Releasing Fish
Once a month Kecharians (kechara members) and guests will put their money together and buy fish from the slaughter market to release. This month, they again purchased 150 kgs of fish, did prayers, blew mantras on to the fish and released them into a nearby large clean lake.
It was a wonderful spiritual and family event. This is arranged under the Kechara Care Dept headed by Liaison Su Ming.
It is something I started to create awareness for the sanctity of all life.
150 kgs of fish ready to be released.
New friends gathered for releasing fish.
Getting ready to release by doing prayers first.
Many people are joining this once a month as they find it very fulfilling and not to mention beneficial for the fish.
Please go vegetarian. So much food is available without slaughter of animals for meat. Bring your spiritualism to another level by not eating animals but loving them please.
Tsem Tulku
Sadhu!Sadhu!Sadhu!
I LOVE THIS!!!!
liberation!!!
This is the beginning of my fifth day vegetarian! (I plan on liberating many worms within a month and dedicate it to the life of great beings like you who’ve helped me in this direction.) Thank you for the encouragement.
While I know I will gain no friends with what I am about to say, I must express my doubts about the skillfulness of this activity. How do you know this action is beneficial to the fish? Just because they are freshwater fish and it’s a freshwater lake doesn’t mean that the lake’s habitat is suitable for that species of fish. What is the impact of releasing the fish into that lake on the other fish already in that lake? Suddenly there is increased competition for a limited amount of food. Will the liberation of these fish increase the suffering of other fish that otherwise would have been fine? Are there life forms in that lake that had no predator, but now these fish introduced in that lake could be a new predator against which these life forms have no defense? And what happens to the ecological balance in the lake when these life forms are eliminated by the new predator that you introduced?
This is why I find most of these types of activities to be unskillful. It’s great PR for the groups performing the acts, but have your really reduced suffering? Or just transfered it? If all these questions were investigated ahead of time, and the impact of the activity is evaluated afterward and determined to be unharmful, then great! It is truly a skillful bodhisattva act. But I am skeptical that this type of investigation is ever conducted with these types of activities.
This sort of exercise is often more cruel than it is compassionate. I once watched monk release doves at a retreat center out of town. The doves did not benefit very much from their compassion, however, the hawks did. Sometimes dharma needs some good old fashioned common sense.
Releasing fish has become our Kechara monthly event. This events started by H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche to create awareness not to harm other animals by eating their meats. Rinpoche has encouraged his students and friends become the full vegetarian. The reason is to create awareness for the animal sanctity of all life.
More and more rinpoche students have become vegetarian to follow the events. Liasons Su Ming is head of the Kechara care to lead this event.
For people very sick, or to pro long the life force. Is good for us to releasing fishes, birds and other animals waiting for the slaughter, to save the animals life to be free. Before leasing the fish, we can chant medicine Buddha mantras out loud, let the animal can hear the holy mantra to bless them after that leasing them. Medicine Buddha mantra is Tayatha Om Benkanzey Benkanzey Maha Benkanzey Benkanzey Ranja Samu Gatey Soha.
I hope Kechara House always can organize these type of activity to save animals life.
Regards,
Chia
Releasing fishes, birds and dedicate the merit to our loved one will be very good.
There were people have doubts with regards the benefits of animal liberation, i came across people asking question, “ even you released the fish, others people will catch them anyway?”
http://www.kechara.com/animal-sanctuary/news-animal-sanctuary/tortoises-on-the-loose/
To release fish or birds can prolong one’s life, to save animals life to collect merits. Kechara fish releasing activities organized by Kechara Care, headed by Chuah Suming is to create awareness . Its great to see kids with parents joined this spiritual event. Through this activity, kid learned to care for animals, this meaningful activity shoud be spread and educate to more members & friends
Buddhists respect life of all forms and therefore on special days eg. Wesak Day we usually release animals.
