SCOTT'S BUDDHISM & VEGETARIAN BLOG: 2022: LIFE RELEASE: Buddhist practice of Saving Animals' Lives

LIFE RELEASE

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche blessing a Canadian crab prior to release.

Life release is a traditional Buddhist practise of saving the lives of beings that were destined for slaughter.^[1] This practise is performed by all schools of Buddhism: Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana.^[2] It is known as "Tsethar" in Tibetan Buddhism.^[3]

While this practice of life release may naturally need to be spontaneous to successfully save an endangered life, life release can also be planned. Planning often involves purchasing an animal directly from a slaughterhouse or a fishermen; this can often take place on auspicious days in the Buddhist calendar in order for the merit of the act to be multiplied thousands of times.^[2] Animals are blessed before being safely returned to their natural environment as prayers are made and often dedicated to someone who is ill or has died, with the belief that person will benefit too from this dedication.^[4]

In Tibet an animal is often marked by a ribbon to indicate that the life of the animal has been liberated, with the general understanding that it will be allowed to die of natural causes.^[5] The practise in Tibetan Buddhism has been championed in recent times by Chatral Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Yangsi Rinpoche and Ogyen Trinley Dorje. Although this is seen to be the traditional way of carrying out this practise, Ogyen Trinley Dorje has commented that the meaning is broad and that people can use their intelligence to expand the practise in other ways; indicating that planting one tree may be more beneficial that carrying out Tsethar for many beings.^[3]
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KOPAN MONASTERY ANIMAL SANCTUARY
https://kopanmonastery.com/charitable/animal-sanctuary-nepal?fbclid=IwAR1JptmKn5tYoNk--84ieIigwaPTq-l0kbc1UKp2H0CyU8ksNrKGV24Pzf4
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LIBERATING LIVING BEINGS: Entry from Buddhism A to Z

Life release is a Buddhist practice of rescuing animals, birds, fish and so forth that are destined for slaughter or that are permanently caged. They are released to a new physical and spiritual life. The practice exemplifies the fundamental Buddhist teaching of compassion for all living beings.

Venerable Master Hsuan Hua, who founded the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, stated:

A disciple of the Buddha must maintain a mind of kindness and cultivate the practice of liberating beings. He should reflect thus: "All male beings have been my father and all females have been my mother. There is not a single being who has not given birth to me during my previous lives, hence all beings of the Six Destinies are my parents. Therefore, when a person kills and eats any of these beings, he thereby slaughters my parents.

Furthermore, he kills a body that was once my own, for all elemental earth and water previously served as part of my body and all elemental fire and wind have served as my basic substance. Therefore, I shall always cultivate the practice of liberating beings and in every life be reborn in the eternally-abiding Dharma and teach others to liberate beings as well."

Whenever a Bodhisattva sees a person preparing to kill an animal, he should devise a skillful method to rescue and protect it, freeing it from its suffering and difficulties ... (BNS I 162)

In China this practice was made popular by the Venerable Jr-Yi and has continued to the present day.

Developing our Compassion by Liberating Living Beings: Once a month at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, we liberate animals destined for slaughter. We purchase them from the wholesalers, bring them to some appropriate place, and let them go free. We recite mantras, sutras, and praises on their behalf, so that they can hear them, and so that the merit of our recitation can be transferred to them. This traditional Buddhist practice, called 'liberating living beings', has always been praised and honored by the sages and high masters.

By liberating living beings, we also nurture compassion in our hearts. By not killing, we cultivate compassion. In letting living creatures go, we also cultivate compassion. The compassion in our hearts grows greater every day until it becomes as great as that of the greatly compassionate "Bodhisattva Observer of the World's Sounds" (Avalokiteshvara).

Bodhisattva Observer of the World's Sounds did not kill living beings; she always liberated them, and so she has a greatly compassionate heart. We should imitate the great kindness and compassion of Bodhisattva Observer of the World's Sounds and liberate living beings.

The principle is very logical: if you liberate life, you increase your compassion. Liberating
living beings is just liberating ourselves ... Why? Because we and all living beings are basically of one substance. We should think this way: "If someone put me in a cage, wouldn't I be uncomfortable? Wouldn't I wish that someone would let me go? If I were put in jail, I would not want to stay there. Likewise, I don't like to see birds put in cages. This is because living beings and I are of one substance. Since I feel this way, I want to liberate living beings."

What is more, you don't know which living being was related to you in a past life. One might have been your father, or your brother, or your sister. You can't know for sure. Perhaps they were your children, or your friends. Right now you haven't gained the use of the Heavenly Eye or the Penetration of Past Lives, and so you don't know what kinds of causes and effects belong to each animal; and yet, when you see these creatures, you feel uncomfortable and want to set them free.

