The Buddha is not a God. He is a Great Human Being

Those who do not know the Buddha properly, consider Him a God. The Buddha never esteemed such unnecessary glory, praise or honour. Nor did He expect such things.

“ O Bhikkhus, gains, offerings, glory, praise are all harsh and fierce. They are a danger preventing the achievement of the highest bliss of liberation. ”

The Buddha appeared among men solely to make people see their ignorance, lack of awareness, wrong views, fallacies, and wrong actions. Such a great man will never expect limitless deference, praise or honour from the people.

One day, the Buddha walked along the road from the city of Ukkattha to the city of Setavya. A Brahmin named Drona, travelling along the same road after the Buddha, saw His footprints. He looked at them and thought, “ These can never be the footprints of a human being. ” The Buddha stepped aside from the road and sat under a tree. Brahmin Drona walked up to the Buddha, whose demeanour was exceedingly calm and serene, and questioned Him thus:

Brahmin : ” Are you a God? ”

The Buddha : ” Brahmin, I am not a God. ”

Brahmin : ” Are you a Gandhabba ( divine musician )? ”

The Buddha : ” Brahmin, I am not a Gandhabba. ”

Brahmin : ” Are you a Yakkha? ”

The Buddha : ” Brahmin, I am not a Yakkha. ”

Brahmin : ” Are you a human being? ”

The Buddha : ” Brahmin, I am not a human being, either. ”

Brahmin : ” When I ask you whether you are a God, you say “ No, I am not a God. ” When I ask you whether you are a Gandhabba, a Yakkha or a human being, you say “ No. ” If that were so, who are you? ”

The Buddha : ” O Brahmin, if I am a god, I must have those sense-desires. But, I have eradicated sense-desires fully. Therefore, I am not a God. If I am a Gandhabba, I must have sense-desires. But I have eradicated those fully. Therefore, I am not a Gandhabba.

O Brahmin, if I am a Yakkha, I must have the sense-desires that a Yakkha should have. But, I eradicated all that fully. Therefore, I am not a Yakkha, either. O Brahmin, if I am an ordinary human being, I must have the sense-desires of ordinary men. But, I have totally eradicated those. Therefore, I am not a human being like other human beings.

based on

“The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived – The Supreme Buddha”

by Ven. Weragoda Sarada Maha Thero  [source]

Avoid speaking harshly to others

Avoid speaking harshly to others,

Harsh speech prompt retaliation.

Those hurt by your words

May hurt you back

Dhammapada

Once there was a king who ruled a great kingdom in India. He enjoyed a happy life, except that his young son would often quarrel with the ministers, servants and other family members. Everyone found the son's behavior unbearable, yet no one dared to complain to the king. After some time the king himself saw what was happening and sought help. He employed the best therapists, but they could not subdue the boy's behavior, nor could the local sports heroes, miracle workers, and entertainers. In fact, the child's behavior became more obnoxious.

One day a monk came to the town to collect alms. The king's messenger observed him walking gently and mindfully and asked him to come to see the king. The monk, who had high spiritual realizations, declined this opportunity for riches and glory, saying "I am no more bound to the worldly life and therefore have nothing much to discuss with a king in the world."

Hearing of the purity of the monk's mind, the king went to pay homage to him and asked if he needed anything. The monk said that he simply wished to stay in the nearby forest, to which the king responded, "That is my forest, so please live there without worry. We will bring you food daily and will not disturb your meditation. I ask only that you allow me to bring my son to visit you. He is a big trouble- maker and I'm at a loss as to what to do with him." The monk nodded in consent.

The next day the king and his son arrived at the royal forest in a chariot. The king returned to the palace, while the monk and the the boy walked in the forest. Suddenly they came across a small neem tree, and the monk asked the prince to pluck leaf and taste it. The boy did so and spit out the bitter leaf in disgust. He bent over bent over and forcefully grabbing the young tree by its trunk, uprooted it.

The monk said to him "my child, you knew that if this sapling were to continue, it would become a huge tree, which would even more bitter in the future. For that reason, you plucked it out. In the same way, the ministers, royal officers, and palace residents now think 'this young prince is so bitter and angry. When he grows up, he will become even more vicious and cruel to us.' If you are not careful, they will pluck you from kingship as soon as they can." Understanding the disturbance he was inflicting on others and its ramifications for himself, the prince decided that he must change his attitude and behavior. Although it required effort, he knew it was for the happiness of all, and as he changed, others ceased their negative reactions to him and came to love and respect him.

