Saturday, November 21, 2009

Buddha Boy Says No To Animal Sacrifices

Palden Dorje, the Nepal Buddha Boy, has called for an end to animal sacrifices. He has asked organizers to stop a Hindu festival where thousands of animals are typically slaughtered. He urged people to recognize the compassion in their hearts, and their connection to one another through the all-encompassing soul.

Palden Dorje plans to make an appearance at the mela on the 24th of November, when the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of animals take place. Organisers of the festival have refused to allow him to speak at the festival, where he intended to preach compassion and ask people to carry out a vegetarian 'blessing' to their Goddess.

In a recent interview, Bomjan said that the goddess represented the mother of all living beings, including the animals and would never be pleased with the sacrifice of her own children. "Human beings have turned brutal by offering animal sacrifice to the goddesses. This practice must be stopped now," he said.

The Nepal Government will not stop the slaughter, citing 'religious sensitivity'.

Bomjan said that in the past, human sacrifices were also considered to be essential for Hindu festivals. But they had been stopped.

"We also used to burn widows on the pyres of their husbands as part of tradition," he said. "But didn’t we end that atrocity?" Prabhupadanugas News

As many States in India have banned animal sacrifices, more Indians cross into poorer Nepal to indulge in the 'mother of all sacrifices'. Between November 24 and 25 half a million animals will be slaughtered at Gadhimai Jatra in Bara district in the south of Nepal. The sale of animals to the richer Indians, is big business. Ritual-Sacrifice Tourism disguised as 'religion'.

Pramada Shah, president of the Animal Welfare Network Nepal explained that, "In India today there is greater awareness about animal sacrifice and animal suffering so it is sad to see that Nepal caters to those devotees who will be able to conduct sacrifices that are illegal in their home states." [70 per cent of devotees come from India to sacrifice animals] Guardian Weekly

The Gadhimai killings are condemned as the world’s greatest wanton cruelty of animals and are a severe danger to the environment and public health. The slaughtered animals are not eaten but the carcasses are left in the open while rivers of blood drench the fields.