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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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17/06: Talk : Vegetarianism by H.H. the 17th Karmapa
6 pages of 17th Karmapa talks on Vegetarianism, please click here.
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11/07: The Cow That Shed Tears
< Peta / Karremannby Ajahn Brahmavamso, taken from Living Vegan
I arrived early to lead my meditation class in a low-security prison. A crim who I had never seen before was waiting to speak with me. He was a giant of a man with bushy hair and beard and tattooed arms; the scars on his face told me he'd been in many a violent fight. He looked so fearsome that I wondered why he was coming to learn meditation. He wasn't the type. I was wrong of course.
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30/06: Meaning for the Vegan Lifestyle – Compassion
Rev. Heng Sure, PhD, talks about compassion, humanity, friends and family.
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31/01: Bodhicitta
Attaining The Highest Bliss Of Buddhahood That We May Relieve All Beings Of Their Sufferings
By HH the 100th Ganden Tri Rinpoche
Introduction
At the outset, develop the proper motivation to listen to the Buddha's teachings, preferably, in tune with Bodhicitta, the aspiration to attain Buddhahood so that one could be of ultimate benefit to all sentient beings.
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31/01: Instructions On Not Eating Meat
From His Holiness 17th Karmapa, Orgyen Trinley Dorje
By Vin Harris
Bodhgaya - Full moon day 3rd January 2007 was the last day of the 24th Kagyu Monlam. In the shade of the Bodhi Tree, seat of Enlightenment of One Thousand Buddhas, Orgyen Trinley Dorje the 17th Gyalwang Karmapa gave this teaching on the benefits of not eating meat. Over 6,000 people were present. The teaching was heard by Lineage Holders, Rinpoches, Lamas, Ordained Sangha and lay practitioners who had travelled from many countries including Tibet, Nepal, India, Taiwan, Korea, Burma, USA, Canada, Russia and all parts of Europe.
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31/01: Does Eating Meat Create Negative Karma?
Transcribed excerpt from Venerable Tenzin Palmo's Talk “Karma & Rebirth”, held at Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery on 5th June 2005 :
"And 'killing'. You know? I mean, I do think, yes, in Singapore, we have to think about this. That you can say, 'Alright, I don't kill anything. I, you know, I don't kill. I live in a town. I don't need to kill anything.' But, even by taking meat, we are colluding in allowing animals to be killed. And I think that as Buddhists, people on the spiritual path, we should think about this. Because if there is no demand, then there will be no cause to kill the animals.
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12/06: Buddhism and Environmental Protection
By Ven. Thich Tri Quang
Environmental protection is one of the urgent problems facing mankind today. That concern has been manifested in the the World Environment Day on 5 June 1996. All scientists, economists, philosophers, researchers through newspapers, television, radio, etc. analysed and were alarmed on the seious adverse impacts of toxic substances on the living environment of human, animals, and vegetation. It is ironic that man is the one who pollutes his own health, and kill the life of all beings in this Earth. The risk threatening our ecology is not minor. It leads to many mearures to prevent or minimise the pollution, of world-wide scale, including the ten important International Coventions to protect the environment.
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12/06: Environmental Protection
By Ven. Sheng-yen
Buddhism is a religion that places great emphasis on environmental protection. Sakyamuni Buddha was born at Lumbini Garden. He engaged in spiritual practice in the forest, attained Buddhahood under a tree, and first began preaching at Deer Park. The major monasteries where he taught his disciples were all gardens or woods, such as Jeta Grove, Bamboo Grove, Amravana Garden, and he passed into pari-nirvana between two Sal trees near Kusinagara. He exhorted his monastic disciples, when spending the night under a tree, to regard that place as his home and take loving care of it.