Setting them free isn't a "stupid" thing to do by any means, as some people might think. It is an aspect of cultivation. There isn't just one way to cultivate. There are eighty-four thousand Dharma-doors in cultivation, and every single door leads to the realization of supreme enlightenment. Liberating living beings is one of them. We must be careful not to think of it as "stupid." If we have that kind of attitude, we will obstruct our own cultivation.

I just said that we wouldn't want to be locked in jail. I will tell you the truth. This is not an analogy. Your own body is, in fact, a cage! You are stuck in your own body and you are not yet able to get out of it. Until we have gained a very high level of spiritual practice and wisdom, we will remain stuck in the cages that are our bodies. Only then will we have liberated our own lives. That's the real liberation of the living. If we want to liberate our own lives, we must first liberate the lives of those little creatures. The one kind of liberating the living helps the other kind.

Liberating living beings is a very important aspect of Buddhist practice. But if one hasn't understood this yet, one might think it a very ordinary affair. If we don't cultivate the one kind of liberating the living, we won't be able to obtain the other kind. There are many changes and transformations, and so don't look upon this lightly. Liberating the living brings returns on one's own efforts.

Why do we liberate . . . living creatures? It is because if we ransom creatures that were destined to be slaughtered for food and then set them free, then they can live out their natural lifespans. This in turn enables the people who liberate the living to enjoy a long life.

Why are there wars in the world? It is because our collective killing karma is so heavy. If in this life I kill you, in the next life, you'll kill me, and in the life after that I'll come back to kill you. This cycle of killing continues forever. People kill animals and in their next life they become animals. The animals which they once killed now return as people to claim revenge. This goes on and on. There is endless killing and bloodshed.

When incidents of slaughter multiply until the resentment can no longer be contained, they explode into massive world wars, with the resultant huge massacres and horrendous destruction. On the battlefield, people are propelled by resentment and enmity that has accumulated during many lifetimes, and they go absolutely berserk, lashing out at one another like savages. You kill one person? I'll kill ten! They take revenge on one another like that. Wars are the painful results of killing karma created in our past lives.

Therefore, we liberate the living to diminish our killing karma. The more people engage in liberating the living, the less killing they will do. Wars will proportionately decrease. We who cultivate these compassionate practices do not oppose war: we just don't go to war. We don't kill but instead we set living creatures free. This is the true and ultimate way to eliminate war. It is also a gateway to long life and health and to the eradication of disasters and illnesses.

The merit and virtue that one accumulates from liberating animals is boundless. It enables you to cause living beings to live out the full extent of their natural lifespans. In addition, you benefit personally because illnesses are averted. As a result you enjoy good health and are able to peacefully cultivate the Way.

The purpose of liberating the living is to protect the lives of creatures. It is a Dharma - door that exemplifies the Buddha's compassion. Everyone should protect living creatures and not abuse or slaughter them.

- from Venerable Master Hsuan Hua (1985), who founded the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

"In liberating the living
You yourself will live long.
Health, riches and blessings
Will descend upon you, never-ending."

Venerable Hsuan Hua founded the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, located in Ukiah, California. A devout vegetarian, in 1979 Master Hua gave a discourse on the horrors of taking lives and eating meat. Visit: http://www.cttbusa.org/vegetarianism/cttbveg.asp
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ANIMAL RELEASE PROGRAM: Padmasambhava Buddhist Center
https://www.padmasambhava.org/2017/11/animal-life-release/

From Padmasambhava Buddhist Center: What is Life Release? In the Theravadin system, we are particularly encouraged to avoid harming ourselves and others in any way. In addition to this, Sutra Mahayana practitioners actively try to help everyone as much as they can. In the Tantra Mahayana, not only do we avoid harming others and actively try to help them, but we learn to train our minds so that we directly connect with the goodness in ourselves and others. This allows us to respond to negative emotions and actions in a much more balanced way. By taking the suffering of others upon ourselves, giving our happiness to others, and disciplining our minds in order to recognize the valuable aspects of all beings and all situations, we can perfectly unite the three vehicles of Buddhism*. This is one of the special characteristics of the Vajrayana path.

There is no greater harmful act than taking the life of another being. Killing a sentient being completely prevents the possibility of doing good things that help us connect with the beautiful nature of mind and all phenomena. Without this opportunity to sow good causes, experiencing good results becomes impossible: happiness becomes a dream that cannot be actualized. For this reason, the best thing we can do for others is to protect and save their lives.

