From: jaincenterboston@yahoogroups.com [mailto:jaincenterboston@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Maynard S. Clark Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 7:07 PM To: Veg-Rel@EnviroLink.org Cc: TibetVolunteersForAnimals@Yahoo.com Subject: [jaincenterboston] Tibetans Encourage Buddhists to 'Live and Let Live'-by Going Vegetarian From: Elizabeth Abbott Sent: Wednesday, May 24,2006 5:10PM Subject: RE: Final version of Tibetan Veg advisory (for online mags) Tibetans Encourage Buddhists to 'Live and Let Live'-by Going Vegetarian ======================================================================== In honor of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's birthday, on July 6, Buddhists can take a very simple step that will improve their health and help animals and the planet by going vegetarian. His Holiness the Dalai Lama, who became a vegetarian after seeing the slaughter of a chicken, says, "Thousands-millions and billions-of animals are killed for food. That is very sad. We human beings can live without meat, especially in our modern world. We have a great variety of vegetables and other supplementary foods, so we have the capacity and the responsibility to save billions of lives." Tibetan Volunteers for Animals (TVA) agrees, and we encourage Buddhists, and all who believe that it is wrong to kill, not to support an industry that requires others to kill for us. Promoting peace for all sentient beings is as simple as changing what we put on our plates-healthful beans, soy-based foods, whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables instead of meat. TVA, based in India, is working to change people's hearts and minds about animals. We recently opened the first vegetarian restaurant in Mundgod, India, with others to follow in other Tibetan settlements in India. Our volunteers travel to monasteries and schools throughout India to promote compassion for animals, displaying photo exhibits and video footage of conditions inside slaughterhouses. Many people are exposed to the idea of animal rights for the first time through TVA's programs. Often, the results are life- changing. Schoolchildren hold their heads and weep while watching video footage of animals suffering in slaughterhouses and vow to go vegetarian. Many are inspired to write essays and poems pleading for compassion, such as this heart-felt poem by young Tenzin Tsomo: Aghast I was, When I visited the abattoir, for the first time I vomit, blood runs through the canal, unpleasant smell everywhere, number of old cows and buffaloes, standing in a large stock, dying in such suffocated area, trembling with fear of death. TVA's goal is to encourage all compassionate people to commit to this one simple step toward peace: vegetarianism. Last year, for the Dalai Lama's 70th birthday, TVA presented His Holiness with nearly 10,000 signatures of Tibetans who had vowed to stop eating meat. A year later, the number of Tibetans pledging to be vegetarian has grown to more than 14,000. We hope that you will join us by including animals in your commitment to nonviolence. If you think that TVA's programs would be of interest to your readers, please contact me at TibetVolunteersForAnimals@yahoo.com, or visit Semchen.org to find out more. ========================================================================