End Extreme Abuse petition

[WayBackHome83]

Hi guys,

I'm sure some of you will be aware of the story regarding barbaric abuse inflicted on a small poodle by its owner, who used the poor dog as a punch bag. If you've not come across the story, you can read Rinpoche's blog on it here http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2011/01/abused-poodle.html

There is an online petition calling on the Malaysian National Animal Welfare Foundation to garner support in order to help affect change in animal rights legislation in Malaysia, in the hope that (through tougher penalties) there can be much fewer cases of animal abuse.

Please sign this petition and pass it around as many people as you can. It's never enough simply to be aware and wish we could change things for the better - we have to be aware and proactively make that change. Though it may take time, every slight action in the right direction is a positive step towards reaching the goal and affecting change to ensure the abuse of animals is dealt with appropriately.

You can sign the petition here:
http://www.petitiononline.com/SOSSushi/petition.html

Kind regards,
Sandy

P.S. Anyone can sign the petition. You don't have to be Malaysian or be a resident of Malaysia.

[goat]

Is it possible that sushi was a dog abuser in a previous life? I am not trying to offend anyone...horrible things happen all the time how do we not know this is all due to karma ? The karma of all involved..even the people who commented evil wishes of harm to these 2 ..make that 3 people since many involved the young boy .

[WayBackHome83]

Hey Goat,

Your thoughts are very interesting - far more "thought-provoking" than potentially offensive, I'd say.

Not that I say you think this way, but by asking if it's possible the abused was an abuser before, this might lead others into thinking "well, why interfere? If that is a being's karma, who am I to try to alter it?"

Whatever the dog's karma, whatever it has done in its past lives, it deserved happiness and compassion from others. Once we start thinking, "oh, that's just karma", we might be in danger of never seeking to help others or working towards putting an end our own negative actions. One could argue that if we're angry towards someone, safe in the knowledge that it's what they had coming to them, we could excuse our actions simply as being down to karma.

Again, I don't say you hold these views personally, but some may think this way. In the Eight Verses, we offer up every happiness and benefit to "all sentient beings". There's no-one on this forum who has not performed negative actions and no-one who doesn't seek to be happy and free from suffering. All beings are entitled to find happiness, regardless of what they've done in the past. If we seek to condemn others, then we are no better than those who have committed the negative action in the first place. Why waste time practicing Dharma?

This petition calls for a tightening of the legislation regarding animal rights, to protect animals from unnecessary abuse. It's a shame that it takes stories like the one we read of on Rinpoche's blog to make everyone sit up and take notice, but we can pull together to make a change for the better to help ensure that this kind of abuse occurs much less frequently and that any case that does arise is dealt with appropriately, leading to further protection of animals.

Kind regards,
Sandy

[temugen]

Is it possible that sushi was a dog abuser in a previous life? I am not trying to offend anyone...horrible things happen all the time how do we not know this is all due to karma ? The karma of all involved..even the people who commented evil wishes of harm to these 2 ..make that 3 people since many involved the young boy .

Interesting line of thought. If I might answer it  hermeticly,  Only when thy heart is as light as the feather of Maat, may thou stand in judgement.
In a christian vein, I might add, He who is without sin cast the first stone.
As a buddhist I would say, all beings suffer.  Whether the dog abused others in a past life  it still deserves compassion. Difficult as it may be , even it's abusers must be addressed compassionately. Stern laws protecting the abusers from their own bad Karma are necesary, but they must be set forth with loving intention.

[goat]

I am all for signing the petition. Stiffer punishment might stop a few.
 Love towards these evil doers would be better " punishment"

[temugen]

  Love towards these evil doers would be better " punishment"

I'm not opposed to locking them away for life if that's what it takes to stop their evil actions towards themselves and others.... but it doesn't break the momentum of  negative  karma to do so  with  anger.

[SharpPudding]

 The more laws against animal abuse the better I think.  I am obligated not to do some things while angry, but I think it might be a bit unethical to do things like get in people's way or tell them they're wrong because they are angry. Many times Buddhist yuppies have this thing where because someone is angry, they make them out to be the bad guy, it's called blaming the victim.

 So say someone is being abused regularly and they're angry about it, a dumb Buddhist would disregard the reality of the situation and discourage the victim from acting to protect themselves on the basis that the victim is angry. Anger is a serious distortion and it should be treated as such, but that doesn't mean anything you do when angry is wrong.

 Anger is a serious distortion, it makes you abrasive and many people will avoid you, you should try to get rid of it, but the reality of the situation is to form laws against animal abuse is a good thing.


 http://www.angelfire.com/pa4/dvmemorial/
This is why you don't blame the victim or tell them not to act because they are angry.
 

[goat]

I am not saying not to have compassion but if you get worked up into a frenzy over all these cases of abuse it is unhealthy. This is what life is about...learning to deal with disturbing issues. The Internet brings so much awfulness to our attention ...compassion is ok...anger is not. People are getting hung up on anger. I don't expect to be understood on this...I am off to sign this petition with a heart without anger..

[temugen]

 

 Love towards these evil doers would be better " punishment"

I'm sorry, It's so rare to see wisdom of this level  that I read it as sarcasm.

  Many times Buddhist yuppies have this thing where because someone is angry, they make them out to be the bad guy, it's called blaming the victim. 

I agree, It’s quite absurd to tell a beaten and abused individual that they are wrong to feel anger.  Having been beaten and abused as a child you’ll not get any argument from me. But at some point you have to let that anger go or it will destroy you.    My caution is to not let anger turn into something that disregards the truth that all beings have been our mothers, all suffer from mental afflictions and, all regardless of our personal feelings deserve compassion. 

[WayBackHome83]

Hi Goat,

You are entirely spot on in what you say. My own initial reaction towards the dog abuser was of hatred, which isn't bad in itself - it would be strange for us "ordinary" folks not to have knee-jerk reactions under certain circumstances. It's hard to watch a video like that and not feel a loathing towards the abuser.

However, if we think about our anger in terms of wishing the abuser becomes harmed (or faces death as a punishment, as some of the petition's signatories have called for) and if we still hold these thoughts long after our initial shock, then how are we any better than the abuser? Whatever someone does, by calling for their suffering, we are still calling for the suffering of another being. Would Buddha have sought this? Would Jesus or Krishna? No.

If I may say so, the only thing I'd say people might misunderstand is the idea of "loving" such an abuser. This is understandable - very few people can open up their hearts like that and so, I personally find a progressive move towards that sort of ideal is best. So for example, for those who would call you mad for suggesting we feel compassion towards "evil" people, perhaps it's better to explain how their anger only harms themselves - the abuser doesn't feel my anger...what good is it doing? If we can direct others towards compassion progressively, they are more likely to arrive at their own understanding of compassion towards themselves and others.

Of course, in practical terms, you can't kill/jail a problem. Education, raising awareness and appropriate penalties should instead be put in place. You can jail/kill the abuser, but you can't jail/kill abuse. The only way you can reduce it (and significantly) is if we tackle the root of abuse or any other crime, and that is only done through understanding, awareness and education.

For what my opinion is worth, I think your points are completely valid; it's just a matter of keeping in mind that others might not see things in the same way, and approaching a subject or situation in a way that leads to better understanding. By saying we should be loving towards these abusers...man, you're a freak! (I jest, of course).

I think it's also worthwhile keeping in mind that there's no such thing as an "evil person"; only a person who performs an evil action.

Kind regards,
Sandy

[goat]

19689 goat....sign the petition as it will surely help i hope in the future