There are three divisions of the paramita of generosity (Skt. dana): the generosity of wealth, knowledge, and protection. The generosity of wealth is developed when we give material aid to others in need, offering assistance without hesitation or regret and with the pure intention that they be happy. Giving knowledge involves teaching the Dharma, which will immediately and ultimately lead them out of suffering. The Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches explain that the generosity of protection "applies to situations such as knowing that someone is going to be killed or executed and helping him or her escape, compassionately offering ransom, or, in less extreme cases, doing whatever you can do to protect the lives of others. This applies to all sentient beings: it is not limited to certain groups, but extends to any sentient being you see who is going to die or be killed. Offering this kind of protection is very, very special. It is a great gift, because life is precious to everyone.

"When you make offerings, there are three things that are particularly important: the purity of your intention, the purity of the object of veneration, and the purity of the offering. Loving-kindness, a compassionate attitude, joyful interest, and devotion characterize perfect intention. The perfect object of veneration includes all enlightened beings, who are free of obscurations and ego-clinging; they are the sublime embodiments of love and wisdom. Another example of a perfect object of veneration is someone who really needs something. They may be sick, poor, or in some kind of trouble, but if you can give them something they really need, they qualify as a perfect object of veneration. Finally, a perfect offering is an object that was acquired without any negativity or argument. For example, it should not have been stolen. By making offerings and removing obscurations, you develop bodhichitta, and are empowered to continue in this way until all sentient beings are liberated."

By generating and cultivating compassion for all beings without exception, eventually we are able to completely abandon any and all attachment to ourselves. When we no longer hold on to the belief that there is substantial reality to the giver, the recipient of a gift, and the act of giving itself, our generosity completely transcends dualistic thinking. Such kindness is a direct expression of the natural balance of our mind before it narrows into a conceptual framework due to grasping on to self, other, and the interaction between the two, which misperceives both subject and object as being truly existent. Generosity becomes a paramita when it transcends all grasping, thus transforming ordinary generosity into wisdom and compassion that actively serves as a cause for the enlightenment of

However, just by being alive, we inevitably take the lives of others. Whenever we eat, walk, and breathe, we inadvertently harm beings. Although we cannot completely prevent killing others, we can cultivate mindfulness and try to reduce taking life as much as we can. In addition to this, we can promote the health, safety, and well-being of others through the practice of "life release." Life release or "ransoming" (Tib. tse tar) is a Buddhist tradition of saving the lives of animals that are destined to be killed.

In the same way we don't like to suffer, other beings don't like to suffer, either; everyone tries to find enjoyment and avoid discomfort. Although animals cannot talk like humans, we can easily observe that they are afraid of being hurt and are affectionate toward those who care for them. Similarly, all sentient beings share the same essential nature of mind. Humans, animals, and all other beings all have the same buddha-nature, although this nature can be expressed in many healthy and unhealthy ways. Due to the dullness of their minds, animals are constantly tormented by fear, and always run the risk of being eaten, enslaved, or exploited. These troubles are the defining characteristics of the animal realm; as animals, there are not many ways to avoid these difficulties. On the other hand, we humans can actively aspire to help reduce the suffering that animals experience. We can also take actual steps to provide them with safer, healthier lives, and inspire others to do the same.

By saving the lives of animals destined to be killed, we immediately benefit their health and longevity. Reducing one's consumption of meat and animal products can also alleviate some of the negative circumstances that animals face. In the Parinirvana Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, and elsewhere, Buddha Shakyamuni taught that eating meat is the same as taking life, which is discouraged in the Mahayana and Hinayana vehicles.

Bodhisattvas, in particular, are not permitted to take life. Even so, the aim is not to repress one's desire for meat and animal products through force of will or grasping on to principles: instead, by recognizing that animals don't want to suffer, that they share the same essential nature as humans, and that in the past they have helped each of us in a variety of ways, we naturally develop heartfelt compassion and sensitivity for beings who have been reborn as animals. As Khunu Lama Rinpoche wrote, "A person who meditates on the thought 'wandering living beings equal to space are my mother,' looks to be on the very verge of having Mahayana bodhichitta arise." Such compassion automatically dissolves one's desire for personal satisfaction at the expense of others' suffering.

We cannot experience heartfelt compassion one hundred percent of the time without training to be more compassionate. Our present habits tend to be more self-centered than other-oriented, simply because this is what we have practiced for a long time. By sympathizing with the suffering of others and performing actions that reduce their suffering, we gradually become more reliably and consistently compassionate and loving. This is the practice of aspiring and actualized bodhichitta. The practice of life release immediately reduces the suffering of animals, thereby giving them more opportunity to die naturally in a peaceful setting, which supports a smoother transition into their next lives. By reciting auspicious prayers and mantras for their present and future lives, we also increase the likelihood they will experience a higher rebirth, where it will be easier to attain enlightenment by studying, reflecting and meditating on the Dharma.

