Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: In the Mahayana teaching, the Buddha forbade eating meat altogether.

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: Nine Questions About Vegetarianism, taking care of the self.

1: In the monasteries of Tibet people eat meat, which contradicts a bit with the rest of the Buddhist monasteries of other traditions that are vegetarian such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma, Taiwan and other Chinese Buddhists from Singapore, Indonesia , etc. Could you explain the reason for this?

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa – In the early Buddhist monasteries of the ninth century there arrived seven new monks, their teachers Shantarachita and Guru Padmasambhava who taught new Buddhists not to eat meat, but the Tibetans ate meat because it was the ancient tradition, a habit, and offerings were made of flesh and blood. Then Shantarachita and Padmasambhava said that if they kept eating meat and making offerings of blood, they would not teach and would return to India. Continue reading »

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: Whoever gives up harming others, having understood this in accordance with the situation set forth, is a virtuous practitioner.

Protecting Animal Welfare, by Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa

First, I would like to tell you a little about myself. My name is Geshe Thubten Soepa. I completed my Geshe Larampa exam, and then taught philosophy in Asian monasteries. Afterward, I went to Germany and around Europe for nine years at FPMT centers. I am still a traveling FPMT dharma teacher.

I would like to say that Lama Zopa Rinpoche has taken responsibility to protect animals with his animal sanctuary project. His work is a fantastic example of a Tibetan Buddhist lineage lama. I rejoice and may these merits result in him having a long life and good health. You, as the director of Lama Zopa´s animal sanctuary and all those who are involved, working for the wishes of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, as you know, you too are collecting good karma. I rejoice! Continue reading »

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: Shakyamuni Buddha rejected the consumption of meat.

Geshe Thubten Soepa.

Section One: Udamwara: Statements from the Sutra (1)

The Udamwara Lotus Flower. Protecting the Life of Helpless Beings. Statements from Sutra Relating to Eating Meat.

In Honour of Guru Shakyamuni

With faith in the teacher, the conqueror, who truly appeared,
directly perceived the ultimate mode of existence,
through meditation, exhausted the two obscurations
and turned the wheel of Dharma truthfully:

who am I to fathom or describe
your qualities of wisdom, love and power.

Yet if I were to express them in only four lines
it would be these:

Possessor of skilful means Continue reading »

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: His Holiness the Dalai Lama also said: "None of the visitors coming to Bodhgaya from all over the world offer alcohol and meat”.

Geshe Thubten Soepa.

Section One: Udamwara: Statements from the Sutra (2)

The Udamwara Lotus Flower. Protecting the Life of Helpless Beings. Statements from Sutra Relating to Eating Meat.

On this occasion, in the sutra, Manjushri asks the Buddha three questions: one about honey, conch shells, shoes and silk worms, one about a shoemaker offering shoes to the Buddha whose leather has passed through several hands so that the origin is not clear, and one about another person offering shoes made from the hide of a buffalo that died naturally. The first and the last questions are being answered, but not the middle one. There is no need for that, as the answer to the last question implies that it is inappropriate to accept the gift referred to in the middle question.

Some people who fail to distinguish between intentional and unintentional actions put forward the argument that if it is inappropriate to eat meat, it would be equally inappropriate to eat rice. However, this is not the same because to give up eating meat and reduce the number of animals being killed is an act that is well within the bounds of possibility. During the cultivation of rice and vegetables there is no intention to kill beings while planting the seedlings, irrigating the fields etc. Continue reading »

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: Try to find methods for redressing the harm caused by eating meat. The best means of purifying it is to save the life of animals.

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: Section Two: Question and Answer

The Udamwara Lotus Flower. Protecting the Life of Helpless Beings. Statements from Sutra Relating to Eating Meat.

The above booklet about eating meat was read through, cover to cover, by His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. He told me: “It is well written. It would be nice if more equally useful texts were written for people to read”. I cannot express how pleased I was at these words. I would like to complement my composition by a few questions and answers concerning the topic. Continue reading »

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: If someone kills living beings for the sake of money or purchases and eats the meat out of a desire to indulge, this goes against the practice of compassion.

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: Section Three, Compassion is the Root of the Teachings – 1

Namo Maha Karunikaya

I bow to Great Compassion, the seed, the refuge which eliminates all suffering of the six kinds of beings and whence all happiness and benefit springs. For those who take joy in the exercise of compassion I shall express a few thoughts on eating meat.

Does eating meat go against the practice of compassion? If one eats the meat of a creature that has died a natural death—for health reasons and without any desire—this is not a harmful action. On the other hand, if someone kills living beings for the sake of money or purchases and eats the meat out of a desire to indulge, this goes against the practice of compassion. Both these actions are harmful. Continue reading »

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa: The root of Buddhist teachings is unbiased great compassion

Ven. Geshe Thubten Soepa. Sect. 3: Compassion is the Root of the Teachings (2)

Special attainments in Buddhism concern healing, extending life spans up to a thousand years, increasing wisdom and purifying negativities and many other achievements brought about by the power of mantra recitation combined with Buddhist deity yoga—kriya, charya and yoga tantra—as well as the attainment of buddhahood in the same body within a single lifetime through developing the generation and completion stages of highest yoga tantra.

The root of all those methods is great compassion. All wholesome actions performed with the motivation of compassion can ripen as wholesome effects. If the motivation of compassion is lacking, even the highest practices will come under the influence of selfishness and thus their wholesome effect cannot ripen. The spiritual master Padmasambhava said:

With kleshas49 exhausted – no reason for Dharma practice.
Without compassion the root of Dharma rots.
Consider samsara’s sufferings again and again! Continue reading »

Protecting Animal Welfare – Geshe Thubten Soepa

I would like to say that Lama Zopa Rinpoche has taken responsibility to protect animals with his animal sanctuary project. His work is a fantastic example of a Tibetan Buddhist lineage lama. I rejoice and may these merits result in him having a long life and good health.First, I would like to tell you a little about myself. My name is Geshe Thubten Soepa. I completed my Geshe Lharampa exam, and then taught philosophy in Asian monasteries. Afterwards, I went to Germany and around Europe for nine years at FPMT centers. I am still a travelling FPMT Dharma teacher.

You, as the director of Lama Zopa´s animal sanctuary and all those who are involved, working for the wishes of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, as you know, you too are collecting good karma. I rejoice!

I say this with scriptural proof.

Shakyamuni Buddha says in the Karmavibanga Sutra,

In this regard, there are actions extending life. What are they? To give up killing, Continue reading »