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Animal Liberation Project
This year we have selected the Animal Liberation Project from Prajna Light Foundation. A few years ago Moritz and I met Lama Palzang and Pema Gellek. Upon seeing Moritz Lama Palzang just beamed and asked if he could walk him to the restaurant where we were going to breakfast. As we sat down he began to tell me his love for animals and the importance of saving them. He had helped raise a blind sheep while in Tibet and his teacher taught the benefits of not harming or taking any life. He knew part of his life’s work would be to help animals. I recently met with them again and learned of their work to save yaks that were headed to the slaughterhouse. Their dedication inspired me and I would like to help them continue and expand their work. The following is a brief description of Prajna Light’s practice of yak rescue and release, the inspiration for their efforts, and their initial results as of 2008: In this world, nothing is as dear to someone as his or her own life, so no greater crime is there than taking life away, and no conditioned virtue brings greater merit than the act of saving beings and ransoming their lives. - - Chatral Sangye Dorje Rinpoche Animal liberation or saving the life of an animal from imminent slaughter is a traditional Buddhist compassion practice that has been practiced by Buddhists for over two and a half millennia. It is regarded as a meritorious act that counters negativity and awakens appreciation for all that lives. While the practice of animal release generally involves fish or other small creatures, Lama Palzang, following the teachings of his Buddhist masters, recently sought to extend this meritorious practice to a much larger animal, the domestic Tibetan yak. Yaks are synonymous with Tibetan culture: strong, yet gentle, able to survive in difficult conditions. Surefooted and steady in the wild winds of high mountain passes, reliable mounts through roadless plains deeply covered in snow, they are beloved and respected by all Tibetans. Yet they are also valued as a source of food and clothing, and especially as they age, many are sent to slaughter out of economic necessity. The Prajna Light Foundation created the Prajna Light Yak Liberation Program to allow animal lovers and Buddhists alike this special opportunity to save the yaks of Tibet. With your support, rescuers are able to rescue yaks from the slaughterhouse and care for them until they are strong enough to be released to roam the hills in freedom. Before release, your yak is ritually blessed by lamas, and its horns are painted red and yellow, an indication to all Tibetans that they are not to be harmed. The PLF herd of rescued animals has now swelled to around one hundred yaks, cows and oxen. All of them have been rescued in the last three years from the slaughterhouses of eastern Tibet and now spend their days in rolling pastures there in the care of an experienced, gentle caretaker. “It is deeply satisfying to see the animals we have saved enjoying living out their natural lives, free from fear and pain, and to see the local community increasingly inspired to take up animal liberation.” ---Pema Gellek, co-director, Prajna Light Foundation. The cost of saving a yak varies, as their price is determined by their weight. In 2009, the estimated cost of saving yaks of different sizes is as follows:
Large yak: $400 How to sponsor the liberation of a yak: 1. Calculate the cost for the yak(s) to be saved. Prajna Light Foundation also accepts donations of any amount to help purchase or support the care of its yaks. 2. Send a check made out to Prajna Light Foundation to the following address: Prajna Light Foundation 3. Include a brief letter with details such as your name, email and phone number. If you wish, at the time of the ceremony, the lamas will read aloud the name of the person for whom you would like the merit to be dedicated, before extending it outward for the benefit of all living beings. |
Silent Moon Books donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of all Moritz books to animal welfare projects.