(collected)

Eight possible grounds for laziness and energy

Being spiritually lazy

is the easiest way

to regret in your journey of life.

The Buddha listed eight possible grounds for 

[a] laziness, followed by corresponding ones for the 

[b] arousal of energy. 

Although they were spoken for monastics, they equally apply to laity, who might find similar excuses to procrastinate regular spiritual practices such as learning, chanting, meditation and doing of charitable deeds. ‘Work’ below can refer to all kinds of minor and major tasks, such as your day jobs, errands or even housework, while ‘journey’ can refer to your almost daily commute to and from work. On ‘food’, even if not consuming alms mentioned, you might ‘undereat’ or overeat too. 

Here they are: 

[1] One thinks 

[a] ‘As my body will be tired after work,

why don’t I lie down now?’

One thus doesn’t make effort for practice.

Another thinks instead,

[b] ‘As when working, it will not be easy to practise the Dharma,

why don’t I make effort to practise now?’

One thus makes effort for practice.

[2] One thinks, 

[a] ‘As I have worked, and my body is tired,

why don’t I lie down now?’

One thus doesn’t make effort for practice.

Another thinks instead,

[b] ‘As when working, I couldn’t practise the Dharma,

why don’t I make effort to practise now?’

One thus makes effort for practice.

[3] One thinks,

[a] ‘As I have to journey, and my body will be tired later,

why don’t I lie down now?’

One thus doesn’t make effort for practice.

Another thinks instead,

[b] ‘As I have to journey, it will not be easy to practise the Dharma,

why don’t I make effort to practise now?’

One thus makes effort to do so.

[4] One thinks,

[a] ‘As I have journeyed, and my body is tired,

why don’t I lie down now?’

One thus doesn’t make effort for practice.

Another thinks instead,

[b] ‘As I have journeyed, I couldn’t attend to practise the Dharma,

why don’t I make effort to practise now?’

One thus makes effort to do so.

[5] One thinks, [a] ‘As I did not get enough food, my body is tired and unfit for work,

why don’t I lie down now?’

One thus doesn’t make effort for practice.

Another thinks instead,

[b] ‘As I did not get enough food, my body is light and fit for work,

why don’t I make effort to practise now?’

One thus makes effort to do so.

[6] One who has enough food thinks,

[a] ‘As my body is heavy and unfit for work, as if heavily pregnant,

why don’t I lie down now?’

One thus doesn’t make effort for practice.

Another thinks instead,

[b] ‘As I had enough [and not too much] food, my body is light and fit for work,

why don’t I make effort to practise now?’

One thus makes effort to do so.

[7] One thinks,

[a] ‘As my body is slightly sick,

I need to lie down now.’

One thus doesn’t make effort for practice.

Another thinks instead,

[b] ‘As I am slightly sick, and it could worsen,

why don’t I make effort to practise now?’

One thus makes effort to do so.

[8] One thinks, 

[a] ‘As I have just recovered from sickness,

my body is weak and unfit for work,

why don’t I lie down now?’

One thus doesn’t make effort for practice.

Another thinks instead,

[b] ‘As I have just recovered from sickness, and it could recur,

why don’t I make effort to practise now?’

One thus makes effort to do so.

Thus the Buddha did advise on the immediate need to practise the Dharma, so as to attain the unattained. From the eight scenarios above, you can probably see reflections of your usual ‘physical’ excuses to delay spiritual practice – due to after 

[1] anticipation of exhaustion after work, 

[2] having worked, 

[3] anticipation of travel, 

[4] having travelled, 

[5] not eating enough, 

[6] having eaten too much,

[7] being a little unwell, and

[8] having just recovered. 

It is worthy nothing that these are four pairs of excuses, which illustrate your high tendency to rationalise not practising despite whatever contrasting conditions present! With impending ageing, sickness and death, you should be all the more diligent from now on!

(collected)

Which woman baked the more delicious cake?

Two women were each baking a cake.

The first woman had miserable ingredients. The old white flour had to have the green mouldy bits removed first. The cholesterol enriched butter was almost going rancid. She had to pick the brown lumps out of the white sugar (because someone had put in a spoon wet with coffee) and the only fruit she had were ancient raisins, as hard as depleted uranium. And her kitchen was of the style called "Pre World War" which World War was a matter of debate.