Anyone can perform the practice of life release, regardless of his or her particular lifestyle or religious beliefs, since all religions believe in the path of nonviolence. The beneficial results of saving and protecting others' lives are strengthened if one concludes with the sincere aspiration that all beings enjoy happiness and freedom from all difficulties and hardships. By combining good actions with powerful aspirations that include all sentient beings, we gradually expand our ability to help one another in more inclusive and effective ways.

Some of the prayers recited during these life release practices include those of Amitaba, Chenrezig, Vajrasattva, Akshobya, Guru Padmasambhava and Tara. We recite Amitayus mantras to prolong the lives of the animals, and we chant additional prayers of Medicine Buddha to cure sickness and disease. On each full moon day, we encourage everyone to recite these prayers either in a group at your local PBC center, or individually at home. Please contact your local PBC center for more information.

The benefits of saving the lives of other beings while praying for their happiness is beyond imagination: This practice is said to be the best way to prolong one's own life, and is the most helpful act for living and deceased beings. The great master Atisha said that offering care to those in danger results in merit equal to meditating on emptiness endowed with compassion -- the union of relative and absolute bodhichitta. Wherever ransoming the lives of others is performed, sickness among people and animals lessens, harvests are more abundant, and lives are longer; the moment of death leads more easily to higher rebirth for both the animal and the person who engages in ransoming, and this practice will eventually lead to supreme enlightenment.

May all sentient beings, endowed with consciousness
And the breath that supports their life,
Be freed of all that endangers their life and be relieved of their fears.

May all sentient beings, both myself and others,
Be freed from all obstacles that bring untimely death,
May we live for an extremely long time
And may every form of goodness and happiness be ours!

* Three vehicles refers to the (1) Hinayana, (2) Mahayana, and (3) Vajrayana schools of Buddhism

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DHARMA VOICES for ANIMALS: GREAT CHATRAL RINPOCHE on BENEFITS of SAVING ANIMALS' LIVES

CHATRAL RINPOCHE (1913 - 2015): Dzogchen Master and Vegetarian Advocate

By Dharma Voices for Animals on June 4, 2014

Renowned Tibetan Dzogchen Master Chatral Rinpoche Endorses Dharma Voices for Animals and our Mission. DVA is the first western organization ever endorsed by Chatral Rinpoche, who fully supports our mission in advocating for vegetarianism. Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche is one of the few living disciples of the great master Khenpo Ngagchung and is widely regarded as one of the most highly realized Dzogchen Masters. Chatral Rinpoche also studied with some of last century’s most renowned masters, including Dudjom Rinpoche, Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro, and the famed dakini Sera Khandro.

Chatral Rinpoche is the heart disciple and Vajra Regent of the late Dudjom Rinpoche and is the chief lineage holder for three main traditions in the Nyingma School: Dudjom Tersar, Sera Khandro, and Longchen Nyinthig, and, in particular, the lineage that descends through Jigme Lingpa’s heart son Jigme Gyalwe Nyugu and then on to Patrul Rinpoche. He became the head spiritual teacher for the Regent Reting Rinpoche, the political ruler of Tibet in 1947. The huge amount of attention drawn to him through this prestigious position was a distraction from his practice, and he retreated back to the mountains where he spent the next several years in solitary meditation until he reached the highest state of realization.

Today he stays in his own small place in Parphing, Nepal, near a sacred site of Guru Padmasambhava, who founded Buddhism in Tibet. He is married to Sangyum Kamala and has two daughters, Tara Devi and Saraswati Devi. Although he has never traveled to the West, his amazing story and teachings have gradually infiltrated Western Buddhist consciousness since Father Thomas Merton first met him in 1968 and famously remarked that he was “the greatest man I ever met.” Chatral Rinpoche is one of the most vocal opponents of meat eating in Tibetan Buddhism. During the traditional long retreat and at all of Rinpoche’s monasteries, temples, and retreat centers, only vegetarian food is served.

Chatral Rinpoche is renowned for releasing large numbers of fishes from the Calcutta fish markets every year, as well as saving many birds and land animals from slaughter. Dharma
Voices for Animals is especially honored that Chatral Rinpoche has decided to add his voice to that of all our members since we are the first organization in the West that he has ever endorsed.
Reviewing Chatral Rinpoche’s book, Compassionate Action, Sogyal Rinpoche, author of The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, stated:

