To know or not to know
Dear friends,
Sometimes not knowing is better. Sometimes knowing is better. If you don’t know and you continue, the repercussions are still there. Yes still there. I thought we should start our day with these pictures and captions and end our day with it also as to remind us what sufferings some animals are put through for our palates.
Please read and please share with others. It’s horrible to look at but more horrible not to look because we need to know where the meat on our plate came from.
Tsem Rinpoche
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This is an every day reality for a population, which is 8 times larger than the human one annually.
The industry which makes meat out of little fragile chicks, also referred to as broiler chickens, is indubitably …the most extreme example of humans’ absolute and destructive domination over non-human animals. A domination which is found in every aspect of the chick’s miserable short life.
The massacre numbers are unbearable. 150 million chickens are murdered every single day. 104,640 every minute! 1,744 a second!
Right now, while you are reading this sentence, thousands of sentient creatures are brutally slaughtered somewhere in the world. More than 3,500 in a second. And there will be even more tomorrow.
Motherless from day one, the chicks must fend for themselves in huge windowless sheds with up to 100,000 other birds.
As the birds grow, space for each individual decreases. At some point each bird has only 20 x 20cm of floor and must push his/her way trough a solid mass of other chickens to reach food and water points. Many die in the attempt.
Today’s meat chickens have been genetically altered to grow three times faster and three times larger than their ancestors. Pushed beyond their biological limits, hundreds of millions of chickens die each year before reaching 6 weeks of age. (When they are slaughtered). The modern broiler is a genetic freak, doomed to eternal physical and mental ills.
Picture a six-year-old child weighting 156kg. Terrifying!
Now try to imagine him walk.
Hideous and cruel for a child, but a present reality for a six weeks old chick.
The combination of forced rapid growth and excessive weight causes chronic, painful lameness and abnormal gait. The bird’s body grows too fast for the bone plates to accommodate. Consequently, the birds develop angular bone deformities and “kinky back”, in which the vertebra snaps and puts pressure on the spinal cord, causing paralysis. The birds can only move by using their wings to balance. Though they live only a few weeks, chickens suffer old-age illnesses such as heart attacks, as their hearts and lungs are unable to keep up with the fast growth of their body muscles. Heart attacks and the so-called “acute death syndrome” are major causes of mortality.
Text – Only One Solution.See more
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Its heartfelt looking at those horrible pictures of how the undefended animals were abused, killed for meat. Those are some known sufferings we have seen here, there are more I could imagined at the slaughter house will be worst. Well…it is true knowing is better than not knowing. Sometimes it takes a good look or knowledge to really know the truth. Where and how the meats we consume comes from. May more people go on vegetarian or meatless ,so less animals are slaughtered for the meat. Research shows that people who eat meat are at an increased risk of death from heart disease, stroke or diabetes. Processed meats also increase the risk of death from these diseases. Researchers also concluded that those eating plant-based diets appear to have a significantly longer life.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this.
It’s really sad to see how humans use animals as food and their hunting tools. Due to the negative motivation, whatever we do with the animals will just create a negative effect.
Whatever we do, there always choices for us to choose from. We can always choose not to harm. If we think we are superior to the animals and we can do anything we want, that is a misconception we imposed on ourselves. The animals may not be as smart as the human that able to exercise their brain to think better than animals but that doesn’t mean human can do anything over the animals. If this is the case then whichever human that is smarter than another human can do anything to that less smart human? If we say no it goes the same to the animals which are no to hurt them.
Just put yourselves in their shoes and try to feel how they feel. Do you want to be in pain like them? Do you want to be worried for your turn to be killed? Do you want to see your friends be tortured until they died in front of you? Do you want to be separated from your mother when you were born and grow up in a small tiny cage? Do you want to live a small space that can’t even make a turn and your pee and poo on the same place and no catch diseases and die on the same spot? and there is a more miserable situation on these unfortunate animals that been caught in the slaughter farm.
Many people don’t want to know how their meat comes from and that they are ok to consume them because they can just be innocent by saying ‘I don’t know’. Just think if you are in the animal’s position and other people did the same by saying ‘I don’t know and take your flesh bite by bite……..’
