as many insects around you now but that you simply greet them with equanimity and compassion instead of irritation and dislike?

:namaste:
Kim
tlee
Posts: 157
Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 5:54 am

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by tlee »

Incense. Insects don't like incense.

When I was a kid my family would light incense, close the doors and windows, and then leave the house. When we came back we would air out the house.
If you have air conditioning or hepa filters you should turn those off first. As an adult I don't do this because it leaves a smokey residue but it will probably work.
User avatar
Karma_Cat
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2019 5:25 am

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Karma_Cat »

I really do not like bugs, for no real reason other than they are creepy and crawly. Now, I think that anything that bites me is fair game in terms of death, particularly if it can spread disease. Still, I try not to kill bugs - I use a bug vacuum, they're very easy to use to suck the bug into the chamber of the bug vacuum, then you just release them outside. Easy peasy.

I have also found that earwigs- which are the WORST IMO- will stay out of our bathroom/downstairs (which is a basement so it's particularly prone to bugs) if I spray peppermint essential oil in the corners/near the baseboards.
Fortyeightvows
Posts: 2948
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:37 am

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Fortyeightvows »

Karma_Cat wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2019 4:35 amNow, I think that anything that bites me is fair game in terms of death,
A case could be made that that is like 'bringing a knife into a fist fight'
Fortyeightvows
Posts: 2948
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:37 am

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Fortyeightvows »

Mahayana buddhism likes to say "mother sentient beings" as in, at some point all beings have been our mothers. They use this idea to try to convince people to not kill or harm other beings.

If we kill them today, who is to say they will not come back to harm us even further.
amanitamusc
Posts: 2124
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2010 3:32 am

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by amanitamusc »

mossy wrote: Thu Feb 05, 2015 6:00 pm Black widows are my main fear. They probably won't be a problem now that i am in this new apartment and dont have to deal with a wood pile though.
I have many black widows where I live.They nest in the underside of the outside chairs.They are very shy and not aggressive .They do not seem to like it indoors ,not enough food.If you do get bit, as long as you don't have any serious medical conditions it won't kill you.You would have 3 days of intense pain and may wish you were dead.
DharmaJunior
Posts: 580
Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2017 4:12 pm

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by DharmaJunior »

Hmm, not much of a negotiation when the spiders are only little.

I mean if they we're big enough then you'd have to harm them, because a 360 million year old species doesn't deal, it is stuck in it's ways (unless you use a non lethal deterrant or move house).

BTW why am I posting in a 4 year old thread? :stirthepot:
User avatar
Karma_Cat
Posts: 10
Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2019 5:25 am

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Karma_Cat »

Fortyeightvows wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2019 5:11 am
Karma_Cat wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2019 4:35 amNow, I think that anything that bites me is fair game in terms of death,
A case could be made that that is like 'bringing a knife into a fist fight'
I can mostly agree to this, but not in the case of say, a tick that can carry serious diseases. I do understand the philosophy behind it, and try my best to avoid killing insects and just catch and release them. Its very difficult to catch mosquitos, though!
User avatar
Kim O'Hara
Former staff member
Posts: 7066
Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:09 am
Location: North Queensland, Australia

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Kim O'Hara »

DharmaN00b wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:29 pm ...BTW why am I posting in a 4 year old thread? :stirthepot:
Because Karma Cat re-opened it and didn't warn anyone that it had been hibernating like a spider in winter.
See viewtopic.php?f=36&t=20072&start=40#p502447 (etc) for necro'ing threads.

:coffee:
Kim
DharmaJunior
Posts: 580
Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2017 4:12 pm

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by DharmaJunior »

Kim O'Hara wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 2:39 am
DharmaN00b wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:29 pm ...BTW why am I posting in a 4 year old thread? :stirthepot:
Because Karma Cat re-opened it and didn't warn anyone that it had been hibernating like a spider in winter.
See viewtopic.php?f=36&t=20072&start=40#p502447 (etc) for necro'ing threads.

:coffee:
Kim
I clicked the link and there's nothing to see!
User avatar
Kim O'Hara
Former staff member
Posts: 7066
Joined: Fri Nov 16, 2012 1:09 am
Location: North Queensland, Australia

Re: in search of a ethical way to deal with spiders

Post by Kim O'Hara »

DharmaN00b wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:08 pm
Kim O'Hara wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 2:39 am
DharmaN00b wrote: Fri Aug 23, 2019 11:29 pm ...BTW why am I posting in a 4 year old thread? :stirthepot:
Because Karma Cat re-opened it and didn't warn anyone that it had been hibernating like a spider in winter.
See viewtopic.php?f=36&t=20072&start=40#p502447 (etc) for necro'ing threads.

:coffee:
Kim
I clicked the link and there's nothing to see!
Sorry - although it's not really my fault. The topic was moved to a different forum and that broke the link.
Here's the new one: viewtopic.php?f=128&t=31818&start=40.

:coffee:
Kim
Post Reply

Return to “Ethical Conduct”