"Kyabje Chatral Rinpoche . . . is renowned throughout the Tibetan community . . . a legendary adept who—like the great sages and hermits of the past—has spent much of his life in retreat, practicing meditation and granting teachings only sparingly to a few committed disciples. It is truly wonderful, therefore, that we now have this precious collection of his teachings and advice capably translated into English, enabling many more people to benefit from his boundless wisdom and compassion."
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Kyabje Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche is one of the most accomplished Tibetan Buddhist yogis alive today. In 1947, he had the lofty status of being the head spiritual master of Regent Reting—the political leader of Tibet—but he has always preferred to live as a humble yogi in a simple dwelling without the distractions of fame and fortune. He practices what he preaches without compromise and as a result is beloved throughout the Himalayan region by people of all faiths

Rinpoche was born in June of 1913 in the Nyak Adzi Valley in Kham, Tibet, to pious members of the Abse tribal group named Pema Döndrub (father) and Sönam Tso (mother). The day after Rinpoche was born, a local lama named Asey Bigo Tulku Nyima Gyaltsen came to Pema and Sonam’s house to tell them of a vision he had about Rinpoche’s emergence the day before in which a white donkey loaded down with Buddhist scriptures came to Pema and Sonam’s house and delivered the texts to them. In accordance with this vision, he bestowed the name Trogyal Dorje, which means “Adamantine Wrathful Victorious One,” to Rinpoche.

Chatral Rinpoche’s family moved to Amdo with their tribal group when he was a small child. At age 15, Rinpoche decided to leave his family in order to study and practice Buddhism with the masters of the area. This act of renunciation began his life-long journey as a carefree yogi seeking Enlightenment at any cost in order to effectively help other beings with compassion. From the onset, Rinpoche was highly principled, traveling exclusively on foot and refusing a horse when offered. He stayed only in hermitages, caves or his small tent to avoid involvement with householders and their worldly preoccupations.

Chatral Rinpoche received transmissions of the terma cycle of Terton Dudjom Lingpa (1835-1903) from the Terton’s son Dorje Dradül (1891-1959). Rinpoche would later become the Vajra Regent or Chief Lineage Holder of this cycle of teachings, known as Dudjom Tersar. Another one of Rinpoche’s main early teachers was Khandro Dewai Dorje (1899-1952), who was a daughter-in-law of Terton Dudjom Lingpa. She passed on to Rinpoche the terma cycle teachings of Sera Khandro and he became the principal lineage holder of this tradition as well.

At this time, Chatral Rinpoche met his root guru, Khenpo Ngawang Palzang (1879-1941) of Kathok Monastery. The great Khenpo had been the heart disciple of Patrul Rinpoche’s main student, Lungtok Tenpai Nyima (1829-1901), and was considered to be a manifestation of the 9th Century Dzogchen master Vimalamitra.
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Khenpo Ngakchung gave Chatral Rinpoche many teachings and transmissions—particularly of the Longchen Nyinthig tradition—and for the next six years Rinpoche studied under him, completing his ngöndro and practicing trekchöd and tögyal, which are some of the most advanced practices of Dzogchen. Rinpoche studied with other masters at Kathok Monastery as well, in addition to the great Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö (1893-1959) from Dzongsar Monastery, which like Kathok lies in the Derge region of Kham.

Khenpo Ngawang Palzang knew Rinpoche was very special and acknowledged him to be his closest disciple, explaining that, “his mind and my mind are no different.” He bestowed upon Rinpoche the name Chatral Sangye Dorje, which means “Indestructible Buddha who has Abandoned all Mundane Activities.”

The first time Chatral Rinpoche’s greatness became revealed to others was at a large worship service at Kathok Monastery, attended by several high lamas sitting on lofty thrones. Rinpoche sat in the back on a simple meditation cushion with a few hundred other monks. Khenpo Ngawang Palzang remarked during the service:

“Among all of you here today, there are less than ten people who have one-tenth of my realization. Then, there are less than five of you who have half of my realization. Finally, there is only one person here whose realization is no different from mine, and he is Chatral Sangye Dorje. He can now represent me to transmit the teachings and his merits are the same as mine."

This proclamation caused quite a stir in the assembly hall and afterward people came to congratulate Rinpoche. Preparations began for a grand ceremony to honor Rinpoche in his new status. Rinpoche was not one for all this attention and praise and so snuck away in the middle of the night with his tent to continue his practice alone in the wilderness. The next day when they came to honor him, they found his room empty with no trace of where he went. Once again, he lived up to his name Chatral, which can be translated as “hermit.”

Chatral Rinpoche once explained, “We abide nowhere, we possess nothing.” In the ultimate sense, this is a profound statement on the impermanence of life and emptiness of all things. In the conventional sense, this is how a yogi like Chatral Rinpoche actually lived in Tibet. Having no household or possessions to weigh on one’s mind, one is completely free to practice the Dharma. As far as the seeming adversity of physical discomforts and irregular meals, Dudjom Rinpoche explained, “When realization becomes as vast as space, all adverse conditions arise as friends.”