Now there are many options and varieties of plant-based food that we can choose. Besides the realization of animal cruelty, humanity and spirituality, we should look into health concerns from eating meat. For sure not eating meat gives more benefits compare to eating them.
Remember, treat the animals as to how you want to be treated. Animals have the right to live just like us. We don’t own the earth, so let share this place with them.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. I think this article should be shared to more and more people so that they can realise what is happening behind the scenes for getting meat on their plates. I guess all those artificial stuffs being injected into the animals to make them grow faster will eventually cause sickness for the humans who eat them.
With folded palms,
Vivian
When exposed to graphics and videos depicting animals being abused etc, many would be very much disturbed by them. In fact, majority wouldn’t be able to stomach watching any form of animals being cruelly tortured.
Yet, these are the same people supporting an industry that tortures and slaughters more than 56 billion animals annually. Whether it is the case of ignorance, lack of will power, just plain desensitized etc, people conveniently ignore the pain and suffering of the animals just to satisfy their wants, be deriving pleasure from the taste or entertainment factor.
It is like despite knowing it is a terrible thing to be doing but yet still continuing with it and conveniently opt to overlook such reality. Guess it is not that easy to do the right thing when it requires a lifestyle change.
I am so ashamed of myself eating meat and causing pain to animals. At this stage in life I have no other viable choice to keep on living. May Buddha forgive me.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing. It’s horrible for me to look at the photos because I had cruelly killed some of animals before. I feel bad and regretted for what I had done. I hope I will have courage to take vegetarian vow in future.
I agree to what Rinpoche wrote, sometimes now knowing is better but at times, we need to realise how our actions and decisions can change the lives of the animals. Why do we crave for some unnecessary enjoyments when we don’t need at all?! For example, fur. Why do you need them? Its all just because you’re a total egomaniac, that’s how it is. Please don’t tell me it provides warmth although its true, but the fur is for the animal itself, it was never meant for you. Now if you have your own fur growing on your body, that’s yours.
I wonder how us humans will feel if one day some giant creature just starting to come out of nowhere and start killing us and doing the same thing that we are doing to the animals. I know that some people will say that we will try to invent things to kill them or try to escape from the slaughterhouse. But again, what if they take everything from us and just keep us in a empty giant slaughterhouse. What and how will you feel?
I feel very bad as I was looking at the picture of the dog tearing up the fox, it should not have been that way. Dogs are not supposed to live like that! Can you imagine hundreds and thousands of animals are to be killed every day just to fulfil our needs? They deserve a better life!
I believe every living beings on earth regardless whether they are human beings, animals,insects etc should be free from all abuse and cruelty. Why should some harm others in return for monetary or out of jealousy or anger or is it the law of cause and effect of the past ?? It’s so disgusting and sad to see the poor animals to have such ill fate and inhuman treatments.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this post.
Oh my god, i HATE animal cruelty. It is so sick how people are and how they say they are so kind but they eat the flesh of a body that once lived but was bred to die in a slaughterhouse that they probably didnt see daylight in their lives. please become vegetarian and help them a little. but help the ones who need it most. thank you for sharing Rinpoche
Oh my goodness… this is so horrible! Be it an animal used for their by-products, a ‘sports’ animal or farm animals… they all suffer greatly with not even one moment of relief from the pain they are going through.
It is so difficult to imagine how people would cheer while a dog tears the fox apart while it is still alive… how can people enjoy such a cruel ‘sport’? I just don’t understand… Why must animals die for the sake of our entertainment and to satisfy our taste buds… why must animals die for our attachments? Very sad…
So many people say ignorance is bliss. But karma which is an universal law follows us like a shadow. Therefore it is wise to have knowledge and refrain from non-virtuous acts and create no harm to animals.
Like what Alice Walker, a Pulitzer Prize Winning Novelist said, quote; “The animals of the World exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans – The animals of the Planet are in desperate perli and they are fully aware of this. No less than human beings in all parts of the World, They seek Sanctuary.” So as not to add any further sufferings,as what Rinpoche recommended, “Please do not eat meat to harm animals!” Thank you Rinpoche for your kind and humane thought! Om mani padme hung.
