A Compassionate Sri Lanka: DVA to establish chapter to give
voice to animals
July 20th, 2015 Shenali D Waduge Lankaweb
The Buddha stands out as the
foremost religious leader in history to first speak up for the
rights of animals and place a moral obligation on each and every
human being to refrain from taking the life of another living
being; and call on everyone to radiate compassion and loving
kindness to all living beings with a boundless heart on par with
the love and affection shown by a mother in protecting with her
life her only child. Whereas Mahavira ( Nigganta Natha
Putta) leader of Jainism, a contemporary of the Buddha, echoed
similar sentiments in asking his followers to revere life of
others, the Buddha went one step further.
“If Jainism requires that the
monk should suppress all emotions of hatred and revenge, the Buddha
lays on him the further command, that he shall meet all living
things, yea, the whole Universe, with a feeling of kindness” (p.
104). “The Buddha is the first to express the fundamental law that
ethical spirit quite simply in itself means energy which brings
about what is ethical in the world” Albert Schweitzer in ‘Indian
Thought and Its Development’ (1935)
Dharma Voices for Animals
(DVA), a non-profit organization, originating in San Diego,
California, USA is the first international Buddhist organization
taking up the cause of animal rights worldwide. Its President and
co – founder is Mr. Bob Isaacson, lawyer. Its mission is to give
meaning to the Buddha’s teachings by being the voice for animals.
It has a far flung membership in 40 countries. It has recognized
the growing stride of veganism and vegetarianism particularly in
western countries where non-vegetarianism is being increasingly
linked with global warming, cardiac attacks and various forms of
pollution. Meat eating at the cost of the lives of billions of
innocent animals invariably results in gaining weight followed by
countless ailments. The message is clear.
“I’ve found that a person does
not need protein from meat to be a successful athlete. In fact, my
best year of track competition was the first year I ate a vegan
diet.”
― Carl Lewis (winner of nine Olympic Gold medals and one
Silver medal)
Sri Lanka Chapter
A preliminary meeting to establish a Sri Lanka chapter of Dharma
Voice for Animals was convened by Senaka Weeraratna, Attorney at
law and pioneering animal rights activist, and attorney Ms. Lakmali
Udugampola in the presence of a distinguished audience at the Royal
College Union premises in Colombo on 18th July 2015.
Buddhism is integral to the
national identity. Sri Lanka is the home of Theravada Buddhism.
Over 70% of Sri Lanka’s population is Buddhist despite invasions
and incursions following colonial occupation. The animal-friendly
society followed by the Sinhale Kings through the dasa raja dharma
soon became replaced by meat consumption succumbing to the will of
the colonizers. From a non-meat eating animal-loving society large
numbers of the Sri Lankan populace began to consume meat. That
animal lovers have failed to push to enact the Animal Welfare Bill
in Sri Lanka despite its release by the Law Commission in 2006
speaks volumes of the total indifference of our law makers to
engage in any meaningful law reform of principal animal welfare
statutes. That the maximum punishment for a heinous crime committed
against an animal is still a fine of Rs. 100 (as set out in the
governing Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of
1907 enacted by the British Raj) has generated shock and disbelief
even among those who love Sri Lanka within and outside the country.
The Chapter of DVA that will
be formally launched in Sri Lanka in October 2015 aspires to tap
into the non-violence of Buddhism inculcating the global past
history when royal decrees (in Sri Lanka) banned killing of
animals, established animal hospitals as early as 341 AD making Sri
Lanka a model country following the central tenet of the First
Precept – no harm to all animals.
Nepal earthquake and animal
sacrifice in Ghadimai
Senaka Weeraratna in his presentation covered through examples
the recent earthquakes in Nepal and China and posed the question
whether there was an underlying connection between the mass
sacrifice of over 500, 000 innocent animals in Ghadimai in Nepal in
December 2014 to appease Gods and the huge earthquakes that
devastated Nepal in April 2015. Likewise the regular earthquakes
that engulf China; do they have any connection to the culling of
animals in festivals e.g. killing of over 10, 000 dogs and
countless number of cats at the Yulin Dog meat festival?
That nature feels the pain of animals and punishes nations and
people that do not protect animals was a powerful message drawn
from these examples.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/dog-meat-festival-in-china-takes-place-despite-massive-online-protest-1.3123266
Lisbon Earthquake ( 1755
)
Weeraratna also referred to the Lisbon earthquake. On November
1, 1755, the greater part of the city of Lisbon, Portugal, was
destroyed. Besides the earthquake, a tidal wave (Tsunami) followed
and wrecked the shipping in the river Tagus on which Lisbon is
built. In addition to that, fire broke out and completed the work
of destruction. Sixty thousand were said to have lost their lives,
and the property damage, although it cannot be estimated
accurately, was huge.
