A tradition that once encouraged the spontaneous release of doomed animals has today become a commercial enterprise in which people buy animals specifically to release them. The process may injure—or even kill—them.
This has “created a thriving industry for those who trap, trade, and sell wild animals for release, taking advantage of Buddhists' empathy for animals,” said the Venerable Refa Shi, president of The American Buddhist Confederation of New York, in a press release issued by Humane Society International.
Buddhists from Hong Kong to France to the United States—and even non-Buddhists, especially in China—have adopted the practice, also known as fangsheng. According to Humane Society International, hundreds of millions of animals are involved each year. They range from monkeys to turtles, which symbolize longevity in Chinese culture.
Read Full Article »