I thing people should know how these animals are treated. It is so horrible how people are to these, it is like eating your dog or cat. Everyone who likes dogs or cats should be vegetarian because why like this and eat that? Thank you for sharing Rinpoche
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing. Yes, is better know this situation and should stop create this bad karma. Due to strong demand of consumers, many animals suffer for pain before slaughter, they just only care for their profit. Be vegetarian and care for animals.
Reading all this makes me feel sick to the core, i feel cery sorry for all the animals that have been born to be slaughtered and eaten since day one, without being able to experience freedom, happiness, relaxation or even the look of what a tree looks like from a window. When they are born they see closed walls, blood ravaging the floor, rusty bars, other dead bodies and strange alien creatures (humans) tormenting them without a clue as to why they are doing this and why they deserve this, yet having to put through all of it, cry and scream and no one to come help you or even understand you. This is terrible and it should be stopped. The faith in humanity lies within the compassion shown by each and everyone of us and we need to start by doing this. Like Rinpoche says “if you don’t know and you still continue, the reprcussions are still there.”. Why should we choose to live ignorantly when these things go on behind our backs and continue to choose facing away from it. You know it is a terrible thing that they are doing and yet still choose to ignore it. I pray one day killing animals become equivalent to murder. Thank you Rinpoche for bringing more awareness to the public, this only continues to strengthen my decision to be a vegetarian.
Thanks for Rinpoche’sharing. It is true that we are known those meat in the plate is go through suffering process then only become the “food”, yet people choose forget or “dont know”the process so they can enjoy the food without guilty..we need to educate and spread the informations start from our family , friends and relatives so that more people can start vegetarian.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this blog post. It is definitely something all of us must know. Like Rinpoche says “Sometimes not knowing is better. Sometimes knowing is better. If you don’t know and you continue, the repercussions are still there. ” We must create awareness to more people so that more of us know what are these poor animals went through just for the food on our plate. Do they deserve this? Just so that we have a “full and satisfied” meal?
We need to make it known to everyone when there is any injustice that’s happening to any living being. It is our responsibility as citizens of this planet, we protect and care for each other against those that wish to abuse and exploit the weaker. Something like this must be shared tirelessly to as many people as possible… when it comes to ending cruelty in any form, numbers do matter very much here, and with more people supporting to end these type of cruelty, the quicker these animals will not have to suffer such cruel fate anymore.
This is all so terrible. Why do people have to do this to such nice animals? Its just so wrong and cruel. But to me, i think the worst form of cruelty here would be the dog killing and eating the fox. I find that to cruel how they make the dog do such bad things to other animals. I hope all of this will stop soon. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this with us. I hope that many people see this post.
Thanks Rinpoche for sharing the real scene behind…
May holy Dharma spread to ten directions hence more and more peoples realize the Cause and Effect hence started to be less meat eater then toward Vegetarian as soon possible…
Thank you Rinpoche for this grim reminder of man’s callousness and cruelty.I would never be tempted to break my vegetarian vow and eat a piece of chicken meat, no matter how succulent of tasty it is. I will have this picture of the hugely overweight broiler chicken etched in my mind.
Every picture in this post tells the story of how low humans can sink in not feeling and not caring for others and other beings.When we cannot put ourselves in another being’s shoes, when we cannot feel their pain and their simple joys, that is when we have lost our humanness and become bestial.
To always turn away from the pain of another being and plead ignorance about it afterward, does not absolve you.Don’t lose touch with the best and the noblest that is in each and everyone of us.
it is so sad how people treat animals and for their self entertainment with food, training, fun etc. think of how the chickens feel, they are killed the most out of all of the animals. but all the animals have feelings, please help them. please rest well Rinpoche.
