KARA members recently attended a seminar on Buddhism’s respect for life and animal rights, held by the Korean Association of Buddhist Studies on February 3, 2009.

The Korean Association of Buddhist Studies sponsored the seminar to discuss the present situation of raising animals, attitudes towards meat-eating, animal rights, and respect for life, and the idea of living a Buddhist life style.

The theme of the seminar was that Buddhists should actively and practically protect animal rights.

The following issues were discussed:

1. Professor Woo, Heejong discussed the present situation of the cruelty to animals and the nature of Tam-Jin-Chi, or the three poisons of greed, anger, foolishness which hinder the Buddhist aesthetic.
2. Professor Ahn, Sungdoo spoke on Buddhism’s spirit and animal rights

Professors Cho, Sungtaek (Korea University) and Huh, Namgyeol (Dongguk University) commented on the presentations.

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As first speaker, Professor Woo pointed out that it is important to recognize the cruelty to animals that is caused by meat-eating and that everyone should take a responsibility for life.

He explained that every year 0.6 ~ 0.7 million cows, 13 million pigs, and 600 ~ 650 million chickens are slaughtered in Korea, and that these numbers are larger than the number of animals currently being raised, since animals are slaughtered when they are so young: chickens at 3 to 4 months old and pigs at about 5 months old. Their lives are brief and without joy.  

Professor Woo stated that animal exploitation and cruelty were a result of the failure to recognize that an animal life has worth in its own right, just as a person's life has worth. He suggested that meat-eating should be handled based on "Yonkibub," the conception that everything should depend on everything else in mutually supporting harmony, rather than exist in terms of division and domination.

Professor Woo argued that people are destroying the ecosystem and themselves because they are poisoned by greed. He emphasized that active and practical support for animal life should be pursued by Buddhists as way of overcoming this greed, ignorance and foolishness. Humans must harmonize with animals through the love of for life.

Next, Professor Ahn spoke about the spirit of Buddhism and argued for a minimizing of the pain that farm animals suffer.

He looked into diverse views in Buddhism concerning meat eating, introduced the history of animal rights, then gave an overview of the present situation.

Professor Ahn argued that one’s interests should never be more important that those of others and that this is the foundation for animal rights. He advocated that we should support animal rights with the following practical efforts: eliminate the pain of animals if they must be killed, refuse to eat meats produced by factory farms, and minimize food wastage.

Following the talks by the two professors, commentors critically pointed out examples of inaction by the Buddhist community. In the case of bird flu, for example, the Buddhist society did not act to prevent cruelty to animals. Commentators also noted, as another topical example, that there was no vegetarian restaurant at Dongguk University, even though the university has a Buddhism department.  

With such discrepancies highlighing the gap between talk and action, Professor Cho said that the prevention of cruelty to animals must be pursued as a practical philosophy, and so people should think as “Bosals” and act as “Citizens” in the organizing of a practical community for protecting animal rights.

KARA hopes that the proclaimations at this Korean Association of Buddhist Studies seminar will translate into action and help to improve animal rights. There is an expectation now that a practical community for protecting animal rights will be established.

KARA fully supports the Korean Association of Buddhist Studies' initiatives and will actively participate in the practical community when it is organized. We will keep you up to date on its progress.