Animals Help Us to be Better Humans…..
What makes us great humans is not how much we can hurt others, but how much we can help others.
What makes us kind humans is not how we take care of ourselves, but how we take care of others.
What makes us good humans is not how we abuse animals, but how much we allow them to live and be happy freely.
How much we exploit animals makes us harder, colder, more cruel. If we can ignore and overlook the pain that animals so obviously experience when we hurt them, it means that we have become more cold. Being cold is a temporary escape. Why indulge in temporary methods when it will bring even more problems?
The colder we become, the more lonely and isolated. The more isolated we make ourselves the more we begin to hurt the people we love around us and eventually ourselves. Cruel acts make you unwanted, hated, and avoided. You don’t deserve that. So don’t create the causes for that. Heal yourself by healing others. That works and it’s a long term solution.
The numbness we have ’developed’ in hurting animals makes us inhuman. How can anyone ignore pain, strife, grief and fear in another living sentient being? How can anyone give those feelings to another living creature and enjoy? To enjoy that is to become inhuman and inviting pain for yourself.
Hunting, killing, beating, abusing, hurting animals is not a sport nor a need, but an ugly act that makes us become colder and unfeeling humans. That couldn’t benefit anyone. Why do things that are harmful because harm can never take away the anger you feel. It can never take away the lack of self-esteem you have. It can never give you a sense of power that is a true quality.
Love others, love animals and love the environment. Do not hurt anyone or anything because by doing that, you never get rid of the pain you feel. You shouldn’t have any pain. Start your healing by being genuinely kind to others. Start no matter what. It is hard at first, but what isn’t? When you generate a kindness in your heart, everyone will feel it, even the animals that we think are just dumb mute brutes which they are not. Everyone including YOURSELF need kindness….start today and don’t stop….Join or start a animal shelter, rescue centre. Help the homeless…go all the way. Create awareness for endangered species. Speak up for the abused. Find a cause that benefits others and GO ALL THE WAY!! IT WILL BE FINE…TRUST.
It will be hard work, but in the process, YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF AND HELP MANY TO FIND THEMSELVES….WHO ARE YOU REALLY? You are a kind, loving, good person deep down inside, just manifest it NOW!!!!!!!!
Tsem Tulku
These words truly resonate with me, Rinpoche. Thank you so much for sharing this. Sometimes it is difficult to find the right words and explain to friends why I have chosen to become a vegetarian. Some are shocked because they can’t imagine that I would give up sushi and tuna, both being my ex-faves. Others find it almost appalling that it is for the path of spirituality. It seems there are just people who can’t grasp the concept that no meat = no killing = living in harmony & peace with all beings on earth. It’s quite funny that even some friends actually think I’ve become too “cultish” in my following the advice of H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche. Like I am giving up all “control over my life” and passing the “remote pad” to Rinpoche. The best yet is when they think I am going to become a nun.
Thank you Rinpoche. Hurting makes nothing but transform us in a cold body without heart, a moving statue. It is important to help beings, humans, animals, plants, and insects, even beings we can not see with our eyes; or that we are not aware of their presence.
It is really nothing to give 1h, 2h or 3h of our time to help others every week.
People say they have no time, but use their time in frond of TV or shopping, going to restaurant, in leisure parks, keeping this time only for them…
I want help in an animal shelter and a homeless soup kitchen association again as soon as I moving to city. There is no such association here and I miss help others. I will see if I can help in the Salvation Army here, it takes 3 month check to help in an association, I don’t understand why, they need people now!
We are truly happier when we give our self to others. The satisfaction to help others and to make them happy is 100,000 times more powerful than hurt others. We are happy when people are kind to use, we should to the same with everybody.
Your posts are really inspiring others to help, I will re-blog this one!
With Love.
That true rimpoche, amimal help us a lot in this jungle we make by ingnorance .
I wish make something soon for the animal in Europe !
I fully agree with Rinpoche. We can all be great, kind, good and try to manifest it in different ways like go vegetarian, take care of animals, homeless etc.
Shirely, it is easy to be misunderstood as what others hear and see have more positive motives than they think. Judgements leads to blockage and not to reflection on what could be behind. Expect kritik! Look forward to it, Honour it as an opportunity to be able develop eaven more skills, love, understanding and acceptance. Rejoyce for whatever you do for others as you are the one who know what you do and why! To recive these words of Rinpoche is inspiering to keep up healthy practic and also to try do a bit more…….
The greatest threat to people is ignorance. The greatest threat to animals is ignorant people.
This is one of the most stirring and convincing message for us all to go vegetarian I have ever come across.Yet there is no obvious mention of this which is what makes it all the more powerful and poignant.
A lot of times, the humanitarian aspect( written in all its glory here ) which is the most important is buried or subsumed in the over enthusiasm of those who advocate abstaining from eating meat and those who swear by meat. Until it becomes a platform for constant debate instead of for reflection and change.