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25/05: Teaching From 100 Million Six-Syllable Mantra Retreat 2003
By His Eminence Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche
As a Buddhist, we practice so as to benefit self and others hence we do the six-syllable mantra practice. However, when we eat meat be it chicken, pork, fish or eggs in our daily lives, we are creating immense negative karma. If on the one hand, we chant the mantra and on the other hand, we eat the meat of mother sentient beings, then our words and actions do not tally with one another. We are not doing as we preach. Can this be considered as loving kindness and compassion towards sentient beings? Is this doing good and abstaining from evil?
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02/03: 野狐解脱(四十一奇) Wild Fox's Liberation (41st Wonder)
民国二十五年（岁次丙子九十七岁）老和尚在南华放春期戒坛毕，曹溪驻防军第十团团长林国赓送来毛泽光润白狐一头，对老和尚说：'这狐来历颇奇，初于广州白云山被打猎的人所捕获，后来广州拆城，开马路，该狐从城垣逃出，又被捕，友人以四十元买得，本想煮食充补品，因见那狐双目炯炯有光，且解人意，不忍杀，送至广州动物园中。
In 1936, Venerable Xuyun (then 97 years old) emerged from a spring precept ceremony at Nanhua. The commander of the 10th Regiment then defending Caoxi [note: from where the Caoxi sect within the Chan tradition originated], Lin Guogeng, presented him with a fox covered with shining white fur, and told the Venerable, "This fox has had an unusual history. He was first caught by a hunter at Mount Baiyun in Guangzhou, but later escaped through the city walls when the old city was torn down to make way for roads. He was then captured again, and was bought by a friend for forty dollars. Initially planning to cook him for a tonic, he could not bring himself to kill him when he saw his bright eyes, and his almost human-like demeanour. He subsequently sent him to the Guangzhou Zoo.
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02/03: 八哥念佛(二十四奇 ) Mynah Recites the Buddha's Name (24th Wonder)
中华民国元年（岁次壬子七十三岁）老和尚在云南组织佛教分会，是年在佛教会中有乡人送来一个八哥鸟放生，该鸟已能说话，老和尚说皈依后教他念佛，即不吃荤，非常驯良，自知出入，日常念佛及观音菩萨圣号，从未间断。
In the first year of the Republic of China, Venerable Xuyun (then around 73 years old) founded a Buddhist society in Yunnan. That year, a countryman from the Buddhist society brought a mynah to the temple for liberation. This particular mynah was able to speak, so Venerable Xuyun recited the Threefold Refuges to the mynah and taught him to recite Amitabha Buddha's name. Since then, the mynah only took vegetarian food and become extremely docile. He was very self-aware and daily recited not only the Buddha's name, but Avalokiteshrva Bodhisattva's name non-stop too.
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01/03: 黄牛皈依(二十一奇) Yellow Cow Took ThreeFold Refuges (21st Wonder)
老和尚运经到腾冲寓万寿寺时，正在与提督张松林坐谈的时候，忽一黄牛奔至座前，跪下，双目流泪，随后牛主杨胜昌率领多人到寺，要将牛牵回屠杀。
While Venerable Xuyun (around 70 years of age) was at Teng Chong Yu Wan Shou Moastery chatting with Prefect Zhang Song Lin, an ox suddenly rushed to the front of Venerable Xuyun, kneeled down and burst into tears. Shortly, the owner of the cow, Yang Sheng Chang, who was leading many people, arrived at the monastery, wanting to recapture the cow for the slaughterhouse to kill her.
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01/03: 雄鸡皈戒(十五奇) Rooster Took ThreeFold Refuges and Five Percepts (15th Wonder)
清光绪二十九年（岁次癸卯六十四岁）老和尚在昆明府福兴寺闭关，有一迎祥寺僧人叩关，说寺中有放生雄鸡一只，体肥硕，极凶恶好斗，群鸡都被伤冠羽。
In Guangxu 29th year of the Qing Dynasty, Venerable Xuyun (around 64 years old) was in retreat at the Kunming Fuxing monastery. A monk from Yingxiang monastery came knocking on the Venerable's door, said there was a plump and extremely feisty rooster liberated in his monastery, who had injured a group of chickens' combs.
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