A
letter regarding the
ANIMAL RIGHTS SITUATION IN ASIA,
from David Life to Carlos Menjivar, General Manager of Jivamukti
Dear
Carlos,
I
wanted to share with you these observations on our Jivamukti
Asian Tour.
We
visited an aquarium in Sidney today, with many varieties
of tropical fish in huge pools that you walk through in
see-through tubes. They swim over and under you and it is
quite a spectacle. Eileen, our host, who has taken many
people there (including Guruji Pattabhi Jois), said it was
much different seeing it with usknowing our feelings
about animals and ahimsa. She saw it in a whole new light,
not because we were outwardly critical, (we weren't) but
we were sad, where others were delighted. It seemed not
too much different than Hong Kong, where the same colorful
fish are in death row aquariums at sushi restaurants. Here,
they just had a
life sentence instead of a death sentence. China has almost
single-handedly fished out most of the coral-dwelling species
from the South China Sea. It is very harsh to see these
beautiful creatureswhich swim in loving groups, and
some of which mate for life, and all of which are sensitive
creatures craving only happinessalmost eliminated
from the Earth. Perhaps aquariums will be their final domain.
In
Hong Kong I met a group of people who are saving bears in
China. These bears are captured and spend as long as 20
years lying in tiny crates with catheters in their gall
bladders, being milked of bile twice daily. These people
have been able to work with the Chinese government to free
some bears and are trying to establish sanctuaries in China
where the bears are rehabilitated. After the catheters are
removed they can live out their lives in peace. Many of
them have been snared as babies and are missing legs; some
are declawed, some detoothed, and none can be returned to
the wild.
They
also rescue dogs from the markets where they are kept in
cages too small to stand in until someone buys them
and beats them to death (buyers feel this tenderizes them).
They showed me pictures with hundreds of dogs at markets.
Apparently this is a common practice in both China and the
Philippines.
"Do
unto others as you would have them do unto you."
Jesus
Filipino
people regularly contrive cock-fights, dog-fights, and horse-fights
(that's right, horse-fights). The national sacrament is
pig flesh, and there are fewer vegetarians in this predominantly
Catholic country than in any other country that we have
visited. Sharon, Duncan and I led classes of 60+ people
here, and read from the scriptures of Jesus and the teaching
of Saint Francis together with the yogic teachings of non-harming,
and we were interviewed as many as five times daily by newspapers,
radio and TV. We felt like we were putting a sliver of discomfort
in the foot of a giant.
The
work is difficult, and the cruelty of people is just unbelievable.
The response in our classes is positive though, and many
claim that they will change their eating and living habits
and try to influence others. I'm sure that at some point
a critical mass of awareness will be reached and the whole
thing will flip over, but it can't come soon enough for
us. We cry each night for the suffering, innocent creatures.
Mad
cow disease and the epidemic of hoof-and-mouth are only
the beginning. Now we are hearing of mad fish, mad chicken
and mad people disease. Mother will do what is necessary
to rid herself of this parasitic blight of inhumane humans!
Lokah
Samasta Sukhino Bhavantu
May
all beings everywhere be happy and free. And may my life
contribute in some way to that happiness and that freedom
for all.
Om
Shantih,
David Life
Sydney, Australia 2001