Buddhist Monks Bought Hundreds Of Pounds Of Lobsters, But Not To Eat

Today’s news of animal compassion involves lobsters. Lots and lots of lobsters (who have feelings and don’t like to be cooked alive, people!). Up in Prince Edward Island, a contingent of Buddhist Monks (who knew they were there?) purchased 600 pounds of lobsters from around the island and, in a stunning twist of crustacean fate, released them back into the ocean last Saturday.

According to Venerable Dan of the Great Enlightenment Buddhist Institute Society in Little Sands, who spoke with the CBC, the intention of the monks’ act was to cultivate compassion for all beings — not just lobsters.

https://twitter.com/JDoriaBrownCBC/status/751822246839222272

“We respect everyone’s dietary choice, so we’re not doing this to convert everybody to be vegetarians or vegans,” he said. “This whole purpose for us is to cultivate this compassion toward others. It doesn’t have to be lobsters, it can be worms, flies, any animals, drive slower so we don’t run over little critters on the street.”

After a short ceremony involving purified water, prayer, and chants to the Buddha of compassion, the monks rode a fishing boat out to the ocean off the coast of Wood Island and released the lobsters, with the hope that the spot was remote enough to prevent recapture.

Dan stressed that the operation isn’t just about Buddhism. Anyone can practice compassion toward lesser critters, as well as toward fellow human beings. “If your loved ones were in this situation, what would they like you to do?” he told the CBC. “To give them a helping hand and put them back to where they feel comfortable and we believe if everybody’s able to do that, it will become a better place, a more harmonic place.”