The second woman had the very best ingredients. The organically grown whole wheat flour was guaranteed GM free. She had trans fat free canola oil spread, raw sugar, and succulent fruit grown in her own garden. And her kitchen was "state of the art" with every modern gadget.

Which woman baked the more delicious cake?

It is often not the person with the best ingredients who bakes the better cake - there is more to baking a cake than just the ingredients. Sometimes the person with miserable ingredients puts so much effort, care, and love into their baking that their cake comes out the most delicious of all. It is what we do with the ingredients that counts.

I have some friends who have had miserable ingredients to work with in this life; they were born into poverty, possible abused as children, not clever at school, maybe disabled and unable to play sports. But the few qualities they did have they put together so well that they baked a mightily impressive cake. I admire them greatly. Do you recognize such people?

I have other friends who have had wonderful ingredients to work with in this life. Their families were wealthy and loving, they were successful at school, talented athletes, good looking and popular and yet they wasted their youth lives with drugs and alcohol.

Do you recognized such a one ?

Half of karma is the ingredients we have got to work with. The other half, the most crucial part, is what we make of them in this life.

Ajahn Brahm

"When there's nothing to do, then do nothing"

A wise monk, whom I have known for many years, was hiking with an old friend in an antipodean wilderness. Late one hot afternoon they arrived at the splendid stretch of isolated beach. Even though it is against the monks' rules to swim just for fun, the blue water was inviting and he needed to cool off after the long walk, so he stripped off and went in. 

When he was a young layman, he had been a strong swimmer. But now, as a monk of long standing, it had been many years since he had last swum. After only a couple of minutes of splashing in the surf, he was caught in a strong riptide that began to sweep him out to sea. He was later told that this was a very dangerous beach because of the fierce currents.

At first, the monk tried to swim against the current. He soon realized, though, that the force of the current was too strong for him. His training now came to his aid. He relaxed, let go, and went with the flow. 

It was an act of great courage to relax in such a situation, as he saw the shoreline recede further and further away.

He was many hundreds of meters away from land when the current diminished. Only then did he starts to swim away from the riptide and back towards shore.

He told me that the swim back to land took every last ounce of his energy reserves. He reached the beach utterly exhausted. He was certain that had he tried to fight the current it would have beaten him. He would have been swept far out to sea just the same, but so depleted in energy that he wouldn't have made it back. If he hadn't let go and gone with the flow, he was sure he would have drowned. 

Such anecdotes demonstrate that the adage "When there's nothing to do, then do nothing" Is not fanciful theory. Rather, It can be life saving wisdom. Whenever the current is stronger than you are, that is the time to go with the flow. When you are able to be effective, that is the time to put forth effort. 

Ajahn Brahm

How to escape in a non-violent way

My colleague was on patrol in the jungles of Burma; he was young, far from home and very frightened. The scout from his patrol returned to tell the captain the terrible news. Their small patrol had stumbled into a huge number of Japanese troops. The patrol was vastly outnumbered and completely surrounded. The young British soldier prepare himself to die.

He expected his captain to order the men to fight their way out: that was the manly thing to do. Maybe someone would make it. If not, well, they would take some of the enemy with them into death; That's what soldiers did.

But not the soldier who was the captain. He ordered his men to stay put, sit down, and make a cup of tea. It was, after all, the British army !

The young soldier thought his commanding officer had gone mad. How can anyone think of a cup of tea when surrounded by the enemy, with no way out and about to die ?

In an army, especially at war, orders had to be obeyed. They all made what they thought was to be their last cup of tea. Before they had finished drinking their tea, the scout came back and whispered to his captain. The captain asked for the men's attention. "The enemy has moved," he announced. "There is now a way out. Pack your kit quickly and quietly - Lets go!"

They all got out safely, which is why he could tell me the story many years later. He told me that he owed his life to the wisdom of that captain, not just at war in Burma, but many times since. Several times in his life, it was as if he was surrounded by the enemy, completely outnumbered, with no way out and about to die. He meant by "the enemy" serious illness, horrendous difficulty, and tragedy, in the middle of which there seemed no way out.

Without the experience in Burma, he would have tried to fight his way through the problem, and no doubt made it much worse in the process. But instead, when death or deadly trouble surrounded him on all sides, he simply sat down and made a cup of tea.

The world is always changing; life is a flux. he drank his tea, conserved his energy and waited for the time, which always came, when he could do something effective - like get safely out.