When we miss the forest for the trees, vegetarianism becomes a religion and meat eaters are not convinced by the spiritual arguments.
When Rinpoche first asked his Liaisons to go vegetarian, many resisted some even debated on the issue.
To the people that give dharma classes at KH, Rinpoche asked : “ How can you teach compassion for all mother sentient beings if you kill them and eat their flesh ?” The people were speechless.
I could not relate to vegetarianism until I watched the video “Earthlings” given by Rinpoche. To see the cruelty inflicted on animals by people in the meat business woke me up.
Thank you Rinpoche for bringing the truth to us skilfully. In support of what he teaches, Rinpoche started a vegetarian restaurant at Jaya One headed by Irene Lim (http://www.kecharaoasis.com/).
Rinpoche asked us to “love others, love animals and love the environment.” If you love animals and don’t eat them, you love the earth (and therefore yourself) too. There are plenty of scientific facts to back this up. It takes four times as much land to feed a carnivore, than it does to feed a vegetarian. The UN estimates that it would take 40 million tonnes of grain to end extreme hunger; in the West, 540 million tonnes are fed to animals every year. By becoming vegetarian, you preserve the earth for yourself, for your children and for everyone else.
“What makes us good humans is not how we abuse animals, but how much we allow them to live and be happy freely.” – that’s exactly how I imagine the Kechara Animal Sanctuary to be. I imagine dogs romping happily in the grass, and ducks waddling next to a pond. I see pigs wallowing in mudbaths, and cats lounging lazily in the sun. Goats and cows chewing away on hay. The place will be paradise on earth, in this lifetime, for these beings who were unfortunate enough to be so close to the dharma, and yet not be able to receive it.
Animal cruelty is quite possibly one of the lowest acts of cowardice. Most animals do us no harm, and so many show us so much love, kindness and unconditional trust. How easy it is to mistreat any being with such qualities, and yet while most of us return the love and kindness animals show to us, there are those who mindlessly mistreat and abuse poor creatures who are left to suffer in silence, and unable to break free from their pain.
Kind regards,
Sandy
Terima Kasih Rinpoche!
There are days when I wish I can have the stray cats and dogs for my family, relatives and friends but when I look at the mirror often I see how my they would wish that it was the strays rather than me!
It took me so long that realize that the snakes, roosters and pigs in me were having a field day undoing any good that I have left and planting every conceivable bad.
It’s been so long since I have shown kindness or forgiveness to anyone…
And it started with KSA…then to others…
They were my training ground to show kindness. By their accepting my occasional gifts, they helped release this tight valve of self oppressive hate and potential time bomb.
Thank you…
It is appalling to witness the cruelty the human race is capable of inflicting on other beings. Rinpoche is so very accurate when Rinpoche explains that habituation of animal abuse will lead to further deterioration in the form of causing pain and harm other human that, eventually, ends in the abuse of those who are close to us.
How very scary it is to see the disease of cruelty spread like an uncontrollable fatal virus within the acclaimed civilized human race. Perhaps this frightening realization is so ugly, many individuals persuade themselves that animal cruelty does not exist. We pretend so that we can go about our old ways and fulfill our desires to enjoy juicy meat that is the direct product of cruelty and deep suffering.
This abuse and destruction has to stop for the sake of the animals and for the sake of us. If we cannot be selfless, even from a selfish point of view the way we are treating animals and the environment directly harm our loved ones and us.
Please make the effort to view the documentary called Earthling. It is not a feel good documentary but it is real and it is hopeful because the message can drive us to do something effective to be truly human: kind, loving and good.
Another channel to which you can take immediate action is to check out http://www.kechara.com and read about the animal sanctuary project to which you can contribute.
Many years ago, H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche conceptualized Kechara Oasis, a restaurant that is vegetarian and promotes stopping the harming of animals. Since its incorporations in 2009 till now, Kechara Oasis has been receiving excellent review from the media and press, this includes The New Straits Time, Malay Mail, New Sunday Time, Clive Magazine, (to see details please click http://www.kechara.com/dining/press/)
Another department, (which in the pipeline making) that H.E. Tsem Rinpoche wishes to setup is Kechara Animal Sanctuary (KAS). It is going to be a place to liberate abused animals. It is thru KAS that we are able to organize monthly activities to release animals back to the nature, and continuously seek generous and kindhearted sponsors to support the act of liberations! (to see more details, please click http://www.kechara.com/animal-sanctuary/)
It is through the kindness of our Spiritual Guide, we can practise the act compassion, as taught by the Buddha, and become a better human being…
Paul
Dear Rinpoche,
From beginning to end, this post means so much for me. This shows me that life isn’t just about enjoyment at the expense of others and life isnt just about selfishly abusing those around us, human or nonhuman. I am really inspired to take on vegetarianism full time now because of this article. Like you said, why should I just keep doing the same things over and over without showing any care to those around me? I definitely think it is time for a fundamental change in the way people live their lives and so I am going to start by making a change in my life, NOW.
