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Brian Snyder / Reuters
Buddhist monk Geshe Tenley laughs as his robes flap in the breeze on the bow of a boat during the release of lobsters back into the ocean on "Chokhor Duchen", or the anniversary of Buddha's turning of the Dharma Wheel, in the waters off Gloucester, Massachusetts, on Wednesday. The group of Buddhists released about 500 lobsters that were caught by commercial lobstermen, after buying the lobsters from a wholesaler who would otherwise have sold the crustaceans to restaurants.
Brian Snyder / Reuters
Buddhist monk Geshe Tenley releases a lobster back into the ocean during "Chokhor Duchen" from a boat in the waters off Gloucester, Massachusetts on Wednesday.
Brian Snyder/Reuters
Buddhists pray before releasing lobsters back into the ocean during "Chokhor Duchen" in Gloucester on Wednesday.
Brian Snyder / Reuters
Buddhists pray before releasing lobsters back into the ocean during "Chokhor Duchen" in Gloucester on Wednesday.
GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Instead of plunging headfirst to their death in a pot of boiling water, 534 live lobsters escaped the dinner plate and belly flopped to freedom into the dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
A group of Tibetan Buddhists flanked the sides of a whale-watching boat at dusk on Wednesday, sprayed the lobsters with blessed water, clipped the bands binding their dangerous claws and gently released them one by one into the deep water below. Continue reading.
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This publicity stunt will result in more donations to the Dalai Lama. Ka-ching Ka-ching
Wow, you're cynical and grossly misinformed. Read up on Buddhism. Learn about the Dalai Lama. The whole world isn't like most Americans.
I recall once reading a news story about a lobster which attempted to flee from a restaurant kitchen prep table only to fall into a stock pot full of melted butter. The lobster might still have been able to effectuate escape from the stock pot of melted butter ...were it not for the rubber bands on its claws.
I believe this story was illustrative of philosophical conflict between the Buddhist concept of karma and the Christian concept of predestination. (Sometimes your Dogma fights with my Catechism)
At some point Man has got to leave some things alone rather than take them for food and profit.
My God, 29,000 children under the age of 5 dead in somalia famine and you care about this!!!
Shame on you.
My goodness char, with 29,000 children under the age of 5 dead in the Somalia famine and you care Enough about this to read it? Shame on you!
Because those children would otherwise be filled up with a nice lobster dinner...
Compassion has many different faces char .... learn to appreciate it when you find it.
Julia: Well said, and to the point. It is unfortunate that too many persons cannot understand the depth of your statement, nor the silent, profound, statement presented by the Buddhist monks... I cannot add more. No, I am not a Buddhist, but only a Human Being.
Beautifully said Julia!
Next time drop in a pot of hot water...for me!
Fedd the dead children to the lobsters....at least some good will come of it....
WTF?? Have you no sympathy? Why would you even write a statement like that??
don't be stupid Terry....dead children do not need sympathy....LIVE children need sympathy!! feed the lobsters....while they are ALIVE.
Love it Love it Love it
This is stupid...i dont know any better word to describe the actions of this monk...the lobstermen will just go back out and most of these lobster will likely be recaught...and then it will be on my plate during lobsterfest...
You got it.LOL. they are crawling on borrowed time unless they all gather in a cave and meditate for the next 100 years. Maine lobsters are one of the most...if not the most sustainable fishery in the world. Highly regulated,routinely managed and healthy. If anyone has ever seen the vast array of lobster gear layed out from hudson canyon passed the grandbanks of newfoundland they would see the truth of it. Strings of gear by the literal hundreds of miles for a thousand miles and they keep on crawling by the millions. The Canadian marine fisheries department is one of the most stringent marine regulatory agencies known to man and they are not worried one bit about a shortage of bugs. Might seem like an insignifigant statement to some, but it pretty much sums up the health of the lobster population. But hey if it makes the monk feel good...I say free away and who has it hurt? They bought and paid for them so they can do as they whish and everyone is happy,the lobsters especially.
Completely missed the point... Its sad that so many refuse to think in the abstract see an act of compassion and symbolism for what it is..
exactly how was the point missed there Carlos,read the last few lines. But the simple fact of the matter is several posts took the position "good for him" For saving yet another wild thing from the brutal grasp of mankind. Many wild things are certainly better off escaping those cluthches and many that have not have suffered greatly for it,but the fact of the matter is this act of humanity is just that and not to be construed by others as a useful act in championing the cause of yet another threatned thing of the sea as an adjunct to that hummanity.
I guess the whales and other predators that usually have to work harder to catch the lobsters in the wild appreciate the free meal the buddhists are providing them. Thanks guys for feeding our marine wild life with your hard earned money. We all appreciated it. Especially if some of those lobsters make it through the next year and gain a little more weight for my dinner plate.
Umm...When I went to a restaurant a while back, I asked to look at the lobsters in the tank. When I was about to drop it back in, the owner told me to gently put it back because dropping it in would be the same as drowning them. If that's true, does that mean 500+ lobsters just drowned?
The result of the act...whether it's freeing lobsters that may be re-caught, feeding children who may later starve, planting a tree that may later be cut down, doesn't matter because we have no control over most things. We can choose though to do something and hope some good comes from it. The rest of it is out of our hands. Our souls feel the good of our actions. Try it.
Well now I know where to go to catch lobster since there are more now than there used to be! I wonder if they were rock lobsters?
The Buddhists walk their talk and practice compassion on a daily basis. In other words they live their religion everyday, and not just once a week on Saturday or Sunday, if even then. This country would be better off if it were more compassionate, more mindful, more conscious of the liberation of all creatures, in short, more Buddhist.
Its about time to see some good works.