{"id":102009,"date":"2020-05-07T08:25:14","date_gmt":"2020-05-07T15:25:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=102009"},"modified":"2020-05-07T16:09:14","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T23:09:14","slug":"let-vesak-inspire-other-religions-to-commit-to-slaughter-free-religious-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/05\/07\/let-vesak-inspire-other-religions-to-commit-to-slaughter-free-religious-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Let Vesak inspire other religions to commit to slaughter-free religious events"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At\nthe heart of Buddha\u2019s teachings is the accountability factor. You and only you\nare accountable for the good or bad one does.  Following the Dhammapada \u2013 path of the Dhamma\nwe build ourselves a moral foundation.  The core of that is the 5 precepts of which \u2018hurting\u2019\nand \u2018killing\u2019 all sentient beings plays an integral part. Sri Lanka\nhas set an example for the rest of the world to follow. Vesak is not only a\nfestival of colour and lights but it is also a week that there is no slaughter\nof animals. Just as we have followed customs of Abrahamic faiths, why not they\ntoo consider declaring a slaughter-free religious festival? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with one festival and see the change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

All beings tremble before danger,\nall fear death. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a man considers this, he\ndoes not kill or cause to kill. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All beings fear before danger,\nlife is dear to all. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a man considers this, he\ndoes not kill or cause to kill. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whosoever tries to find happiness\nthrough hurting other beings, will not find happiness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dhammapada<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It is in reading these lines that we understand\nthat not just humans but animals also feel joy and pain, fear and sadness just\nlike humans.  No arguments can oppose\nthis fundamental fact & truth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since age of discovery and Abrahamic invasions,\nnative cultures, traditions and rituals were not only replaced but they were\nmade to believe the later-day arriving new cultures and traditions were superior.\nPeople followed them and many continue to do so too alongside their own rituals.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How about this time round, these Abrahamic faiths extend\ntheir moral superiority to another level by drawing their attention to Buddha\u2019s\nhumble call to give life to animals, at least by declaring they too will have slaughter-less\nreligious festivals and instead enjoy their festivities without denying the\nlife to an animal for their joy & meal.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Let the joy of any festivity manifest into giving\nfreedom of life to an animal. No \u2018feast\u2019 can be a happy event when an animal\u2019s\nlife has been nullified for it. Festivals of this nature tragically cause death\nnot to thousands but to millions of animals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow the magnanimous precedent set by Sri Lanka in\nlegally enforcing a closure of all slaughter houses and ban on sale of meat for\nVesak and also on Poya holidays. Two days of meat-free Vesak will do no harm\nbut it will mean the lives saved to millions of animals.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With COVID-19 man is forced to change his set ways.\nOne essential element of importance is that we can never return to a daily\nroutine we had been used to. Nature has again reminded us that humans are only\na guest and not the master. Animals are not invited guests either. Man and\nanimal need to coexist with compassion and humaneness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let there be No bloodshed on religious days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shenali D Waduge <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At the heart of Buddha\u2019s teachings is the accountability factor. You and only you are accountable for the good or bad one does.  Following the Dhammapada \u2013 path of the Dhamma we build ourselves a moral foundation.  The core of that is the 5 precepts of which \u2018hurting\u2019 and \u2018killing\u2019 all sentient beings plays an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1498,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-shenali-waduge"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1498"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102009\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}