Fish Liberation

[icy]

The following article was published by China News.  As soon as these carps were released for liberation by some Buddhists, 50 men stood on the riverbank downstream, waiting for the release to recapture them. 

The karma of the carps did not allow them to be free and had the karma of these fishermen on the riverbank to recapture them.  Would it be wise not to purchase them for liberation so there would not be a demand for them to stop fishing and recapturing?







December 18, 2013, Jinan, 2,000 kilos of carp released into the Yellow River beach, specialty Jinan Yellow River carp fishing supplementary source of more than 20 minutes in the release of more than 800 carp, most carp body is more than 20 cm, the longest reach 40 cm. (Qiu Qian / CFP)

December 19, 2013 news, Jinan. December 18, more than 20 enthusiastic people to purchase 2,000 kilos of carp released into the Yellow River beach, specialty Jinan Yellow River carp fishing supplementary source. And in the public release of the same, more than 50 men standing on the riverbank downstream of the 100 meters, waiting for release by a walk, swarming went flood of competing at the release fishing.

[psylotripitaka]

Sometimes it is better to perform virtuous actions secretly. Doing so is excellent for examining our true motivation for the action, for recognizing deluded pride and grasping for praise and recognition, for learning to give with a pure heart unstained by worldly concern, and for learning to use wisdom to help guide our generosity.

Though these people may have good intentions, the generosity was not combined with wisdom.

[metta girl]

I guess many people still doesn”t understand the meaning of  animal liberation and why doing so… In one side people are trying to prolong their life and the other side is trying to shortened their life and the animals because of greed. Much consideration have to be taken when doing animal liberation. Proper planning and survey should be done before taking action to avoid cases like this happening …..

[maricisun]

Animal liberation is to help the fishes to prolong their life and not to be slaughtered and eaten. The act of liberating fishes by the person is to gain merits for oneself as well.
The ignorant people who catches the fishes after they are being liberated will gain tremendous negativity and have created bad karma for them. Karma equal cause and effect.
Maybe should consider liberating birds?

[RedLantern]

Do it in a proper natural lake,where the fishes have some hope of long-term survival.Motivation of the person is always the key factor, and the result of the act.If the act brings happiness or alleviates sufferings in the other,it is more beneficial.
The practice of giving life to a creature who would otherwise die was believed to be of great benefit to the creature and the sponsor.The fishes were blessed before released into  the water.

[kris]

In China, almost anything can happen... China is so driven by materialism, so much many people has forgotten about spiritual, and this is just one of the many examples.

Regarding animal liberation, I agree with @redlantern and others that it is our motivation that is the key. I also agree with @metta_girl that proper planning needs to be done before liberating animals. For example, where to liberate fish? will people take advantage and kill them after that? I have asked many questions about liberating fish and a Dharma center told me that they only buy fish from fish market where the fish will be delivered to restaurants as food. Liberating these fish will prolong their lives.

IMHO, the best way to liberate animals is to stop eating meat. In this case, we are liberating EVERYDAY.

[Jessie Fong]

To liberate is to set free from a situation.  In this case of fish liberation, they only enjoyed their freedom for a very short span of time.  Where then is the liberation?

RedLantern had suggested that this liberation be carried out in a natural lake so that the liberated fishes would enjoy a longer term of survival, even though this does not ensure that they will be free forever.  I heard from a group of friends that they were facing a problem of liberating fishes into a man-made lake as the local authority was holding a fishing competition there during the weekend!

[Tenzin Malgyur]

Such situations are always bothering the people who wished to perform some life liberations of animals. When one intends to release a large quantity of live animals, he would have to place an order from the person who will then start capturing the required amount. In a way, a demand was created to have the animals captured. A better way would be to visit a market where these animals are sold to be eaten and purchase them on the spot and brought to a suitable place to be released. Yes, there may be people fishing on the lakes where fishes are released, at the very least, the fishes have been blessed with prayers and mantras chanted before being released. May they be released from samsara eventually.

[dondrup]

Through some good karma or merit, these carps were saved, blessed and released by Buddhists into safer conditions or environments. If proper Buddhist prayers and blessings were performed for the carps they will ensure their good future rebirth.

Due consideration should be made before liberating animals (in this case the carps). The foremost consideration is the motivation of liberating these carps. It is the best to liberate the carps with bodhichitta motivation. If these carps were destined to be killed as food, they should be saved first. If these carps were acquired from a fishmonger, the fishmonger should not have prior knowledge of the purchase. This is to prevent the capturing of carps to meet the demand for them. Always use a different source of carps. Ideally there should be no second purchase from a particular supplier. This is to avoid creating a demand for the carps. When there is a demand, there will be a supply for the demand. Minimize harm on the carps during their delivery to the location for release. Ensure these carps are released into safe ponds or rivers. Minimize the chances of these carps being recaptured after their release.

