Thread: The Karma of Mercy Killing

Me and my wife are on vacation and just walked a botanical garden. On the path was a beautiful rat. It was breathing, but was paralysised. I figure the poor beautiful creatures came out to beg for a cracker and some jerk stomped him. Ants were swarming around his face. He looked fine but was obviously suffering a broken spine.

In Buddhism many pacifists refuse to kill under any circumstance. I am a self molded yogi who has set aside any formal paths. I find flaws in a view that violence is always bad karma or wrong. I picture a Buddist monk who would not push a bell tower shooter from his perch, as childish and needing a few more lives. Just saying,,,

I had my wife walk away. I took a flat rock and placed the edge on its neck and the slammed another rock onto the first one. Instant death. Bad karma???

Any opinions?