Some disagree with the practice of animal liberation. Questioning the end result of this act, does it not cause more suffering because when there is a demand to buy animal for liberation, more animals are caught.
This line of questioning is like asking – what comes first, the chick or the egg? Engaging in this kind of debate is futile.
For Buddhists , it’s the motivation that is the prime factor in determining whether an act is virtuous or not. There are so many unforeseen causes and conditions that are beyond our control. To spend much time in checking into minute details before we act is like the man that got shot by an arrow, instead of seeking treatment immediately wasted precious time in finding out where the arrow came from.
Kechara Care organizes animal liberation on the first Sunday of each month. Those who are interested ,please visit http://www.kechara.com/support/.
The practice of animal liberation in Kechara was started by Rinpoche more than a year ago when Rinpoche led a group of students to TTDI Park to release about 200kg of cat fishes meant to be slaughtered for restaurants or market places. From then on, animal liberation became a monthly event where many Kechara members and friends have the opportunity to participate in. Animal liberation is a practice of compassion and kindness for those animals without a voice. It is a Buddhistic practice to purify one’s negative body karma and to prolong one’s life. In Kechara, the merit of animal liberation is dedicated to Rinpoche’s good health and long life, the swift manifestation of Kechara Animal Sanctuary and the good health and long life of Kechara’s members, friends and their family. This another one of Rinpoche’s methods for Compassion in Action.
Hi, all
My passion is to do all sorts of meritorial deeds before I close my eyes, I am in the process of thinking and creating all meritorial acts as the time passes by. What H.E. Rinpoche is doing is most admirable and appreciated.
Metta
Atula D Jayawardhana
Buddhists are beleived that to prolong one life one might release other life as from non-killing actions one create a cause to live long therefore liberation of animals is accepted and most of people are like to do it and it easy to related.
Rinpoche’s great kindness not just only to humans but its cover to animals too. In the past there was many times that Rinpoche has sponsor money to release cows from slaughter in India.
Kechara care head by liaison Suming organize the fish liberation on the 1st Sunday of every month from 10am at the Kepong Metropolitan Park.
If you wish to participate or sponsor fish for your loved ones, please get in touch with Nicholas Yu. For further information pls check http://www.kechara.com/support/events/fishy-freedom/. Do come to join us and experience the meaningful time.
Hi all,
I have been doing this for quite a while, mostly releasing cows from slaughter and releasing birds free from their caged nests. I didn’t come across this form of fish releasing. As a strong Buddhist, what ever form of killing is not in Buddhist Vocabulory I guess. I strongly think that according to the KARMA one creates, he or she can take the form of an animal in his/her next birth. Buddha himself took the form of a Bull/Cow in his previous births(550 births) before enlightenment. By taking into account all this factors, we may consider the fact that we are releasing a coming Buddha or our own parents from slaughter in the long run. I think there is a LOGIC which justifies for all beings to think about. May the triple gem bless all.
thank you
Atula D Jayawardhana
The idea of releasing fish is started by Rinpoche, reason is for us to promote vegetarian, not to harm or abuse animal and most importantly, to have compassion towards animal, when we be kind to someone (a human), they will say ‘thank you’ and it will make us feel good, but when we be kind to animal, they can’t speak, they can’t say ‘thank you’, and if we still be kind of them, taking care of them well, it will really practice our compassion and patient better.
Liberate animal that are near killed can also prolong our life or the person that we dedicated to. Releasing fishes during our off day is really very meaningful; at least it is better compare of sleeping till very late or spent time doing unnecessary things.
BE REAL, BE OURSELVES, WAKE UP NOW AND DO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL!!!!!
Terima Kasih Rinpoche!
“Please go vegetarian. So much food is available without slaughter of animals for meat. Bring your spiritualism to another level by not eating animals but loving them please.”
Once, when I used to read Mahayana Sutras and commentaries that advocate a meatless diet in strong language and terms, it used to burn my heart as I have a mother who love to cook meat and would insist that I ate them.