The measures to be taken are not meant to be exhaustive. It is the responsibilities of the sponsor and the group performing the animal liberation  to be mindful and as much as possible to avoid causing further harm to the already unfortunate animals.

In samsara everything is in the nature of suffering.  Even the supposed freedom accorded to these carps is in the nature of suffering! These carps are constantly living in deep fear and in danger of being captured, harmed or killed!

No matter how thorough we can be, the carps are at the mercy of their own karma. The carps are subject to death anytime and anywhere.

[Tenzin K]

Actually they are various things we need to take into consideration when we want to do fish liberation or any animal liberation.

When we want to engage to this virtues act, we have to be fully aware and alert in the sense of the motivation; if we want to save lives we should think and plan thoroughly to make it an act that will bring benefits not only to the fishes that we release but also the people that release them.
Let say if we want to liberate fish, we can buy them from the market that going to be slaughter for people meal, those type of fish are worth to save else they will be killed for food to others.
Place to releasing them, we shall check out upfront the place we wanted to liberate them. Whether it safe for them. In ideal case we should find a place that safe for them and they are able to find food too but of course we do our very best.

Don’t forget the fishes have their karma too and so to the people that liberate them. We can do our very best to provide the best situation but somehow doing liberation with proper prayer to the fishes is a blessing and what happen later to the fishes at least it has been blessed but this doesn’t mean we neglect to provide the best condition to liberate them. 

[cookie]

I totally agree with what Kris said that if people truly want to liberate animals , start by not eating them !

[dsiluvu]

The following article was published by China News.  As soon as these carps were released for liberation by some Buddhists, 50 men stood on the riverbank downstream, waiting for the release to recapture them. 

The karma of the carps did not allow them to be free and had the karma of these fishermen on the riverbank to recapture them.  Would it be wise not to purchase them for liberation so there would not be a demand for them to stop fishing and recapturing?

Oh dear Lord... really no karma to be FREE! But when I look closely at the pictures... it seems like another profit making opportunity... China is really China... anyway, any chance to find ways to make a quick buck. So I guess they saw "Animal Liberation" an easy recycling profit making business without much overheads! SAD!!!

Those that are liberating the animals are really silly! They should release those fishes some where else where they can be really free! What's the point of releasing them knowing they will be caught again. Humans are dumb some times and this is the perfect example of ignorance!

Yes the motivation to release the fishes is probably not even something higher than the benefit of the self, that's still fine, but please be a little bit smart about it, you wouldn't want your life to be prolonged for just a bit and cut short in the end like the fishes do you? Silly people! Sorry!!!

[Q]

I'm not surprised... Unfortunately, although China is now considered the most economically influential country in the world... it is also one of the most disgusting country where profit/money is more important than holding morality. Whatever happened to Lao Tzu, Confucius... The knowledge may be there, but many no longer practice it.

I have a few friends that worked in China, and whenever I tell them how disgusting the people in China that they have to resort to so many sinister acts such as this... they would just shake their heads and tell me, the competition, the difficulty of living in that country is truly out of this world. Some people are so poor, eating even one full meal is considered a blessing. It blew my mind away... and I thought, if I was ever in that situation... how would I react?

However, that being said. Just because like in this situation, the fish that was being released are captured once more... it doesn't mean that we should stop doing animal liberation. We should continue to liberate these animals, and do all we can perhaps to choose a location where they will not be recaptured... If there is no choice, and somehow these fishes or animals released are captured, then we have done our best. Perhaps a good thing that those releasing these animals can do is educate those that try to catch these animals.

[brian]

Anything can happen in China isn't it. Bothers my mind a lot. Imagine at one point, people are trying to be good and create merits by virtuous act of liberating them and on the other hand, there will be a group of people trying to recapture the liberated fishes. This is surely not a good way to make money. Gives the capturer tremendous negative karma. Then again, yes, there may be people fishing on the lakes where fishes are released, at the very least, the fishes have been blessed with prayers and mantras chanted before being released. May they be released from samsara eventually.

[Jessie Fong]

Icy wrote: ... Would it be wise not to purchase them for liberation so there would not be a demand for them to stop fishing and recapturing?

Just the same, would it not create a demand for carps, or maybe birds when we start to buy those in captivity?  Would we not be encouraging the traders to capture more birds or maybe more carps?

Would there be a correct way to go about animal liberation?