In 1937, the Regent-king of Tibet, Reting, who was the political leader of the country until the current Dalai Lama came of age, requested teachings from Khenpo Ngawang Palzang. Khenpo Ngakchung told him, “I am too old now for transmitting teachings to you. I have a disciple whose mind and realization is the same as mine and he is called Chatral Sangye Dorje. You can go ask him for teachings.”

Regent Reting looked all over for Rinpoche and found him meditating in a remote mountain cave. Upon hearing his request, Rinpoche replied, “I am sorry, there is nothing special about me and I have nothing to teach you. Please go elsewhere for teachings!” The Regent then produced a letter by Khenpo Ngakchung to support his request, and so Rinpoche reluctantly agreed to go to Lhasa to teach Regent Reting.

People from all over poured into Lhasa to meet Rinpoche and get teachings and blessings from him. This included high - ranking lamas, political leaders and common laypeople, who made many offerings to Rinpoche. Naturally, he saw all of this attention as a distraction for his spiritual development. He requested to have some time to meditate in a remote area away from Lhasa. The Regent agreed and sent a large entourage of servants and guards to escort Rinpoche on his journey. After they arrived, Rinpoche asked the group of men to return to Lhasa so he could meditate in solitude. The Regent didn’t like his teacher being alone, so sent some guards back to locate Rinpoche. Along the way they found a poor beggar dressed in royal brocade robes. Chatral Rinpoche had traded his fancy outfit for beggar’s rags in true yogi style!

Another great spiritual master who came into Chatral Rinpoche’s life was Kyabje Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, who was an incarnation of Terton Dudjom Lingpa. Dudjom Rinpoche transmitted to Chatral Rinpoche the complete cycle of the Dudjom Tersar teachings, naming him the Vajra Regent of the tradition.

Chatral Rinpoche spent a great deal of his time practicing in caves blessed by Guru Padmasambhava — the founder of Tibetan Buddhism and author of the terma teachings that are the basis for many of the lineages of the Nyingma School. Chatral Rinpoche is actually considered to be the manifestation of Guru Padmasambhava’s mind, due to prophecies written about Rinpoche’s emergence and his proven wisdom.

In the late 1950’s, Chatral Rinpoche moved to Bhutan. He was not forced out by the events of March 10th, 1959, like many other Tibetans, but went to Bhutan on his own free will. This may be indicative of his being the manifestation of Guru Padmasambhava’s mind, as Guru Padmasambhava predicted that the Tibetan people would be displaced from their homeland at the advent of the modern age and Chatral Rinpoche seemed to know that the time was right for him to travel to other areas in the Himalayas. When he was asked what this trip was like for him, he smiled and replied, “Completely free, light and happy.”

He traveled to the neighboring Himalayan region of Darjeeling, where he restored a simple temple and turned it into a three-year meditation retreat center for Longchen Nyinthig practice. This was the first such center built by a Tibetan outside of Tibet. Rinpoche then went to some of the major Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India. While visiting the site of the Buddha’s Enlightenment in 1960, he made a firm commitment that would become a famous part of his identity. He said, “I went to Bodhgaya and made a vow to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to give up meat and alcohol.” Rinpoche is quite unique in his intensely disciplined stance on this issue and this is part of what makes him so revered by those who know him.

A few years later, he met Kusho Kamala, daughter of Terton Tulzhok Lingpa, who became his sangyüm. They have two daughters, Saraswati and Tara Devi. Saraswati serves as his main assistant and speaks fluent English. She is considered to be an emanation of the dakini Sera Khandro.

In 1968 in Darjeeling, Chatral Rinpoche had a famous meeting with the Trappist monk Father Thomas Merton, an advanced Zen Buddhist practitioner held in high regard by other Buddhists. After the meeting, Merton was later overheard saying “That is the greatest man I ever met. He is my teacher.”

Chatral Rinpoche was relentless in his study and practice. In India, he received teachings from Kalu Rinpoche, who became his close friend, and the 16th Karmapa Rangjung Rigpe Dorje.
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He received teachings from over one hundred masters in all, from many traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The breadth of his scholarship is evident in his writing, as he quotes texts from a myriad of traditions to support the points he makes in his essays.

Chatral Rinpoche has founded or restored meditation retreat centers in Bhutan, India and Nepal as well as overseen the construction of several stupas. Dudjom Rinpoche consecrated Chatral Rinpoche’s center in Darjeeling in 1962 and around ten years later helped Rinpoche start a center in Yangleshöd, Nepal, which he thought would be a very auspicious place since Guru Padmasambhava did some important practices there. This monastery, which lies on the outer rim of the Kathmandu Valley and is known as Rigzin Drubpe Ghatsal, was one of Rinpoche’s primary residences for many years. Compared to many other lamas who have lavish, spacious quarters, Rinpoche’s residence here is incredibly humble and cozy.