社会的进步，人口的增加造成食物渐渐供不应求，导至很多商家为了提高盈利，想尽办法，背起良心， 做尽天良。往往家禽畜生被遭受如此不堪的虐待，令人惨不忍睹。然而商家也常常把罪名推给消费者，是市场需求，才有供应，变成双方面都自相矛盾，互相推卸责任。看了这一幕，
我也身受其感。
感谢仁波切的分享，让我们尽量转化心识，禁止滥杀无辜，所谓“放下屠刀，立地成佛”。
感恩仁波切的分享
让我们了解这重要的讯息，很多时候，因为在城市环境与供应商（隐瞒了许多残忍的一幕）将肉食变成美丽的包装的情况下
似乎我们都已经忘记了，农场里发生血腥与残忍的的一幕幕，在经过多年的强迫性生育以满足牛排/小牛肉/牛肉的市场需求，以及多年的强迫性产奶之后，这头母牛就这样被送到屠宰场。年复一年的生育及产奶已经把它的身体弄垮，它经已筋疲力尽得无法走动了。为了给我们提供不必要的肉食，数百万的动物便遭受如此不堪的对待
感谢仁波切的一在提醒我们，与我们分享这些资讯，好让我们不掉入不好的因果循环里，感恩仁波切爱我们
Dear Rinpoche
Thank you very much for the teachings. You have tirelessly throw ways and means to convert us to vegetarian from the moive earthlings and all the cruelty to anminals. I am most grateful for all the teachings. It makes me more mindful and nowadays and have been vegetarian almost 3years ago and took my vegetarin vows last year. Initially, I could not feel the pain of the sufferings of animals but as time pass. My heart hurts so much to even see these and makes me hate the human race for their cruelty. I wish I can save all these pitiful animals I will continue to pray for more people to find themselves better jobs and liberate those animals from sifferings. I also have a section on my facebook on ‘simple vegetarian’ so I can share the recipe with my friends who are not vegetarian. I wish for more people to be vegatarian stop harming animals.
Thank you Rinpoche for showing us how these animals suffer through our own selfishness.
“I became a vegetarian after realizing that animals feel afraid, cold, hungry and unhappy like we do. I feel very deeply about vegetarianism and the animal kingdom. It was my dog Boycott who led me to question the right of humans to eat other sentient beings.”
― César Chávez
“We need, in a special way, to work twice as hard to help people understand that the animals are fellow creatures, that we must protect them and love them as we love ourselves.”
― César Chávez
WORK TWICE AS HARD!
I hope this would stop now. When will all this suffering stop. We should now what we are eating and imagine if we were the animal in the slaughterhouse how would you feel. I hope this would stop now. I feel like vomiting as i was reading this article.
It is very sad and scary to see how human beings can treat these animals so cruelly. These poor animals have been used and abused all their lives by the people in this trade. Hope these photos can create awareness for people not to harm the animals and eat their meat. All living beings deserve the rights to live.
Dear Rinpoche, even now when I’m commenting on this post at least 500,000 animals are being slaughtered. Just like Rinpoche said ‘the amount of animals being slaughtered is increasing every single day!’ Then how are we going to stop it? Having more vegetarians around the world is really good but people who aren’t vegetarian are eating more animal product foods. What can I do to save them from being slaughter?
I pray for the animals be free of suffering and quickly take a human rebirth to learn and practice the Dharma. So for now when ever I meet any animals, dog, cats or ants I would recite “Om mani padme hung” and blow on them…I feel uneasy imagining to be in the form of animal. Greedy human are so sick… I pray that people will cut down on meat so that the butcher and the eater don’t create negative karma of eating meat, which is unnecessary. There is this post which briefly explains why go on vegan, https://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/animals-vegetarianism/tantras-vases-finances-meat-thoughts.html.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this and having us to realize behind the scene of farm house and the related industry operates.
This is really cruel! Animals do not deserve these, they are beings who are just like humans, who feel pain and love. We have so many food options nowadays, we don’t have to consume meat, there are so many other things that can give us protein and energy,therefore eating meat is very unnecessary cause we don’t need it, it’s a choice.
Thanks for sharing this interesting blog post with the readers. I have known that such cruelties have been happening to animals, hence me becoming vegetarian. I think that people should stop harming animals for their own selfish reasons and should also be aware that animals do have souls. What is worse is if they are aware but still continue. That is extremely shameful.
Thanks Rinpoche for the sharing. Really shocked to see such cruel action behind what we eat everyday.
We need to start from our self to stop this cruel action.
Be vegetarian
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this blog post with us . Is very sad to read and look at all the pain we human have created to all this innocent animals and they cannot talk and fight for their right. As I go through the picture I do not think that the workers is treating this animals as living being who can feel pain and scared they treat them like goods no live very inhuman act. Please be vegan and safe this poor animals who deserve to live well.