While Buddhist vegetarianism and compassion are often discussed in historical and popular contexts, no scholarly work has yet articulated a comprehensive Buddhist ethical theory that addresses contemporary questions about our treatment of nonhuman animals. Colin H. Simonds fills this critical gap, drawing on Tibetan Mahāyāna traditions to argue that the alleviation of duḥkha—suffering—logically extends to all sentient beings.

This book develops a robust Buddhist animal ethic by examining the concept of the sentient being, compassion and human exceptionalism, and notions of rebirth, kinship, and interdependence. Simonds then applies this framework to urgent ethical issues including eating animals, animal testing, ritual animal release, and animal captivity. The result is a groundbreaking intervention that challenges human‑centred assumptions and reframes Buddhist ethics for a more‑than‑human world. Bridging Buddhist studies, philosophy, and animal ethics, this book will be essential reading for scholars, students, and practitioners engaged in Buddhist ethics, religion and animals, environmental humanities, and applied ethics.

Colin H. Simonds is the North American Director at Dharma Voices for Animals. He has taught at Queen's University, the University of Alberta, and the Tergar Institute in Nepal. His work has appeared in a wide variety of publications, from Tricycle to Religions to the Journal of Animal Ethics. His first monograph, Buddhist Environmental Ethics: A Contemplative Approach, was published in 2025.