Many thousands of people in the Himalayan region consider Rinpoche to be their root guru because through his compassionate action and profound wisdom, he is a perfect embodiment of the Buddha’s teachings. However, he is very selective about those he actually gives teachings to. He is fully aware that most of the people who ask him for teachings are not a fraction as serious about their practice as he is, so doesn’t bother to waste the precious nectar of his teachings on an unsuitable vessel.
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Rinpoche explains:
“There are three kinds of Dharma practitioners: firstly, there are those who look like practitioners outwardly, but inwardly they are not real practitioners; secondly, there are those who talk very high, but have no realization at all; thirdly there are those who do not look like practitioners outwardly, but who are in fact genuine practitioners inside.” Rinpoche therefore will not transmit any higher-level teachings to those who have studied with him for less than six years—sufficient time for them to prove themselves as genuine practitioners.

Westerners especially are treated with suspicion. Too many come wanting the ultimate teachings of Dzogchen without being remotely qualified to receive or understand them. There is a story of a wealthy person from the United States who came to Rinpoche and set big stacks of American dollars in front of him, saying that if Rinpoche gave him Dzogchen teachings, then he would give him all of this money. Rinpoche told him briskly to take his money away and declined to give him teachings as he could sense the man was not at the proper stage to understand Dzogchen. The sacred teachings can certainly not be bribed; one must earn the right to receive them.

In the Longchen Nyinthig tradition, it is not uncommon for higher-level teachings to be passed on to only one or two of a master’s most dedicated and gifted disciples. Khenpo Ngawang Palzang’s root guru Nyoshul Lungtok transmitted some of the Longchen Nyinthig teachings and empowerments to the great Khenpo exclusively. These types of teachings are regarded as secret and are preserved by a direct one-to-one transmission from a realized master to a fully qualified disciple.

Since there are very few people qualified to receive teachings like this, Chatral Rinpoche does not spend a lot of his time giving teachings. Instead, he tirelessly engages in virtuous activity, culminating in his famous annual trip to Calcutta, India, where he frees seventy truckloads of live fish back into a part of the Indian Ocean where fishing is prohibited, praying for every one.
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He receives donations from around the world for this great act of compassion, which is the subject of one of his essays in this book. Still, he is very supportive of serious practitioners, traveling to his different retreat centers as often as he can to check on their progress.

Chatral Rinpoche also graciously offers guidance to those from other faiths who meet with him. When an Anglican priest asked him for a teaching recently, Rinpoche said, “Just decide what is the most important thing Jesus ever said, and then take it as far as you can.” This turned out to be the most profound advice the priest had ever received and it served to deepen his understanding of Christ.

Chatral Rinpoche makes appearances to support his disciples through dreams and visions. In 1997, Lama Tharchin Rinpoche was beginning a weekend retreat in San Francisco, when he told his students that Chatral Rinpoche had appeared in a dream and asked Lama Tharchin and his students to accumulate one hundred million recitations of Guru Padmasambhava’s seven-line prayer in order to remove obstacles to Lama Tharchin’s health, to benefit all beings and help bring peace to the world during this degenerate age.

Following the Tibetan New Year in 2000, hundreds of pious Buddhists gathered at Rinpoche’s center in Yangleshöd from different parts of the Himalayan region, requesting Rinpoche’s blessings for the new millennium. They camped out in tents near his monastery and waited patiently for days. At the most auspicious time, Rinpoche gave them all a long-life initiation. After the initiation, the group sang beautiful songs praising the great activities and glory of their exalted master and danced joyfully.

Chatral Rinpoche is renowned for being incorruptible and insistent on doing things the right way. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, when someone dies, it is standard to leave them for three days to allow ample time for the consciousness to leave the body and hopefully enter into a Pureland realm or at least a high rebirth. According to Sogyal Rinpoche, “[Chatral Rinpoche] told people who were complaining that a corpse might smell if it was kept in hot weather [for three days]; “It’s not as though you have to eat it, or try to sell it.”

Chatral Rinpoche’s legend will undoubtedly live on for many generations. In 2003, he was honored as one of the most influential figures in Nepal during a ceremony in Kathmandu. Since Rinpoche is already fully realized, he didn’t worry about the attention and praise of this event affecting his practice this time and attended the ceremony along with many of his students and friends. Showing that he is still a carefree yogi at heart, he wore a traditional Nepali topi hat during the ceremony—likely a first for a Tibetan Buddhist master!

