Have you ever been down?
Dear friends,
Have you ever been down? Have you ever had pain and you were ignored. Have you experienced suffering so obvious but everyone around you was oblivious. You were left to suffer and be in pain still nothing was done.
Anything that has flesh, bones, blood and nerves can feel pain. Don’t make distinctions between animal or human. The only difference is the ability to express pain through speech or not.
Read this story and please share it as much as possible. I beg you to share it and create awareness. May it go viral.
Tsem Rinpoche
NEVER EAT, HARM OR KILL ANIMALS.
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“The truck carrying this cow was unloaded at Walton Stockyards in Kentucky one September morning. After the other animals were removed… from the truck, she was left behind, unable to move. Stockyard workers used customary electric prods in her ear to try to get her out of the truck, then they beat her and kicked her in the face, ribs, and back, but she still didn’t move. They tied a rope around her neck, tied the other end to a post in the ground, and drove the truck away. The cow was dragged along the floor of the truck and fell to the ground, breaking both her hind legs and her pelvis in the process. She remained this way until 7:30 that evening.
For the first three hours, she lay in the hot sun crying out. Periodically, when she urinated or defecated, she used her front legs to drag herself along the gravel roadway to a clean spot. She also tried to crawl to a shaded area, but she was unable to move far enough. Altogether, she only managed to crawl between 13 and 14 yards. The stockyard employees wouldn’t allow her any drinking water; the only water she received was given to her by Jessie Pierce, a local animal rights activist. After she was contacted by a woman who witnessed the incident, Jessie arrived at noon. Stockyard workers did not cooperate to help her, so she called the Kenton County police. A police officer arrived but was instructed by his superiors to do nothing; he left at 1 p.m.
The stockyard operator informed Jessie that he had permission from the insurance company to kill the cow but wouldn’t do it until Jessie left. Although doubtful that he would keep his word, Jessie left at 3. She returned at 4:30 and found the stockyard deserted. Three dogs were attacking the cow, who was still alive. She had suffered a number of bite wounds, and her drinking water had been removed. Jessie contacted the state police. Four officers arrived at 5:30. State trooper Jan Wuchner wanted to shoot the cow but was told that a veterinarian should kill her. The facility’s two veterinarians would not euthanize her; they claimed that in order to preserve the value of the meat, the cow could not be destroyed. A butcher eventually arrived at 7:30 and shot the cow. Her body was purchased for $307.50.
When the stockyard operator was questioned by a reporter from The Kentucky Post, he stated, “We didn’t do a damned thing to it”, and referred to the attention given to the cow by humane workers and police as “bullcrap”. He laughed throughout the interview, saying that there was nothing wrong with the way that the cow was treated.
This is NOT an isolated case. It is so common that animals in this condition are known in the meat industry as “downers”. According to the meat industry’s own statistics, each year, millions of chickens, turkeys, pigs, and cows arrive at the slaughterhouse either dead or too sick or injured to walk. The animals become severely crippled or ill after a lifetime of abuse in factory farms and a very difficult journey to the slaughterhouse, during which they are shipped through all weather extremes without any food or water. Factory farms don’t provide individualized medical care or humane euthanasia to sick animals: It’s cheaper to let the animals suffer and eventually die. The suffering caused by the meat, egg, and dairy industries’ cost-cutting measures is enormous. The egg industry, for example, confines between five and 11 birds to small wire battery cages, despite the fact that the extreme crowding causes some of the birds to get sick and die. Egg-industry expert Bernard Rollin sums up the simple, cold-hearted reasoning of egg factory-farm operators by saying that “chickens are cheap, cages are expensive”.
After PETA brought much-needed attention to this issue, the Kenton County Police Department adopted a policy requiring that euthanasia be performed on all downed animals immediately, whether they are on the farm, in transit, or at the slaughterhouse. Many other law enforcement agencies don’t have such policies, and downed animals continue to suffer everywhere. It is up to the public to demand change in how the meat, egg, and dairy industries treat animals, and it is up to consumers to refuse to purchase the products of this miserable industry. Otherwise, many more animals will continue to suffer the same agonizing fate of this nameless cow.
What You Can Do – Please, help prevent unnecessary suffering by adopting a vegan diet. Eating dairy, eggs, meat, honey or other animal products and byproducts is unnecessary and causes the death of billions of innocent animals each year and environmental damage. A single person eating a vegan diet saves more than 500 animals each year.”
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Heart breaking reading the story of this poor cow been dragged , along the road which then broke both her legs and her pelvis . Laying in the hot sun, suffering all the pain . After all the tug of war between the stockyard operator, a local animal rights activist and police officer, this injured cow who has further injuries been bitten by dogs was shot and was sold off as meat. How cruel . I am glad this nameless cow has brought much attention to animal right activist where by the County Police Department adopted a policy that required painless or mercy killing be performed on all injured or downed animals. Be on vegetarian or adopting a vegan diet. is the best choice to cut down the number of livestock been killed . Thank you Rinpoche.