For those who don't like tea, remember this saying, "when there's nothing to do, then do nothing."

It may seem obvious, but it may also save your life.

Ajahn Brahm

It's not fair! why me?

Often in depression, we think "It's not fair! why me ?" It would ease matters a little if life were more just. 

A middle aged prisoner in my meditation class in jail asked to see me after the session. He'd been attending for several months and I'd gotten to know him quite well. 

"Brahm" he said, "I wanted to tell you that I did not commit the crime for which I was locked up in this jail. I was innocent. I know many crims might say the same and be lying, but I am telling you the truth. I wouldn't lie to you, Brahm, not to you." I believed him. The circumstance and his manner convinced me that he was telling the truth. 

I began to think how unfair this was, and wonder how I could mend this terrible injustice. But he interrupted my thoughts.

With a mischievous grin, he said, "But Brahm, there were so many other crimes where I wasn't caught that I guess it is fair!"

I doubled up laughing. The old rogue had understood the law of karma, better even than some monks I knew.

How often is it that we do a "crime," some hurtful, spiteful act, and we are not made to suffer for it? Do we ever say, "It's not fair! Why wasn't I caught?"

When we are made to suffer for no apparent reason, though, we moan, "It's not fair! Why me?" perhaps it is fair. Like the prisoner in my story, perhaps there were so many other "crimes" where we weren't caught that life is fair after all.

Ajahn Brahm

Three Types of Bodhisattvas

A bodhisattva is someone who says from the depth of his or her heart, “I want to be liberated and find ways to overcome all the problems of the world. I want to help all my fellow beings to do likewise. I long to attain the highest state of everlasting peace and happiness, in which all suffering has ceased, and I want to do so for myself and for all sentient beings.” According to the Buddha’s teaching, anyone who makes this firm and heartfelt commitment is a bodhisattva. We become bodhisattvas from the moment we have this vast and open heart, called bodhichitta, the mind bent on bringing lasting happiness to all sentient beings.

Buddhist literature defines three types of bodhisattvas: the kinglike bodhisattva, the captainlike bodhisattva, and the shepherdlike bodhisattva.

A kinglike bodhisattva is like a good king who first wants everything luxurious for himself, like a big palace, a large entourage, a beautiful queen, and so on. But once his happiness has been achieved, he also wants to help and support his subjects as much as possible. Accordingly, a kinglike bodhisattva has the motivation, “First, I want to free myself from samsara and attain perfect enlightenment. As soon as I have reached buddhahood, I will help all other sentient beings to become buddhas as well.”

A captainlike bodhisattva would say, “I would like to become a buddha, and I will take all other sentient beings along with me so that we reach enlightenment together.” This is just as the captain of a ship crosses the sea, he takes his passengers with him, and they reach the far shore simultaneously.

A shepherdlike bodhisattva is inspired by thinking, “I want to help all sentient beings to reach enlightenment and see the truth. Only when this is achieved and samsara is emptied will I become a buddha myself.” In actual fact it may not happen this way, but anyone who has this motivation is called a “shepherdlike bodhisattva.” In the old days, sheep were not kept in fenced pastures, and the shepherds had to bring them down from the mountains to protect them from wolves. They would follow behind the sheep, guiding them into their pen and lock them in. A shepherd would take care of his sheep first, and only then would he go home and eat.

The bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara developed this shepherdlike motivation and is therefore considered to be the most courageous and compassionate of beings. He vowed, “I will not attain complete enlightenment until I have led all sentient beings to liberation without leaving a single one behind.”

Ringu Tulku Rinpoche

 —

The Last Message of the Buddha

'When I am gone, my Teaching shall be your Master and Guide.'

Three months before His passing away the Buddha addressed His disciples and said: 'I have delivered sermons to you during these forty-five years. You must learn them well and treasure them. You must practise them and teach them to others. This will be of great use for the welfare of the living and for the welfare of those who come after you'.

'My years are now full ripe; the life span left is short. I will soon have to leave you. You must be earnest. O monks, be mindful and of pure virtue! Whoever untiringly pursues the Teaching, will go beyond the cycle of birth and death and will man an end of Suffering.'

When Ananda asked the Buddha what would become of the Order after He pass away, the Buddha replied, 'What does the Order expect of me, Ananda? I have preached the Truth without any distinction; for in regard to the Truth, there is no clenched hand in the Teachings of the Buddha. It may be, Ananda, that to some among you, the thought will come 'The Master's words will soon end; soon we will no longer have a master.' But do not think like this, Ananda. When I am gone, my Teaching and the disciplinary code shall be your Master.'

