29/06/2025
In the heart of Assam, within the bustling city of Guwahati, a Himalayan bear sits in the state zoo. Bred for the high altitude, this thick coated creature now swelters under the punishing heat of the plains. His fur offers no mercy against Guwahati’s soaring summer temperatures.
Each day, waves of visitors crowd his enclosure. Curious eyes peer through the barriers, some calling out, others teasing, whistling, or clapping to provoke a reaction and each time the bear tries to escape into the shade to simply exist in a pocket of silence, he’s pulled back into entertainment. His suffering becomes a spectacle and his dignity becomes a casualty of entertainment.
He represents the loss of freedom, the disconnection between humans and the wild, and the silent toll captivity takes on sentient life. From a Buddhist perspective, every living being possesses mind, emotion, and the capacity to feel pain, physical and emotional. To confine a creature, stripping it of its natural behavior and habitat, is a subtle yet powerful form of harm.
Buddhism teaches us to tread the path of ahimsa, non-violence in thought, word, and deed. The first precept is to refrain from killing or causing harm to sentient beings. This includes robbing an animal of its right to live in harmony with its natural world. The bear’s suffering is not entertainment, it is karma in motion, a lesson waiting to be seen.
Guwahati 2025