Well the Chinese have done it again.. a seafood business in Nanjing have come up with the world's first live crab dispenser machine and placed it in one of their subway stations. Crabs of different sizes are packed in small containers and kept live in near freezing temperatures. Consumers simply have to insert their money and the crab of their choice would be dispensed out. The vendor even gives a guarantee that if anybody gets a dead crab, they will compensate them with 3 live ones. How creative.. one can only imagine the suffering that those crabs go through, frozen and trapped in a tight container, conscious but unable to move.
The Dhammapada says:
"When evil karma is immature
the fool thinks it is honeyed,
but when the evil has matured
then to the fool comes suffering."
The hunger of the Chinese for live seafood knows no bounds. As are result this hunger, millions of sea creatures are slaughtered everyday to satisfy their hunger. Of course, this also applies to land animals as the Chinese eat everything with their backs facing the sky. There are some well-known inhumane ways to slaughter and prepare seafood, and now they have thought of another inhumane way to sell them to consumers. It is appalling indeed that they have such scant regard for the welfare of animals. But of course, nobody will think of protecting crabs or other sea creatures from cruelty in China, since everyone thinks of them as "food" like chickens and pigs. Businesses that are built up from taking lives and being cruel to animals can never prosper, for the evil karma accumulated will have serious consequences for all those in the business. As Buddhists, even if we cannot be vegetarians, we should at least not contribute to the demand for live animals, but settle for dead ones. The craving for fresh and tasty meat is something that leads many to the states of woe. By weakening the demand for live animals, we also reduce the cruelty perpetrated towards countless animals everyday. The world will be a better place if the Chinese can learn to have more respect towards all life.
2 comments:
This is why, when people say, how about when all beings have reached Nirvana, what then? As we know, even amongst those few who are interested in reaching nirvana, the task is difficult...for the blind majority there is no end to the cycle of existences in Samsara.
This is why, when people say, how about when all beings have reached Nirvana, what then? As we know, even amongst those few who are interested in reaching nirvana, the task is difficult...for the blind majority there is no end to the cycle of existences in Samsara.
~~
- Was there day before today?
- Yes, it's called yesterday.
- Was there day before yesterday?
- Yes, it's called 'the day before yesterday'.
- ...so on and so forth...
- for about 7,000,000,000 (7 billions) times, one would reach the beginning of "time" -the day the universe was bornt AKA 'big bang' day.
- and the question is: was there any trace of human beings existed in those early days of the universe?
- The answer is "unlikely", and it is easily understandable.
All that said above is to mean that the human race did appear on earth at somepoint in time in the past 7 billion years, and eventually will disappear at some point in future, in the next 7 , 70, 7000 billions may be, but it will have to come to an end, gradually or suddendly is a matter of perception. It is irrelevent. This is the way of nature. And the new cycle will begin. Look at the story of Easter Island to have a feel how Samsara works!
There are realms in which sinners of the human world, once they have passed away, won't be able to commit sins untill their bad karma- committed in previous lives- exhusted. Like energy in physics, karma cannot be destroyed! it must be exhusted by undergone some form of purnishment.
- So, "what then" when all beings have reached Nirvana or have disappeared altogether from this world?
- The answer is illusions will remain as illusions for as long as the mind has not yet awakened regardless of whatever realms that mind "reside".
- human suffers physical pains because human bodies have nervous systems. Trees, grasses do not have nervous systems, so they do not suffer physical pains. Thus, physical pains are something relative, not absolute, not fundamental.
~~
Now, as for reaching Nirvana -the task is difficult...
Well, again, this is a matter of personal perception. And it seems that to many, reaching nirvana may be easier than to build a nuclear reactor. But even building a nuclear reactor is that hard, still there was someone who was able to do it. Enrico Fermi, the world famous physicist at the university of Chicago did it in the 40s. And now even people in north Korea can also do it.
So, although reaching Nirvana seems difficlut a task, it, however, is not impossible! There have been many, since the Buddha's time, having reached it.
The point is... it may not be that difficult as it might seem.
-"What then?"
- Then the sincere practitioner, after having reached Nirvana, will know that what the Buddha, Bodhisattvas and patriaches have tought are REALY wonderfull: Life and death are manifestations of the mind.
Can you use your mind in the same way you use a pencil? This is the door into Nirvana!
Good lucks
Post a Comment