The Buddha further explained: 'If there is anyone who thinks, 'It is I who will lead the brotherhood', or 'The Order is dependent on me, it is I who should give instructions', the Buddha does not think that He should lead the order or that the Order is dependent on Him. I have reached the end of my days. Just as a worn-out cart can only be made to move with much additional care, so my body can be kept going only with much additional care. Therefore, Ananda, be a lamp and refuge unto yourselves. Look for no other refuge. Let the Truth be your lamp and your refuge. Seek no refuge elsewhere.'

At the age of eighty, on His birthday, He passed away without showing any worldly supernatural powers. He showed the real nature of component things even in His own life.

When the Buddha passed away into Nibbana, one of His disciples remarked, 'All must depart---all beings that have life must shed their compounded forms. Yes, even a Master such as He, a peerless being, powerful in Wisdom and Enlightenment, even He must pass away.'

The parting words of the Buddha:

'Appamadena Sampadetha Vaya Dhamma Sankhara'.

'Work diligently. Component things are impermanent.' 

(collected)

Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Once a group of 500 people were attending a seminar. Suddenly the speaker stopped and decided to do a group activity. He started giving each person a balloon. Each person was then asked to write their name on it using a marker pen. Then all the balloons were collected and put in another room.

The people were then let into that room and asked to find the balloon which had their name written on it within 5 minutes. Everyone was frantically searching for their name, colliding with each other, pushing around others and there was utter chaos.

At the end of 5 minutes no one could find their own balloon.

Then, the speaker asked each person to randomly collect a balloon and give it to the person whose name was written on it. Within minutes everyone had their own balloon.

The speaker then began, "This is happening in our lives. Everyone is frantically looking for happiness all around, not knowing where it is.

Our happiness lies in the happiness of other people. Give them their happiness; you will get your own happiness. And this is the purpose of human life...the pursuit of happiness."

Metta Chant (Mantra de Compasión en Pali)

Life is impermanent!

Do You Still Get Angry?

One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. “You have no right teaching others,” he shouted. “You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake.”

Buddha was not upset by these insults. Instead he asked the young man “Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom does the gift belong?”

The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, “It would belong to me, because I bought the gift.”

The Buddha smiled and said,

“That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. If you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. All you have done is hurt yourself.”

Source: Do you still get angry?

We can't change the others; We can only change ourselves

thichdibui-Dám Nghĩ Dám Đi: We can't change the others; We can only change ou...: If a child lives with tolerance he learns to be patient; If a child lives with encouragement he learns confidence; If a child lives wit...

To Buddhist people,

thichdibui-Dám Nghĩ Dám Đi: To Buddhist people,: (Đọc tiếng Việt bên dưới) If you are willing to give your support to the land of Buddhas, i.e. India, please don’t forget Tripura – a ...

There is no dry land

Once upon a time there was a fish. And just because it was a fish, it had lived all its life in the water and knew nothing whatever about anything else but water. And one day as it swam about in the pond where all its days had been spent, it happened to meet a turle of its acquaintance who had just come back from a little excursion on the land.

“Good day, Mr. Turtle!” said the fish. “I have not seen you for a long time. Where have you been?”

“Oh,” said the turtle, “I have just been for a trip on dry land.”

“On dry land!” exclaimed the fish. “What do you mean by on dry land? There is no dry land. I had never seen such a thing. Dry land is nothing.”

“Well,” said the turtle good-naturedly. “If you want to think so, of course you may; there is no one who can hinder you. But that’s where I’ve been, all the same.”

“Oh, come,” said the fish. “Try to talk sense. Just tell me now what this land of yours is like? Is it all wet?”

“No, it is not wet,” said the turtle.

“Is it nice and fresh and cool?” asked the fish.

“No, it is not nice and fresh and cool,” the turtle replied.

“Is it clear so that light can come through it?”

“It is not clear. Light cannot come through it.”

“Is it soft and yielding, so that I could move my fins about in it and push my nose through it?”

“No, it is not soft and yielding. You could not swim in it.”

“Does it move or flow in streams?”

“No, it neither moves nor flows in streams?”

“Does it ever rise up into waves then, with white foams in them?” asked the fish, impatient at this string of Noes.

“No!” replied the turtle, truthfully. “It never rises up into water that I have seen.”

“There now,” exclaimed the fish triumphantly. “Didn’t I tell you that this land of yours was just nothing? I have just asked, and you have answered me that it is neither wet nor cool, not clean nor soft and that it doesn not flow in streams nor rise up into waves, and if it isn’t a single one of these things, what else is it but nothing? Don’t tell me.”

“Well, well,” said the turtle, “If you are determined to think that dry land is nothing, I suppose you must just go on thinking so. But any one who knows what is water and what is land would say you were just a silly fish, for you think that anything you have never known is nothing just because you have never known it.”

And with that, the turtle turned away and leaving the fish behind in its little pond of water, set out on another excursion over the dry land that was nothing.”

(Quoted from Bhikkhu Silacara’s booklet, The Four Noble Truths)

A lesson to learn from a donkey

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. 

Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. 

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. 

With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. 

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off! 

MORAL : Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up. Remember the five simple rules to be happy: 

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive. 

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happens. 

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have. 

 4. Give more. 

5. Expect less from people but more from yourself.

For those who love eating meat

Just as you don’t like pain, others don’t. Knowing this, treat others with care, respect and compassion, as you treat yourself (Lord Mahavir.)

 

People who eat meat are responsible for al the pain that grows out of meat-eating; not only the horrors of the slaughterhouse, but also the preliminary horrors of the railway traffic, of the steamboat, and ship traffic; all the starvation and the thirst and the prolonged misery of fear which these unhappy creatures have to pass through for the gratification of the appetite of man……. All pain acts as a record against humanity and slackens and retards the whole human growth (Anne Besant – 1847-1993 – English philosopher)

 

 

From all points of view, we’re all the same in wanting happiness and not wanting suffering. Now you are only one, but others are infinite in number. Therefore, others are more important than you (Dalai Lama)

Animals do not “give” their life to us, as sugar-coated lie would have it. No, we take their lives. They struggle and fight to the last breath, just as we would do if we were in their places (John Robbins)

Alas, what wickedness to swallow fish into our own flesh, to fatten our greedy bodies by cramming in other bodies, to have one living creature fed by the death of another (Ovid 43 B.C – 17?AD – Roman poet)

 

The only way to live is to let live (Mahatma Grandhi)

As a Buddist monk, my concern extends to all members of the human family and indeed, to all sentient beings who suffer. I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain in others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness and satisfaction (His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Oslo, Dec 10, 1989 – Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech)

All beings with two, three, four, or five senses…….in fact all creation know individually pleasure and displeasure, pain, terror and sorrow. All are full of fears, which come from all directions. And yet there exist people who would cause great pain to them……..Some kill animals for sacrifice; some for their skin, flesh, blood, feathers, teeth or tusks….; some kill them intentionally and some unintentionally; some kill because they have been previously injured by them….and some because they expect to be injured. He who harms animals has not understood or renounced deeds of sin….. Those whose minds are at peace and who are free from passions do not desire to live at the expense of others (Lord Mahavira - in Acaranga Sutra)

We can treat the heart of a man by the treatment of animals (Inmanuel Kant – 1724-1804, German philosppher)

People who talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to other animals as well as humans, it is all a sham (Anna Sewell)

Anyone who has ever heard the scream of an animal being killed could never again eat its flesh (Confucius 551-479 BC)

 

While ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on Earth? (George Bernard Shaw)

Truly man is the king of beast, for his brutality exceeds theirs; we live by the death of others; we are burial places (Leonardo Da Vinci – 1452-1519, Italian painter)

 

The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated (Mahatma Grandhi)

Poem “Every individual’s Responsibility”

 

We are humans and we have wit

But we do not think of others a bit

Just for a seconds satisfaction for the

Taste of our tongue

We are thoughtlessly eating the animals’ meat

Shouldn’t we stop this savage habit?

What will feed or say

If swords were struck in your neck?

What will you do or say

If your mother is being beheaded?

Imagine the same on speechless animals

What can they say?

Can’t you hear the animals scream

When their head is separating?

Can’t you feel their shrieking pain

When the blood springs from their slit neck?

Will you protect… or let them suffer?

Don’t kick or abuse the stray animals

They wag their tales to great you with joy

Cherish them with love and kind treatment.

They own nothing and speechless they are

Yet they’ll never forget your thoughts.

Let’s pray and work for a world of peace

Not in just words but in reality

For you and for me, for large and for little;

For every creature deserve forever freedom.

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