I realise that I can take upon this ‘suffering’ of eating on my mom’s behalf where instead of flaring with her over a plate of meat or vegetables, through many years of trying to use various non religious methods of the benefits of a real vegetarian diet, perhaps some results have come forth.
Otherwise, living on my own, it has been my own gradual practice over the years that today I am able to give up meat whenever I can, even ‘vegetarian meat’ for the real deal and even working on eliminating animal by products like milk and honey where possible.
‘All mother sentient beings’…this is a loaded phrase that realization from one’s heart, only then can I ever utter it with total peace of mind…
Liberating animals is only one of the many ways of benefiting them, saving them from either their captivity or being saved from captivity. Once we save them, we care considered their benefactors as we provide them with a gain of release in their life.
Why don’t we take a step further by eliminating the reason for their death by going vegetarian??? Rinpoche is a genius in getting us meat lovers change into full time vegetarians. I can still remember clearly my first attempt to go vegetarian. All I could say is that the day I wasn’t holding my vegetarian vows, I had a feast!
Rinpoche started off by having all of us take one week vege vows to dedicate to our loved ones. I dint have much a problem with that until the 5th day into the week, my craving for flesh was so great I could’ve died of gastric if my teeth didn’t sink itself into a piece of steak.
But as time passes, the desire for meat became less and naturally u’ll be a full time vegetarian. And when I look back and think, I was overawed with how skillful Rinpoche was in delivering to us what he neede us to do to benefit many
It was a wonderful sunny day for a family event when a number of Kecharians gathered at Metropolitan park to release 150kg of fish!
It was through the kindness of H.E. Tsem Tulku Rinpoche, that adults and kids have the precious opportunity to save some precious lives.
All parent, please take your kids out from the house to spend some quality time once in a while. Don’t let the kids’ just sit in front of TV for hours watching cartoons. Give them the opportunity to go outdoor, breathe fresh air, walk and run around in the open field and exercise their muscles and limbs.
Such occasions would be a good opportunity to mix and socialise with other kids and make friends. This compassionate activity will be very good for their spiritual development so they would grow up into young responsible adults.
PAUL
Every month the Kechara family goes for an outing of a different kind – to release fishes into the Kepong Metropolitan Park lake. They are saved from captivity, from being boiled, steamed and fried. Saving them from these is to give them life, to ensure no harm comes to them and by dedicating this meritorious act to our loved ones, we help to lengthen their life. It need not be fishes only to be liberated; as long as it is a living being, doomed for death and rescued from this fate, you have helped to save a life. Extend the act from fishes to chickens, ducks, goats, cows – it is good if you can save a cow as in the monastery, the cow helps to provide sustenance in the form of milk. By saving one life, you are helping to feed many more.
As Lama Zopa Rinpoche has once said, “Liberating animals of any form is one of the important ways in which people who have cancer, aids, or other life-threatening dieaseas can heal themselves and have long lives.”Liberating animals” is one of the important ways in which people with sicknesses and serious incurable diseases can have the chance to heal themselves and have long lives. Our guru Tsem Rinpoche has always encouraged his students to care for animals and to contemplate on their terrible sufferings experienced. Best of all liberation action is to go Vegetarian, thus abandoning killing-”A Buddha’s Compassionate nature”.
I do appreciate this monthly event and want to contribute to this fish releasing. I live in the US, so could any related person tell me how to donate money for this event? Thank you very much.
Hi Phuong,
Thank you for your kind comments! You can donate to this event by clicking on the DONATE button on this page http://www.kechara.com/donations/ and selecting the appropriate method of payment that suits you. We are able to accept Paypal as well as other services. You should ensure that you leave a note during a transaction process to let us know what the donation is for. Please also do make sure to inform Liaison Chuah Su Ming of your donation (she leads the animal liberation activities as part of Kechara Care), and she will be able to process it accordingly.