Thank you so much for inspiring me Rinpoche,
Tyler
There are three prominent activities/department within Kechara that helps supports prevention against animal cruelty; namely: Kechara Oasis, Kechara Animal Sanctuary and Medicine Buddha Puja.
They all combine forces and support each other in different spectrum of animal care from spiritual, material to manifesting the actual animal sanctuary.
Rinpoche teaches us that animals are beings which we must look into caring for them deeply because when they suffer they are unable to communicate it well to us and whenever they receive kindness, they cannot thank you back.
It helps us to practice loving them unconditionally and gives us the chance to open doors of compassion for ourselves and others.
May the Kechara Animal Sanctuary physically manifest soon!
The beauty about animals is that most of the time they do not show any affection even after years of feeding and taking care of them. I am not talking about dogs here. Most dogs are just very affectionate, it makes it so easy to be kind to them. I am talking about other animals like iguanas, fish, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and even sometimes cats who doesn’t come when you call them. Hence, humans are selective. They only like animals who response to them. Okla … not expecting everyone to be a Boddhisattva. The least we can do is NOT hurt them. The only thing I used to kill was insects like mossies, ticks and roaches out of ignorance. Am not proud of it, hence I vowed not to do it anymore. Who knows I might be killing my ancestors! Once we know better, why still do it?
If we can stop hurting animals that do not return any affection to us, we can learn to be kind to any “spesies” of human beings. It’s so much easier to stop hurting animals than to stop hurting people emotionally, verbally and physically. Start being kind to animals by not killing, hurting and eating them and you’re better human already.
Another note that sprang to mind: If animals help us to become better humans, then logically speaking, humans will help us to become even better humans.
Animals are born in ignorance, they are the way they are and there is very little that we can do to change their nature apart from superficial tricks and housetraining. It is easier to forgive your pet dog when he’s made a mistake, because you know he doesnt know any better.
Humans on the other hand are a completely different story. We are born with BRAINS (most of us) and we know right from wrong. So when someone is angry, rude, lies, backstabs, steals, betrays, annoys, frustrates you, it is harder to let go. It is harder to forgive. Because our EXPECTATIONS of them are much higher.
If we can forgive our beloved pets, extend the same kindness to our friends and families.
Very well said Beng Kooi. Thank you!
If we are a Buddhist then we should believe in karma, if we believe in karma, then we should believe in reincarnation, if we believe in reincarnation, then we should realise that all beings around us, from a small tiny ant to a stranger sitting in the coffee shop opposite the table could be someone close to us in our previous lives. That someone could be our fathers, mothers, relatives, friends, benefactors or teachers from our previous lives that had showered us immeasurable kindness, nourished and nurtured us to adulthood and could have sacrified a lot for our well beings in the past. As Rinpoche has mentioned before in many of his dharma teachings from Youtube, we cannot remember the past doesn’t mean the past doesn’t exist. We cannot deny the kindness we received from others simply because we can’t remember them.
By realising the innumerable possibilities that those beings that were kind to us in the past could have fallen into one of the three lower realms – animal realm, and not knowing which animals could be the one that had benefited us in the past, we should extend our kindness and love towards all the animals. Thus none of those beings that have benefited us would be left out.
If animals can talk. They will ask us. Are we any diffrent from humans in emotional pain or sufferings, The answer from them will be no. The sufferings of animals and humans are the same. The blood in humans and animals are the same colour. The organs and nerves inside the body are the same. If you hit an animal or a human both feel the same. So if the human can feel the same pain that an animal experience. They will not beat an animal again. So if a human can think like this they will not hurt animals anymore.
CREATE the cause for animal Liberation! Go vegetarian to help save animals. They are the ones to end up in the frying-pans, cooking-pots and the sharp ends of chopper blades and knives, for their tender flesh, skins and bones. If only they can talk, they will fill you with tears, shame and remorse, but unfortunately, they cant. Like our Guru said, “The numbness we have developed in hurting animals made us inhumans. How can anyone ignore pain, strife, and fear in another sentient being? How can anyone give those feelings to another living creature and enjoy? To enjoy that is to become inhuman and inviting pain for yourself? Love others, love animals and love the environment.” From statistics found in some brochures of our own Vegetarian restuarant, Kechara Osasis, 6.1 Billions animals in the form of sheeps, cattles, chickens and turkeys were reported by U.S. Dept of Agriculture to have been slaughter every year, with intensed sufferings of pains and misery by these animals before their death. As the kind, loving, good person you are, GO VEGETERIAN all the way now to save lives!
[...] 仁波切自小就对动物疼爱有加，从来都不忍心看见动物受苦。为了创造克切拉动物庇护所（KAS）成立的善因，仁波切跟弟子们开始展开了一系列援助行动。 [...]