The farm workers are really heartless to treat the animals in that manner and as if it is like an item that has no feeling at all. It’s heart wrenching to read the article. the only way to stop the suffering is stop eating meat. When there is no demand there will be no killing.
I can’t believe it, people are laughing when interviewed of the abusive treatment on the cow. Apparently they don’t think there is anything wrong with the way the cow was treated! Every moment the cow was tied to the ground, being attacked by the dogs and left to die had filled her with endless fear, suffering and immeasureable pain. If we do not wish to go through these kind of pain, why are we inflicting onto others. Animals can feel too!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. It is terrifying to see the cow was tortured and tied a rope around her neck, tied the other end to a post in the ground, and the truck drove away. The cow was dragged along the floor of the truck and fell to the ground, breaking both her hind legs and her pelvis in the process. This is such a abusive act. Where are all the kindness, compassion and care that each and every human has? Can they stand such abusive act on the animal? May many more people know about this and will stop it before it becomes worst.
With folded palms,
Vivian
I would like to thank Rinpoche for sharing a lot of articles about animals right. From the articles we can feel the pain of the suffering animals. It was so painful, I couldn’t imagine if that were happen to me. I will do my best to reduce the sufferings of the animals.
Im going to start working on becoming a vegan, that cow in the picture looks like a dairy cow… I will stop eating dairy starting with 2 days per week, gradually increasing the number. Thats the strategy I used to help me become a vegetarian. Stopping immediately is best, but for those unable to, this reduction-then-cessation strategy is very effective. I can, I will, I have to break this lifelong addiction to cheese and milk.
It’s so heartbreaking to see animals go through such suffering only to fulfill our eating desire. The act of cruelty towards the cow was just despicable. How can we humans be so cruel and cold hearted? Animals too can feel pain and deserve a chance in life. A lot of people choose to be in denial when they eat the meat that they deemed “delicious” and be oblivious that the animals actually have to go through pain when they are slaughtered. I have turned full time vegetarian for the past 6 months and have taken vegetarian vow never to create sufferings for animals for the sake of fulfilling my own eating desire. If i cant bear to watch them being slaughtered, then i will not eat them..simple as that. I would rather sacrifice my desire for meat than to sacrifice them. May the animals be relieved of their sufferings and not be tormented. Om Mani Pedme Hum.
This is extremely sad to know that animals are harmed in such conditions even before they are to die. I will remember this and tell others to stop engaging in this senseless slaughter and cruelty. Thank you for sharing this.
I feel very sad for the cow as she did nothing to deserve this! When will people learn? Animals are still lives, we can’t just kill them so that we can eat them. Worst, people left her there all by herself and let her die under the hot sun. It is so sad to know that’s how much humanity we have left nowadays. Thank You for sharing Rinpoche.
The way how these people treat these animals is so inhuman.
你有没有经历过？你有过的痛苦和你被忽略的。你经历痛苦那么明显，但你周围的人是健忘的。你留下来受苦，在痛苦中，仍然什么也没有做。
凡是有肉，骨头，血液和神经可以感觉到疼痛。不要让动物与人类之间造成区别。唯一的区别就是通过语音表达或不表达疼痛的能力。
我们与动物或其他的众生，不过是同样的在这痛苦的娑婆世界里，轮回着，我们都是一样痛苦着在自己的生命当中，我们又何苦将我们的痛苦转移或加诸在对方的身上呢，我们学习佛法，相信因果，倘若我们因为想饱尝美味的肉，而杀掉对方，那么因果是会循环的
感恩仁波切的分享与开示，透过这开示，我们除了学习不再造下杀生的业，也学习了大爱的菩提心
看了仁波切的分享后在想， 要是有天我们地球被外星人侵犯和占领了，而我们人类也被外星人如此的被虐待和对待。大家心理想像中好像很可怕，但又觉得很荒唐，不可能会发生的事。但我们人类每天都在残忍的对待我们地球的动物，将心比心，我们人类真得要反省，反省。。。。
祈愿有佛法的加持力，让地球成为佛的佛净土。
In Belgium you receive immediately(abattoir Anderlecht) Gaia on your neck. Be sure he is not so kind if such things happen. Pse do gaia.be and you will read.
They didn’t even have the decency to let the poor cow be mercifully put to to death to end their suffering. All because they wanted to preserve the value of the meat! Afterwards, they could laugh over it and saw nothing wrong with their cruel, callous ways with the dying cow.
I just wonder, how many people have shunned reading this post. To many, not seeing and not knowing is good enough an excuse to continue to eat meat that was the result of cruel handling of a live animal. This cow had been needlessly tortured way before he ended up being taken to the slaughter house.
Ideally, we should be vegans. But at least, we should try not .
eating meat because it is the product of tremendous pain and suffering
Dear Rinpoche, this is extremely sad. It is very sad to know that humans, even before they are about to kill the animal, treat them with such disrespect. If you are going to commit mass murder, might as well treat them well before you do, it’s “common courtesy”. That of course was a joke but in a seriousness, animals do not need to be treated so inhumanely.