The event had a major effect
on the cultural consciousness of much of Europe. Voltaire was one
of many philosophers, theologians and intellectuals to be deeply
affected by the disaster. Catholics attempted to explain the
disaster as God’s wrath, invited by the sinfulness of the people of
Portugal and the presence of Protestants and Jesuits; Protestants
blamed the Portuguese for being Catholic, and were thus punished by
God.
One significant literary
outcome was the poem on the Lisbon disaster by Voltaire. It is
widely regarded as an introduction to Voltaire’s later acclaimed
work Candide and his view on the problem of evil. It is considered
one of the most savage literary attacks on Optimism in the power of
God. Voltaire was convinced that there could not possibly exist a
benign, all-loving, or intervening deity who aggrandized the
virtuous and punished the sinful. He asserted instead that the
disaster revealed the weak, helpless, and ignorant nature of
humankind. For Voltaire, people might well hope for a happier
state, but that was the logical limit of their optimism.
That no such moral voices were
raised in Asia over the mass culling of animals in Nepal, China and
other countries or attempt made to connect the bloodshed to Karmic
effects even at a collective level i.e. earthquakes, Tsunamis,
except a deafening silence on the part of Asia’s media and
citizenry reinforces the thought provoking question raised by
Kishore Mahbubani ‘ Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide
Between East and West’.
Senaka Weeraratna then quoted the Sutta Nipata showing the
Buddha’s disgust of animal sacrifice, and the Dhammapada on the
karmic effects awaiting animal abuse.
Sutta Nipata
“Suttanipata: 2:7:23-26: But largesse (of the king) fired their
(Brahmins’) passions more to get; their craving grew. Once more
they sought Okkāka; with these verses newly framed: “As earth and
water, gold and silver, so are cows a primal requisite of man.
Great store, great wealth is thine; make (cow) sacrifice!
Then the king, the lord of
chariots, persuaded by these Brāhmins, killed hundreds of thousands
of cows in sacrifice. Cows sweet as lamb, filling pails with milk,
never hurting anyone with foot or horn -the king had them seized by
the horns and slaughtered by the sword.”
The Buddha expressed his
horror as follows:
Suttanipata: 2:7:27-30: Then the gods, the Pitrus (ancestral
spirits), Indra, the Asuras, the Rakshasas cried out as the weapon
fell on the cows, “Lo! This is injustice!” Of old there were only
three diseases -desire, want of food, and decay. Owing to the
killing of the cattle, there sprang ninety-eight diseases. This old
sin of injury to living beings has come down (to this day).
Innocent cows are killed. Priests have fallen off their
virtues.
“This is how,” The Buddha
concluded, “Kshatriyas and self-styled Brāhmins and others
protected by rank destroyed the repute of their caste and fell prey
to desires.”
Dhammapada
The Dhammapada says as follows
(in the section on Punishment 10)
” Whoever inflicts punishment
on those who do not deserve it
and offends against those who are without offense
soon comes to one of these ten states:
cruel suffering, infirmity, injury of the body, fearful
pain,
or mental loss, or persecution from the ruler,
or a fearful accusation, loss of relations,
or destruction of possessions,
or lightning fire burning one’s houses,
and when one’s body is destroyed the fool goes to hell”
Work in store for
DVA
The nascent Sri Lankan chapter is now drawing up its objectives
that seek to become a voice for animals and establishing a
compassionate society obliging every citizen to show kindness to
all living beings. The group also aspires to campaign to include
animal welfare into election manifestos and policy making and
create Ahimsa as a guiding principle in all State affairs. Dharma
Voices for Animals also seeks to reform education at all levels and
provide humanitarian education to raise awareness and develop
consciousness on animal welfare and protection as well as extend
the subject to the legal fraternity. In essence the goal and
objective of Dharma Voices for Animals is to build an animal
friendly cultural heritage and reconnect to Sri Lanka’s former
heritage based on religious and cultural values.
The group also discussed the
need to follow the Bhutan model by phasing out zoos and ending the
export of live animals for slaughter as well as promoting plant
based alternatives to meat consumption and ending the use of
animals as entertainment and sports. The group also brought out the
need to phase out animal experimentation and have clear labelling
of all products enabling customers to make informed
choices.
There are 7 billion people in
the world. More than 150 billion animals are slaughtered every
year. The future wars will be about food and water. To create
sustainability we must be at one with nature and all living beings.
We must help protect the environment and create more greenery. A
noble effort was inaugurated on 18 July 2015 and needs momentum by
drawing all communities who wish to be champions of change in
fostering an animal-friendly culture in Sri Lanka.