{"id":109826,"date":"2020-12-17T16:23:29","date_gmt":"2020-12-17T23:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=109826"},"modified":"2020-12-17T16:23:29","modified_gmt":"2020-12-17T23:23:29","slug":"as-long-as-there-are-slaughterhouses-there-will-always-be-battlefields-tolstoy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/12\/17\/as-long-as-there-are-slaughterhouses-there-will-always-be-battlefields-tolstoy\/","title":{"rendered":"“As long as there are slaughterhouses there will always be battlefields” – Tolstoy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Senaka Weeraratna<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

This is one of the most\nfavourite quotations of the celebrated 19th century Russian novelist Leo\nTolstoy.  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It means that for as long as humans continue to be the ruthless\ndestroyer of non – humans, the former will never know peace or harmony.\nFor as long as humans massacre animals, they will also kill each other as we\nhave seen right throughout human history. Indeed, one who sows the seeds of murder\nand pain on another living being cannot be expected to reap joy and love in\ntheir own private lives.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no real\ndifference in violence. If you are violent to kill an animal then you are\nlikely to be violent enough to kill a human. Thoughtless killing of\nanimals produces a mindset that can easily  generate violence against\nfellow humans setting the stage for battlefields and violent\nconflicts on a mass level . <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man made disasters such as\nwars, genocides and holocausts, and natural disasters in the form of pandemics\ne.g. COVID -19, earthquakes, massive fires, cyclones, typhoons, tsunamis, and\nhuge floods are the outcomes of the evil perpetrated on innocent animals by the\ntyranny of humans.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddha condemned animal\nslaughter and animal sacrifice and in the Mahayana Sutras the Buddha is quoted\ncondemning even meat eating e.g. Lankavatara and Surangama Sutras  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddha said in respect to\nthe duties of an ideal ruler (Cakkavati Sihanada Sutta) as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

”  the Chakkavati\nKing (Righteous King) will give protection, shelter and ward both to the\ndifferent classes of human beings and also to birds and beasts” \n <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brahmana-dhammika Sutta<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An important discourse of the Buddha on killing of cattle can be\nfound in one of the most ancient Buddhist texts, the Sutta Nipata. Here in\na discourse on the ethical conduct fit for a Brahmin (Brahmana-dhammika\nSutta), the Buddha speaks glowingly of ancient Brahmins who had renounced the\ntaking of life and never allowed their religious rites to be dishonoured by the\nkilling of animals. But unfortunately corruption set in and they started\nthe practice of animal sacrifice. When the knife was laid on the neck of\ncattle, the Devas themselves led by Indra cried out ” Against the Dharma\nis all this ” while fell the sword upon the cows. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Devas cried out in horror of that crime of ingratitude and\ninsensitivity perpetrated on an animal that was to humans such a faithful\nworker, such a sustainer of life. “Neither\nwith their hoofs nor horns do cows cause harm to anyone, gentle they are as\nsheep, yielding us pails of milk” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The land became cursed. The\nawesome power of nature and karmic retribution followed soon after. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Buddha further points\nout that in fo<\/strong>rmer times only three\nills were found<\/p>\n\n\n\n

