REMEMBERING THICH NHAT HANHS GUIDANCE ON
VEGETARIANISM AND VEGANISM (2010)
In 2010 Thay sent a letter
to all COI sanghas asking that in future they considered serving only vegan
food at Sangha retreats and days of mindfulness and other events.
Thay explained that UNESCO
have reported that 40,000 children die from hunger or lack of nutrition
every day whilst the worlds cattle alone consume a quantity of food (corn,
wheat etc) equivalent to the calorific needs of 8.7 billion people, more than
the entire population of the earth!
Thay noted that the UN
Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) had also reported in 2005 that
“livestocks contribution to environmental problems is on a massive scale” citing
serious impacts on land degradation, climate change, air pollution, water
shortages and water pollution and loss of biodiversity.
Thay went on to remind us
that “ Buddhist practitioners have practised vegetarianism over the last 2000
years. We are vegetarian with the intention to nourish our compassion towards
the animals. Now we also know that we eat vegetarian in order to protect the
earth, preventing the greenhouse effect from causing her serious and
irreversible damage.."
Thay ended with a call to
all Sanghas to serve only vegan food at Sangha events:
“Let us take care of
our Mother Earth. Let us take care of all species. Including our children and
grandchildren. We only need to be vegetarian, and we can already save the
earth. Being vegetarian here also means that we do not consume dairy and egg
products, because they are products of the meat industry. If we stop consuming,
they will stop producing. Only collective awakening can create enough
determination for action.”
Anthony for Touching the
Earth Sangha, February 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment