Dalai Lama campaigns for wildlife, says he has become vegetarian, 4/6/05

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Dalai Lama campaigns for wildlife

 

Care for the Wild International, 6 Apr 2005

 

Dharmsala, India -- Wildlife and nature conservation was the core

concern today, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed his people

at the formal launch of an awareness campaign.

 

The joint campaign launched by the Wildlife Trust of India and Care

for the Wild International aims to build awareness on the

significance of nature conservation and the status of protection of

wild species among the Tibetan community living in India and the

Buddhists of the Himalayan region.

 

Speaking at the function before a select audience that comprised of a

majority of Tibetans, His Holiness said, " We Tibetans are basically

Buddhists and particularly in the Mahayana tradition which we follow,

we preach love and compassion towards all other living beings on

earth. And therefore it is the responsibility of all of us to realize

the importance of wildlife conservation. It is also in the Pali and

Sanskrit tradition to show love and compassion for all living beings.

It is a shame that we kill these poor animals to satisfy our own

aggrandizement. Personally I never took any interest in worldly

pleasures, particularly the ones that may harm our immediate

environment. For instance, in Tibet some people use fox tails to

decorate their head gear and this forms a part of their tradition. We

must realize that because of our own follies a large number of our

animals are getting killed or destroyed and we must stop this.

Everything that our earth holds is a treasure and is like ornaments,

without which life would be very boring and dull. When in Tibet we

have also popularized the concept of vegetarianism and we did create

an impression on the minds of the people. Lately I have also turned

to a vegetarian diet. Today's youth, particularly the ones who have

come from Tibet and have a refugee status must inculcate these

principles for their own development and to have peace of mind. The

message from " mahakaruna " has clearly asked us to follow and preach

love and compassion for all living beings. "

 

Until a few years ago, herds of wild blue sheep, yak, deer and flocks

of migrating birds would travel with Tibetan nomads, or land in the

midst of human settlements -- apparently sensing they were safe. For

the most part they were safe from harm. The same cannot be vouched

for today. The Jataka tales we grew up on describe scenes with a rich

variety of wild animals -- antelope and elephant, gaur, buffalo,

deer, yak, lion, and rhinoceros, then tiger, panther, bear, hyena,

otter, hare and more. If such scenes seem " other worldly " now, it is

because, through ignorance, greed, and lack of respect for the earth,

the world's growing human population has already rendered many of the

earth's natural resources incapable of sustaining Nature's rich

diversity.

 

" Today more than ever before " , said His Holiness The Dalai Lama,

" life must be characterized by a sense of Universal Responsibility,

not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other

forms of life. "

 

The very core of Buddhism evolves around compassion, encouraging a

better respect for and tolerance of every human being and living

thing sharing the planet. Teachings emphasize the importance of

coexisting with nature, rather than conquering it. Devout Buddhists

admire a conserving lifestyle, rather than one which is licentious.

" This forms the essence of a campaign to spread the message on nature

conservation, to build awareness in the Tibetan community and remind

the ones who have veered away from the tenets of compassion and

respect for all living beings, " says Ashok Kumar, Senior Advisor and

Trustee of the Wildlife Trust of India.

 

Dr Barbara Maas, the Chief Executive of Care for the Wild

International introduced the campaign. " Buddhism plays an important

role in the everyday lives of most Tibetans. It has compassion for

all sentient beings at its core " , she said. " Yet, the life of each

and every animal killed for its body parts has ended in an act of

violence. Cumulatively, this violence has consequences not only for

the fate of individuals but, as we have seen, for entire species.

Species become extinct one animal at a time. Wild animals - as

individuals or species - can not protect themselves against our

violent interference. But whether or not we exploit their

defencelessness is our choice. In terms of guiding this choice,

Buddhism and its focus on compassion and the elimination of suffering

has many useful things to say to each and every one of us about how

to live side by side with other species. It offers us a different way

of being, " added Dr Maas.

 

" It is my sincere hope that this work will save and improve many

lives, which lie in the hands of people who are known around the

world for their commitment to non-violence and compassion, " said Dr

Maas.

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