desire, hunger and decay<\/p>\n\n\n\n

but due to the killing of\ncattle as part of animal sacrifice<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ninety – eight diseases were\nbrought on to place the lives of\nhumans in great jeopardy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s former\ncricket captains Mahela Jayawardena and Kumar Sangakkara set up a crab shop at\na food court opened at the Old Dutch Hospital in the Fort. The crab shop was\nopened by Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa who is seen admiring\nthe giant crabs. Pic by Indika Handuwala  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttp:\/\/www.sundaytimes.lk\/111204\/Sports\/spt06.html\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some advice to\nInvestors contemplating establishing new slaughterhouses and meat markets in\nSri Lanka<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Build\nyour wealth on right living and not through causing injury or destruction to\nthe lives of innocent animals.
\n
\nRemember that kill and eat is not a Buddhist tenet. 
\n
\nSnuffing out the life of a defenseless animal is totally contrary to Buddhist\nprecepts <\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nCompassion for living beings is part of Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Sinhala Heritage.
\n
\nThere is an entirely new field called ‘Ethical or Social Conscious Investment’\nwhich encourages investors to choose to invest in activities that are morally\nand ethically defensible, are run ethically, provide social benefits and are\nsensitive to the natural environment and the living creatures that inhabit\nit.  
\n
\nThe story with a photo in the ‘Sunday Times’ (Dec. 4, 2011) entitled ‘ Crabs\nfor Grabs’  shows the insensitivity of the onlookers to the pain and\nsuffering of animals.
\n
\nhttp:\/\/sundaytimes.lk\/111204\/Sports\/spt06.html<\/a>
\n
\nThese crabs are not there for decoration. Very soon the legs of these live\ncrabs can be expected to be ripped apart and both the legs and the torso thrown\ninto the boiling pot. 
\n
\nRecent studies show that both Lobsters and crabs i.e. crustaceans, feel pain\nand stress. These findings add to growing evidence that virtually all animals\ncan suffer.
\n
\nIn the Vyagghapajja-Sutta (AN) the Buddha gave\nsome sensible advice.  The Buddha said that before one acts, one should\nconsider the possible effects or consequences thus: whether the action will be\nharmful to oneself or others. If it is damaging to oneself, others or both,\nsuch an action should be abandoned. Conversely, if it is beneficial to oneself\nand others, it ought to be committed.
\n
\nIn Buddhist phraseology one’s “neighbour or others’ includes other living\nbeings ( Siyalu Sathwayo). The moral community in Buddhism encompasses all\nliving beings. 
\n
\nThe Buddha’s advice on Right Livelihood
\n
\nSignificance of the Vyagghapajja-Sutta (AN)
\n
\nThe Vyagghapajja-sutta (A.N) is the Buddha\u2019s\ndiscourse on the Conditions of Welfare expounded for the material or\nfinancial  and spiritual development of the lay Buddhists. The Buddha\nadmonishes his followers to preserve a balanced development between material\ndimension and the spiritual dimension and to construct personal ethical ideals so as\nto help realize the social ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


\nAs\nlong as a lay Buddhist amasses and expands his or her material or financial\nwealth ethically or righteously through Right Livelihood (Samm\u0101 Aj\u012bva), the\nMoral Law of Action and Reaction (Kamma-Vip\u0101ka Dhamma) will reward the ethical\nor righteous individual correspondingly.
\n
\nRight and wrong livelihood
\nRight Livelihood means engagement in occupations which do not transgress the\nFive Precepts (Pa\u00f1cas\u012blas) and Ten Wholesome Courses of Actions (Dasas\u012blas)
\n
\nAccording to the Buddha the five [types of business] to be refrained from are:
\n
\n1. selling weapons,
\n2. selling human beings [slavery],
\n3. selling animals to be killed for food, or the flesh of animals that\none has killed oneself,
\n4. selling intoxicants,
\n5. selling poison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Sutta Nipata: 2:7:27-30 it is said\nthat Kshatriyas and self-styled Brahmins and\nothers protected by rank destroyed the repute of their caste and lost\ntheir own high status in society because of their involvement in the sin of\ncausing injury to living beings and falling off their virtues. <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Love and compassion for animals is a sign of advancement of culture\nand civilization.  However,  Sri Lanka is now on the\ndescendancy by falling on the wrong side of history in trying to establish a\nvast meat industry to serve the flesh food requirements of Asia and the Middle\nEastern countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wise counsel must prevail. Sri Lanka must not allow itself to\nbecome the dumping ground for industries that are being rejected and\nrelocated from western countries due to large scale public\nprotests, on moral and environmental protection grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no future for the meat industry. The future belongs to\nthe plant based food industry and the ‘ No Kill’ meat substitute\nindustry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meat industry is expected to become obsolete all over the\nworld by 2035.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senaka Weeraratna<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vice – President<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice for Animals and Nature<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Senaka Weeraratna This is one of the most favourite quotations of the celebrated 19th century Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy.   It means that for as long as humans continue to be the ruthless destroyer of non – humans, the former will never know peace or harmony. For as long as humans massacre animals, they will also kill […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-109826","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-senaka-weeraratna"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109826","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\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=109826"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109826\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=109826"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=109826"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=109826"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}