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Page: Profile: Wren's Nest News Local
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Article: 18385
[Religious]
Date Posted:
8/14/2007
10:21:42 am EDT
Wvox Stats
Views: 7,560
RSS: 18,818
Comments: 13
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Authorities Find A Lot Wrong With Buddhist Reptile Rite
Author: Samantha Henry Source: northjersey.com (NJ)
Title: AUTHORITIES FIND A LOT WRONG WITH BUDDHIST REPTILE RITE
Ancient ritual met with modern consequence Monday, as state environmental authorities said they were searching for a religious group that released hundreds of live reptiles into the Passaic River on Sunday as part of a Buddhist rite.
Members from a New York sect of Amitabha Buddhists -- devout vegetarians who believe in the sanctity of all living creatures -- said Sunday they had purchased the creatures in New York's Chinatown for the purpose of setting them free.
Ann Chin, a member of the group, said on Sunday they chose the Passaic River because it was the nearest body of freshwater to New York City, where the eels, frogs and turtles they let go had the best chance of surviving and realizing their full karmic potential.
State officials said Monday that the practice was illegal and that they were working with New York authorities to track down the group.
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Community Thoughts: There are 13 comments posted | Reverse Sort |
| The Buddhists Think About | Aug 17th. at 11:25:28 pm EDT
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Rubyglare (Sacramento, California) - Email Me
cause & effect, eh? Then did they release native reptiles into the wild or something that will eat up all the natives? They said they bought turtles & fish from the local China Town, is that how the Pike got into the streams in Northern California? Idiots! Talk about NOT thinking about cause & effect, like children...
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| Non-Buddhist Culture? | Aug 16th. at 10:06:45 am EDT
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Feathercloak (Grand Junction, Colorado) - Email Me
I find it funny that everyone assumes that all Buddhists come from another country. There are groups of vegetarian Christians in this country that don't eat meat for similar reasons. It's not all that strange. We are not living in 1950, Buddhists have been here for a long time now. Sheesh.
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| Many Layers To The Issue. | Aug 15th. at 12:56:08 pm EDT
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Figlia della Luna (New Orleans, Alabama) - Email Me
Aside from ideological differences that others may have, this does illustrate the culture-clash that will keep happening in this country. Well-meaning Buddhists that are just doing what they feel is right, and what has happened in other countries with no problem, run into problems. Yes, we don't want foreign species in our ecosystems. If they didn't know that then, they should now. Explain that they might be hurting the native species by doing this - that should get them to cease and desist. Maybe they can simply care for them at their temple? Think of some other way to help their "low born" friends?
I just don't want to trample on a ritual of another culture because a few people were ignorant. We can find another way to live together, and keep the wildlife happy too.
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| Buddhists ... | Aug 15th. at 12:17:06 pm EDT
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Leafy (Albuquerque, New Mexico) - Email Me
... have their share of ~~ how do I put this nicely ~~ nutsos ~~ as any religion. They give Buddhism a peculiar reputation, that is for sure. I'm a Buddhist, and I get asked about some pretty odd practices, none of which has anything to do with Buddhism as I know it.
Yes, these people's hearts were in the right place, but their brains got away, big time.
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| Silly, Silly People. | Aug 14th. at 9:24:33 pm EDT
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Eric Wolfborn (Jenkintown, Pennsylvania) - Email Me
I hope they're caught and duely prosecuted. We have a hard enough time keeping things in check around here without introducing all manner of foreign species into the ecosystem en-masse.
Not only that, but I would like to see a little more outcry from other Buddhists advocating a little forethought.
As a side note, I can't help but find devout believers in Karma who intentionally change a situation to 'balance' karma laughable.
As if Karma needed the help.
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| Got The Point - Well! | Aug 14th. at 8:40:48 pm EDT
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Aidan Odinson (Collingdale, Pennsylvania) - Email Me - Web
I am familiar with similar rituals that I knew of when I lived in Thailand. There were a couple of big differences.
First, the animals turned loose would probably not have survived. Most of them were fish who had gotten trapped in small pools when the river receded during low-water season.
The second, and this is the biggie, is that they were all animals which were native to the area.
And those are a couple of major differences.
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| Their Hearts Were In The Right Place But Their Bra | Aug 14th. at 5:48:47 pm EDT
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BlueManticore (Tinley Park, Illinois) - Email Me
I just hope that what they've done does not end up doing more harm than good.
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