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25/11: Introducing Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche
A Powerful Message by a Powerful Yogi - Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche
Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorjee Rinpoche is one of the most accomplished Tibetan Buddhist Yogis alive today. He was born in June, 1913 in Kham, Tibet. He rescues millions of animals each year and has been a strict vegetarian for over forty five years. Now in his 90's, he is as active as ever, helping humans and animals alike with an unfathomably deep compassion. TVA had an exclusive interview with the Yogi himself on 29th May, 2005 in Nepal. Ven Khenpo Dorjee Tsering and Jamphel Rabten transcribed the Rinpoche's speech and Chonyid Zangmo translated it.
I was the first to become vegetarian since we came to India. The first year of the Nyingma Monlam in Bodh Gaya was non-vegetarian. In the second year I came there and spoke at a meeting of all the high Nyingma Lamas. I told them that Bodh Gaya is a very special place which is holy to all Buddhists, and if we say we are gathered here for the Nyingma Monlam and yet eat meat, this is a disgrace and the greatest insult to Buddhism. I said they should all give up meat from now on, during the Nyingma Monlam. Even the Tibetan lamas and monks eat meat! What a shame if even the lamas can't give up meat! First the lamas should commit themselves to being life-long vegetarians. If the Lamas become vegetarian, and then you can address the lay people. Then also you should urge the monks to become vegetarian. Otherwise if knowledgeable religious people eat meat, how can one expect the ignorant public, who follow along just like sheep, to become vegetarian?
Earlier in the Sakyapas, Sachen Kunga Nyingpo abstained from meat and alcohol. From then on gradually in the Nyingmapas there was Ngari Pandita Pema Wangyal, an emanation of King Trisong Detsen. He was a vegetarian all his life. Also the non-sectarian Lama Zhabkar Tsogdrug Rangdrol: he was born in Amdo and was a heavy meat-eater, but when he went to Lhasa and saw the many animals being slaughtered in the butchers' district of Lhasa, he became vegetarian for the rest of his life. Many of his disciples also became vegetarian. Many others - Sakyapas, Gelugpas, Kagyudpas and Nyingmapas - have done like this and become vegetarian.
In Kongpo, Gotsang Natsog Rangdrol told his monks to abstain from meat and alcohol. Because the Kongpo Tsele Gon monks wouldn't obey his orders, he became angry with them and went to Gotsang Phug in lower Kongpo, and stayed there in isolated retreat for 20-30 years. Abstaining from non-virtuous actions such as eating meat and drinking alcohol, he attained realization and became known as Gotsang Natsog Rangdrol, a highly qualified teacher. Similarly, Nyagla Pema Dudul abstained from meat and alcohol. He meditated in isolated hermitages for 20-30 years, not relying on people's food but rather nourishing himself on the essence of rocks and earth, and attained rainbow body. He is known as "Pema Dudul who attained rainbow body." He lived at the time of Nyagke Gonpo Namgyal. It happened like that.
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zweiya Masters Teachings |
24/07: Not A Laughing Matter
(picture source: Angel Franco/The New York Times)
Global Slaughter Statistics for 2003:
45,895,000,000 (45.9 billion) chickens
2,262,000,000 (2.3 billion) ducks
1,244,000,000 (1.2 billion) pigs
857,000,000 (857 million) rabbits
691,000,000 (691 million) turkeys
533,000,000 (533 million) geese
515,000,000 (515 million) sheep
345,000,000 (345 million) goats
292,000,000 (292 million) cows and calves (for beef and veal)
65,000,000 (65 million) other rodents (not including rabbits)
63,000,000 (63 million) pigeons and other birds
23,000,000 (23 million) buffaloes
4,000,000 (4 million) horses
3,000,000 (3 million) donkeys and mules
2,000,000 (2 million) camels (and other camelids)
TOTAL: 52,794,000,000
United States: 9,116,248,000
The numbers only include land animals slaughtered for food for which records were taken. They do not include the billions of marine animal killed each year. They do not include the millions of animals killed in laboratories, fur farms, animal shelters, zoos, marine parks, or circuses. Nor do they include the animals killed by human negligence, blood sports, abuse, or extermination attempts.
The United States consumes almost 20% of land animals slaughtered with less than 5% of the world’s population.
And I bet the numbers had increased since 2003 and still going up. It's not a laughing matter and please say no to meat at least once a meal if not once a week.
Amituofo!
zweiya General |
14/07: 狄葆贤语录 Quote by Di Baoxian
若慕牛力大，牛食草为粮。
若慕猪体肥，猪食糟与糠，
请观牛与猪，不因食肉强。
若慕肉味美，何不自割尝？
自割知痛苦，割他意扬扬。
世无食肉者，屠门不开张
If one envies the great strength of the cows,
cows feed on grass as food.
If one envies the thickness of the pigs,
pigs feed on pickles and rice bran,
please see that the cow and pig need not eat meat to gain strength.