I am truly appalled by the treatment that the stockyard workers had done to that poor cow and probably many other animals they had to ‘handle’. No one, animal or human, deserves to be treated in such a manner and in an inhumane way. When reading the article I was only giving a sad face able to visualize every single thing that happened in that incident. I really wished the cow would had been rescued or at least euthanized in a humane manner. Every hope of humanity and human kind rest upon the compassion that we have on others, both humans and animals, it is every bit that keeps us sane and happy. I really feel bad for all these animals and hope me spreading the awareness would allow more people to become a vegan or at least a vegetarian. I have yet to adopt a vegan diet as milk and eggs are still in my diet, but i hope to one day eventually phase them out too. Thank you for sharing this article Rinpoche it has strengthened my feelings towards animal rights and vegetarianism.
Creating suffering to animals is really unnecessary. Go for plant-based diet to eradicate animal abuse and suffering at the same time green our planet earth to save earth for our next generation. Please share this with your friends. Participate in creating a peaceful and loving world.
Oh, after read this story, truly sad 🙁 They are so selfishness, never think on animals feeling , how suffering of the animals. They need to re-educate , take care and love animals.
this is so sad and there are so many more animals being treated like this, i am happy i support animal rights and am a vegetarian. the way people are these days are so horrible. thank you Rinpoche for sharing this.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing. I stopped eating beef after seeing them being slaughter in a religious place. Though they killed the cows in a very quick way so that the cows did not suffer long, but I can still feel and see the pain in them. There are so many more cows and animals are slaughter or mis-treat in farms, slaughter houses. The sufferings that the animals will be facing are worse, just like the cow here. Imagine if we are the animals, we will Will spread the awareness and encourage more people to be vegetarian.
Reading just the first paragraph of the article makes me wanna cry out loud. Definitely can feel the pain and suffering the poor cow was going thru. May all animals be freed from all kinds of unnecessary sufferings and pain.
Oh my… how horrid we humans can be… but at the same time there are those of us that do genuinely care. Hence, we have the capacity to care and love so why don’t we choose that and not the opposite.
This story of the cow brings tears to my eyes as she was not only treated so badly but continuously humiliate to point where here life was but a mere joke to some. Are we so desensitized to the suffering of other beings?
Eating meat is really just a selfish want and not at all a need… so help these poor suffering animals and most of all, help yourself as the karma you accumulate can only translate into equal if not more suffering for yourself!
Dear Rinpoche thank you for sharing this news. I feel very sad and frustrated after reading the post, how can we as a human treated these animals in such a inhuman way . I guess the only way to help is to become vegan or for least encourage people to be vegetarian . I will try to share with more people about vegetarian diet.
Every sentient beings have the right to live, as in LamRin every sentient beings maybe is one of our mother during countless life times…
If more and more of us may realize it, then all the animals will not be harm, kill and abuse anymore…
Human always being selfish and only thinking ourself. Pain is the same for everyone. Why do humans think their pain is different? Please never make another being suffer to satisfy our taste buds !!!Stop animals slaughter, go vegetarian.Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post to reminding and teaching us never harm animals by any reason!!
in hindusum cow is incarnetion world . we respert like a mother. she give milk .i realy sad people eat meet, hurt cow . like my feeling they eating mother.how my feel ?i realy cry when i see that happen with animal.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing. It really sad that the animals were bad treated even before slaughter. We can’t be selfish to just fufil our taste buds and sacrifice other beings.We should support the vegan diet to stop all cruel actions towards animals.
Dearest Rinpoche….
Previously, I did not see any harm in consuming milk, cheese or eggs as it did not involve any killing. What I did not know is the inhumane treatment of these poor animals at the farms. This post really opened my eyes to the sufferings that most of us do not see. Am certainly going to try to reduce my consumption of diary products and eggs. As an egg lover, this will be a challenge. But try I will.
Thank you for this post and opening my eyes.
This is so awful! I feel so sad for the cow, she did nothing to deserve that! How can the people just leave her there all by herself?? I can’t imagine seeing a cow crawling on the road, it really breaks my heart, she once had four fully-functioned legs but was forced to crawl because the cold-blooded people broke her legs. People really need to be educated that animals have feelings too, what happens when the same thing falls on one of the stockyard workers? Try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, stand in their position and think for them, that is why humans were born with intelligent brains, it’s for us to think and know what are the things that we should do, and what are the things we shouldn’t do.
Also I must stress out, as a medical student, that abstaining from meat, milk and eggs was and will never be a hazard to health. Eating corpses, cow secretion and hen periods is whats abnormal, unhealthy and hazardous for our health and physical and emotional well-being.~from Andreas Papazachariou
I think the cow knows that she is going to be slaughtered so that is why she doesn’t want to go down from the truck. To the animal product factory owners. Every animals doesn’t want to be always controlled or locked up by someone, they should have their own freedom. We don’t owned them, they are living beings, their lives are not depended by your judgement, you are not their god. Then why are you doing this to the poor animals?
Dear Rinpoche, tears were in my eyes as I read this article. It’s very sad to learn that many animals are still treated this way before slaughtering and worse still being killed for food. I will remember this and share with others. May this mass killings of beings quickly stop and sufferings eased immediately….