Despite the adulation of countless thousands in the Himalayan region, Rinpoche remains as humble as ever. He once said,

“I am just an ordinary sentient being and there is nothing special about me. I just follow the teachings of Lord Buddha. Without any cheating on my part, I stand firmly on the ground in practicing the Dharma and in helping all sentient beings. I wish that all sentient beings could let go of the acts of self-deception and self-aggrandizement, so that they can really practice the Dharma in order to liberate themselves from cyclic existence and to help other sentient beings. Otherwise, it will be too late when they are feeling remorseful!”

BENEFITS of SAVING LIVES

by Chatral Rinpoche

I bow down before the Lama, Buddha Amitayus,
And the bodhisattvas in training.

I shall now in brief describe the benefits
Of freeing animals and ransoming their lives.

To save animals from slaughter or any mortal danger,
With an entirely pure motivation and conduct,
Is without doubt a practice to be taken up
By all followers of the Buddha Shakyamuni.

Many sutras, tantras and commentaries
Describe in detail the advantages it brings,
And countless learned and accomplished masters of India and Tibet
Have stressed the value and importance of benefitting beings.

Even in the basic vehicle one avoids inflicting harm on others,
In the mahayana this is the very training of a bodhisattva,
And in the secret mantra, a principal samaya of the ratna family.

The reasoning behind this is as follows: in this world,
Nothing is as dear to someone as his or her own life,
So no greater crime is there than taking life away,
And no conditioned virtue brings greater merit
Than the act of saving beings and ransoming their lives.

Therefore, should you wish for happiness and good,
Exert yourself in this, the most supreme of paths,
Which is proven through scriptures and through reasoning,
And is free of obstacles and potential dangers.

Consider your own body and with this as an example,
Avoid doing anything that might bring harm to others.
Make every effort not to kill any living creature,
Birds, fish, deer, cattle and even tiny insects,
And strive instead to save their lives,
Offering them protection from every fear.
The benefit of doing so is beyond imagining.
This is the best practice for your own longevity,
And the greatest ritual for the living or deceased.
It is my main practice of benefitting others.

It dispels all external and internal adversity and obstacles,
Effortlessly and spontaneously, it brings favourable conditions,
And, when inspired by the noble mind of bodhichitta and
Completed with dedication and pure aspiration prayers,
It will lead one to complete enlightenment,
And the accomplishment of one’s own and others’ welfare
Of this you need to have no doubts at all!

Those whose minds incline to virtue and acts of merit,
Should prohibit hunting and fishing on their land.
Some birds, in particular, such as geese and cranes,
Are impelled by their karma to migrate
And fly south in autumn, north in spring.
At times, weary from the efforts of their flight,
Or having lost their way, some are forced to land,
Distressed, afraid and anxious; when this happens,
You should not throw stones or shoot at them,
Nor try to kill them or do them any harm,
But protect them so they may easily fly once more.
To offer care and affection to sentient beings
In desperate situations who lack protection
Brings just as much merit as the meditation
On emptiness with compassion as its core
So it has been said by glorious Lord Atisha.

Lamas, officials, monks, nuns, men and women,
In all the places over which you have control,
Exert every influence and do all within your power
To release animals and ransom their lives,
While encouraging others to do the same.

In all those places where this is done,
Sickness among people and livestock will cease,
Harvests will be plentiful and life will be long.
All will enjoy happiness and wellbeing in abundance,
And at death let go of deluded experience,
Before finding an excellent rebirth within the higher realms.
Ultimately, there is no doubt that this will lead one easily
To find the supreme and perfect state of awakening.

In response to the request of Doctor Dordrak,
Who offered a pure silk scarf and a hundred Nepali rupees,
The one called Chatral Sangye Dorje,
Who strives continuously to ransom lives,
Wrote down spontaneously whatever came to mind.
By the merit of this may all sentient beings
Come to practise enlightened actions!
Mamakoling samanta!

- Translated by Adam Pearcey, Rigpa Translations, 2005.

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1.) WIKIPEDIA: Vegetarianism & Religion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_and_Religion

The First Precept prohibits Buddhists from killing people or animals.^[37] The matter of whether this forbids Buddhists from eating meat has long been a matter of debate.
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2.) WHY the DALAI LAMA MATTERS & VEGETARIANISM
http://scottsbuddhisttveg.blogspot.com/2015/05/why-dalai-lama-matters-vegetarianism.html

3.) DALAI LAMA: Buddhist Monks Reflections on Ecological Responsibility
http://www.dalailama.com/messages/environment/buddhist-monks-reflections

4.) TZU CHI: Eating Vegetarian to Save the World - by Master Cheng Yen http://tw.tzuchi.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1423%3Aeating-vegetarian-to-save-our-world&catid=114%3Areflections-on-our-times&Itemid=325&lang=en