If one envy the taste and smell of meat,
why not cut one’s flesh and taste?
The cut of one’s flesh knows the pain,
yet one still can happily cut other sentient beings’ flesh.
If the world does not have meat-eaters,
the slaughter house need not open for business.
zweiya Buddhist Quotes |
10/07: 愿云禅师《护生歌》
千百年来碗里羹，怨深似海恨难平。
欲知世上刀兵劫，但听屠门夜半声。
夜半声 夜半声，怨深似海恨难平。
欲消世上刀兵劫，莫把众生肉作羹。
Thousands of years of meat broth in bowls,
contain resentment deep as the sea with hatred hard to resolve.
If we wish to know the cause of war,
just listen to the sounds of the slaughterhouse at midnight.
Sounds at midnight, sounds at midnight,
contain resentment deep as the sea with hatred hard to resolve.
If we wish to diminish the cause of war,
please refrain from making beings' flesh into broth.
– Chan Master Yuan Yun (Song of Lives Protection)
zweiya Buddhist Quotes |
09/07: 弘一大师语录 Quote by Master Hongyi
是亦众生，与我体同，
应起悲心，怜彼错蒙。
普劝世人，放生戒杀。
不食其肉，乃谓爱物。
Since they are also sentient beings with bodies like mine,
One ought to give rise to compassion and empathise with those who have done wrong.
Widely urging the world to liberate animals and refrain from killing,
Not eating their meat is to love them.
zweiya Buddhist Quotes |
26/06: 寒山大师语录 Quote by Tang Dynasty's Master Han Shan
六道轮回苦，孙子娶祖母，
牛羊为上座，六亲锅内煮。
In the six realms of rebirth and suffering,
the grandson marries his grandmother,
the cows and goats are the invited guests,
while the six relations cook in the pot.
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zweiya Buddhist Quotes |
12/07: Quote by Patrul Rinpoche
Especially, nowadays most people crave meat and consume flesh and blood with a second thought, completely oblivious to all the diseases caused by old meat or harmful meat spirits. Unhealthy diets and lifestyles can also give rise to tumours, disorders of phlegm, dropsy and other diseases, causing innumerable deaths...“
...Some people imagine that only the person who physically carried out the killing is creating a negative karmic effect, and that the person who just gave the orders is not - or, if he is, then only a little. But you should know that the same karmic result comes to everyone involved... Each person gets the whole karmic result of killing one animal. It is not as if one act of killing could be divided up among many people. ”
From : Words of My Perfect Teacher
zlyrica Buddhist Quotes |
12/07: Quote by The Great Dzogchen Yogi, Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche
Meat, the sinful food, is not permitted according to the three vows: the vows of individual liberation, the Bodhisattva vows and the tantric vows.
Thus Buddha stated: “I have never approved, do not approve, and will never approve of a meat diet.” He declared: “my followers must never eat meat.”
zlyrica Buddhist Quotes |
12/07: Quote by The late Great Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche (1921-2007)
As practitioners of this precious Dharma, we need to eradicate all non-virtuous deeds in general, particularly the consumption of meat, as it has the heaviest negative karma. This is because all the livings beings that we eat are actually our own parents who have been very kind to us in many lifetimes. Eating meat is a non-virtuous act with such heavy misgivings that the Buddha Himself also mentioned that consuming the meat of other sentient beings who have been our parents one lifetime or another is the gravest and most heinous deed to commit.
zlyrica Buddhist Quotes |
17/06: Talk : Vegetarianism by H.H. the 17th Karmapa
6 pages of 17th Karmapa talks on Vegetarianism, please click here.
zlyrica Masters Teachings |
16/01: Vegetarianism : Chinese Buddhism
Many people wonder how plants should be understood in light of the precept against killing. Since plants clearly are living beings, is it not also wrong to kill plants? The Buddha said that since animals and insects have awareness, or sentience, they are very different from plants. In the end, all of the things of this world have Buddha Nature and all of them should be respected, but since animals have sentience, they should be treated with special respect, for they, like us, are in the midst of a journey that ends only in complete awakening.
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zlyrica Books/Essays |
27/12: Tribute to His Eminence Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche (1921-2007)
If on the one hand, we chant the [Mani] mantra and on the other hand,
we eat the meat of another sentient being,
then our words and actions do not tally with one another. — Drubwang Rinpoche
One of the greatest obstacles to the birth of Bodhicitta
in our minds is our craving for meat. — Shabkar
__________
In his final years, the late great His Eminence Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche (1921-2007) repeatedly touched upon two teachings in his talks during the popular Mani retreats that he held. The first is the urgency of upholding the Mani mantra (Om Mani Padme Hung), and the second is the urgency of abstaining from eating meat. At first glance, these seem to be unrelated subjects. However, they are closely linked indeed. The Mani mantra, if chanted well, invokes one's compassion. The more it is invoked, the more perfectly all-encompassing it becomes. It would include compassion for all animals too.
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zlyrica General |
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