First Asian Buddhist Animal Rights Conference to be held in Seoul, South Korea
Posted on October 6th, 2016
The Buddhist Channel, Sept 26, 2016
Seoul, South Korea — The first Asian Buddhist Animal Rights Conference co-hosted by Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) and Coexistence of Animal Rights on Earth (CARE) will be a single whole day event on September 30, 2016 and will be held at Hotel Skypark Kingstown, Dongdaemun in Seoul, South Korea immediately after the 28th World Fellowship of Buddhists Conference in the same city.
The keynote speaker will be a well-known Buddhist monk and animal advocate Venerable Master Hai Tao from Taiwan and he will be speaking on Compassion for All Beings. Other speakers include a Sri Lankan Buddhist veterinarian Dr. Chamith Nanayakkara who with his team have generously given free treatment to more than 50,000 animals and DVA President, Bob Isaacson who will speak on the Buddha’s Teachings on Sentient Beings and How We Can Live Kinder.
Topics to be dealt by the various speakers will also include implementing humane animal control methods, spaying and neutering of animals, animal experimentation, animal agriculture and plant-based nutrition.
There will be two workshops included in the conference: the first will be on Advancing the Cause of Animal Rights in the Buddhist Community and the other at the end will be Living Kinder and Eating Kinder – using what was learned at the Conference for the Welfare and Happiness of All Beings.
Lunch included in the conference will be entirely plant-based and no animal foods will be served.
This conference will be the world’s first Buddhist animal rights conference. Buddhists in increasing numbers are now engaging in animal advocacy and refraining from consuming animal foods because they want to go further with their practice of kindness and compassion which applies to all living beings and not just humans.
To them ethical and moral considerations in exploiting animals for food, skin, fur, experimentation and entertainment are equally important as religious philosophy. The organizers hope that this conference will be the starting point and plan to hold more in the coming years.
If you wish to support this conference, donations are welcomed:
https://donate.careanimalrights.org/seoul-south-korea/events/1st-asian-buddhist-animal-rights-conference/e92052
http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=6,12956,0,0,1,0#.V_XJgOV96Uk
Courtesy: Buddhist Channel
October 6th, 2016 at 7:38 pm
Timely.
Why eat animals when we don’t eat humans? Its the same thing.
However, KIDS should not be restricted. Let them eat WHATEVER to grow. After becoming adults no need to eat ANY animal meat including fish.
October 8th, 2016 at 2:45 am
Actually Buddhists in Sri Lanka are really not practicing the precepts of Buddhism if they keep consuming fish, prawns, sprats, crabs, chicken etc. A real Buddhist not only will refrain from eating fish, chicken, prawns, sprats, crabs etc. but also Sri Lanka as a country should refrain from animal testing in laboratories (unless absolutely necessary), from practising industrial farming where chicken for example are confined to cages or large warehouses and not being able to run around freely in the fields (gam kukulo) but instead practice free range and organic farming where chicken are able to run around feely, refrain from manufacturing and using leather products but instead use rubber or artificial leather products, refrain from manufacturing and using of fur products etc. Sri Lanka can also expand our nature reserve system and declare marine nature reserves around our seas. Sri Lankans can also take care of the neighbourhood stray dogs and cats by providing them food which I did and some others do too. The Sri Lankan Government can encourage vets by providing them incentives to expand their careers, too. Electric fences can be erected or those that are not functioning properly can be repaired so that wild elephants are protected from being attacked by villagers. Educational programmes should be conducted in all villages about how to deal with wild elephants humanely. Maximum fines should be dealt anyone harming wild elephants and even jailed if necessary. All living beings should be treated equally according to Buddhism, Jainism etc.