A fellow blogger, Yue Heng, wrote a good post, about his thoughts on witnessing a fish's death.
He wrote: "It was a horrible sight. All sentient beings want to live. I wouldn't want to be forcibly suffocated to end up as someone's meal. If someone tried to capture and eat me, I would fight furiously because I do not want to die. The same applies for the fish. But it was fighting against overwhelming odds".
"All tremble at the rod. Life is dear to all. Comparing others with oneself, one should neither strike nor cause to strike." The Buddha
He also added: "The Tibetan Buddhists have an admirable practice of blowing mantras over the flesh of animals that they consume. Those who scoff at this as an act of superstition are missing the point".
The reason of reciting and blowing mantras upon meat that you are eating, or on dead bodies or old bones, is because it purifies karmic obscurations and allows one to have a good rebirth. It is beneficial for the animal that has been killed by reciting this powerful, purifying mantra before eating it and dedicating strongly for the animal's consciousness to be transferred immediately from the lower realms to a pure or upper realm. We can also blow on water, sand, or talcum powder and sprinkle it on the bones or skin of a dead animal or person. At the very least, it will shorten the duration of their suffering in the lower realms.
People may find it strange that at times I blow mantras on my food, or on live encaged crabs in the supermarket, or if I meet animals. I remember I recited mantras for Rich Friend's pets, 2 bunnies and a dog on the few occasions I meet them. One of the bunnies, Bubbles, has since passed away (and I hope he has a good rebirth).
This act of liberation I learnt from many of my gurus who are very compassionate and passionate about liberating the lives of not just us humans, but also for the animals as well, whether dead or alive. My guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is a very kind Living Buddha who is always reciting mantras, blessing and liberating everyone, every animal, everywhere he goes.
Below are some clips of Lama Zopa Rinpoche blessing and liberating animals all over the world, be it in a group or just one animal. Rinpoche went out to sea and chanted on a plaque engraved with mantras, and have the plaque lowered into the sea, touching the waters, in order to bless and liberate the living creatures in the sea. Likewise, for even just a spider Rinpoche sighted, he would circumambulate it around holy stupas and holy objects to bless and liberate the insect.
Blessing fishes in Santa Cruz, CA
Blessing spiders in North Carolina
Blessing goats and cows in Nepal
Blessing monkeys in Indonesia.
Blessing cows in India.
Blessing roosters in India
You can read Lama Zopa Rinpoche's advice on how to benefit animals here and what mantras to recite. Watching these clips always make me guilty of killing even an ant or cockroach. To the uninitiated, it may seem funny and weird the way we bless and liberate these animals. It is only as humans that we have the ability to do so, to be compassionate to animals. I am sure as humans, we do not want to be reborn as animals in our future life. So feel for these animals, and care for them while we can.
He wrote: "It was a horrible sight. All sentient beings want to live. I wouldn't want to be forcibly suffocated to end up as someone's meal. If someone tried to capture and eat me, I would fight furiously because I do not want to die. The same applies for the fish. But it was fighting against overwhelming odds".
"All tremble at the rod. Life is dear to all. Comparing others with oneself, one should neither strike nor cause to strike." The Buddha
He also added: "The Tibetan Buddhists have an admirable practice of blowing mantras over the flesh of animals that they consume. Those who scoff at this as an act of superstition are missing the point".
The reason of reciting and blowing mantras upon meat that you are eating, or on dead bodies or old bones, is because it purifies karmic obscurations and allows one to have a good rebirth. It is beneficial for the animal that has been killed by reciting this powerful, purifying mantra before eating it and dedicating strongly for the animal's consciousness to be transferred immediately from the lower realms to a pure or upper realm. We can also blow on water, sand, or talcum powder and sprinkle it on the bones or skin of a dead animal or person. At the very least, it will shorten the duration of their suffering in the lower realms.
People may find it strange that at times I blow mantras on my food, or on live encaged crabs in the supermarket, or if I meet animals. I remember I recited mantras for Rich Friend's pets, 2 bunnies and a dog on the few occasions I meet them. One of the bunnies, Bubbles, has since passed away (and I hope he has a good rebirth).
This act of liberation I learnt from many of my gurus who are very compassionate and passionate about liberating the lives of not just us humans, but also for the animals as well, whether dead or alive. My guru, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is a very kind Living Buddha who is always reciting mantras, blessing and liberating everyone, every animal, everywhere he goes.
Blessing fishes in Santa Cruz, CA
Blessing spiders in North Carolina
Blessing goats and cows in Nepal
Blessing monkeys in Indonesia.
Blessing cows in India.
Blessing roosters in India
You can read Lama Zopa Rinpoche's advice on how to benefit animals here and what mantras to recite. Watching these clips always make me guilty of killing even an ant or cockroach. To the uninitiated, it may seem funny and weird the way we bless and liberate these animals. It is only as humans that we have the ability to do so, to be compassionate to animals. I am sure as humans, we do not want to be reborn as animals in our future life. So feel for these animals, and care for them while we can.
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