Animal Liberation Event at CGC on 28 June 2009

Chokyi Gyaltsen Center held an animal liberation event on 28 June 2009. A few of its members woke up early that Sunday morning to purchase frogs at the Ayer Itam wet market and thus saving them from imminent death by slaughter. Furthurmore, crickets destined to be fed to birds and fishs were purchased from a local pet shop with the intention of prolonging their lifes.

All in, 190 frogs and 2150 crickets were liberated that day.

The frogs and crickets were kept in plastic aquariums lent to us by the happy seller and were then brought to CGC.

Prayers were then conducted for the animals lead by Ven. Osel. The frogs and crickets were then carried by participants who circumambulated around a stupa while chanting various mantras.

The animals were then blessed by sprinkling of blessed water.

The frogs and crickets were then released back into their natural habitats.

Benefits of Liberating Animals (Source: http://www.lamayeshe.com/)

Rinpoche gave the following talk to a group of students in Malaysia and Singapore on the benefits of liberating animals.

If you liberate animals, it helps you to have a long life, or you can dedicate the merit from their liberation to those who have life obstacles. In this life we are human beings, which is due to our past good karma ripening. But human beings have so much physical and mental suffering, no freedom, and are completely overwhelmed by delusion and karma. Fortunately, we have met the Dharma. The animal realm has terrible suffering, and the best thing is to think of something that benefits them. The best thing one can do to benefit animals is to circumambulate them around a stupa or statue as many times as possible. This means they have a chance to purify negative karma, and have a cause for enlightenment and liberation from samsara. That is what they need. If you circumambulate 100 holy objects, you create 100 causes for liberation and happiness. If there are 10,000 holy objects present, then you create 10,000 causes for happiness and so on. Each insect, worm, frog, shell, fish, or ant creates 10,000 causes for enlightenment. That is the best thing to do. Start by reciting mantras over some water, which blesses the water, which you then pour or sprinkle on the animals. Then you can say prayers and take them around the holy objects. They get so many benefits from the blessed water. Not all animals can listen to your prayers, but birds and frogs can hear you chanting the mantras when they look at you with their big eyes and stop making a noise.

By reciting prayers and chanting powerful mantras for animals, they attain a higher rebirth and liberation. You can perform Refuge Practice, 35 Buddhas and Vajrasattva practice. This purifies so much suffering and can definitely help them. If you have strong compassion, bodhicitta, and a realization of emptiness, when you blow on the water to bless it, it has greater power, and karma can be purified.