“How many more patients do we want to see languishing in the hospitals between life and death, or dead because of that piece of meat that we put in our mouth? How many more families we want to break up due to this kind of disease and death caused by meat? How many more children we want to see suffer with heart disease, cancers at a young age already, because of the meat diet? And how much more ene

ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਲੜਨਾ ਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ ਹੈ ਅੰਤ ਤਕ, ਸ੍ਰੀ ਮਾਨ ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰਪਤੀ ਜੀ। ਜਿਉਂ ਮੈਂ ਗਲ ਕਰ ਰਹੀ ਹਾਂ ਐਸ ਵਕਤ, ਮੈਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਜਾਣਦੀ ਕਿਤਨੇ ਹੋਰ ਬਚੇ ਮਰ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ ਬਾਹਰ ਉਥੇ। ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਤੁਸੀਂ ਸ਼ਾਂਤੀ ਸਿਰਜ਼ਦੇ ਹੋ, ਸੋ ਭਵਿਖ ਦੇ ਬਚੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਦੁਖੀ ਹੋਣਗੇ ਉਸ ਤਕਦੀਰ ਨਾਲ ਹੋਰ। ਤੁਸੀਂ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੌਂਸਲਾ ਹਾਰ ਸਕਦੇ। ਤੁਹਾਨੂੰ ਉਨਾਂ ਲਈ ਲੜਨਾ ਜ਼ਰੂਰੀ ਹੈ, ਸ੍ਰੀ ਮਾਨ ਰਾਸ਼ਟਰਪਤੀ ਜੀ! ਨਵੰਬਰ 24, 2020 ਨੂੰ, ਜਦੋਂ ਸਾਡੇ ਅਤਿ-ਪਿਆਰੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰੂ ਜੀ ਸਨੇਹ ਨਾਲ ਚੈਕ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਸੀ ਸੁਪਰੀਮ ਮ

Well-versed in many religious teachings and practices, Supreme Master Ching Hai has graciously explained this core principle. “There are Ten Commandments in the Bible. The first one is ‘Thou shalt not kill.’ When we kill any living being, we commit the act of kill. As long as it has life, it counts as killing. It doesn’t say ‘not to kill people’; it says ‘not to kill,’ meaning not to take any life. Similarly, in Buddhism, the first precept is the most important and it is also not to kill.” “And in Buddhism, the law of cause and effect is absolute and exact. Whatever you do to others, it will be done to us in some way or another. Not only Buddhism, Christians say the same, ‘As you sow, so shall you reap.’ And any other religion you look carefully, you will see the law of karma, the cause and effect: whatever you do, it will be done to you. Therefore, Confucius said, ‘Do not do to others what you do not desire for yourself.’ Because He also knew the law of cause and effect - meaning whatever you do, you will get the result, the bad or good.” “Most of the time we study but we do not practice. For example, Christianity, the Bible says ‘Thou shall not kill’ and ‘do not be among the meat eaters and wine drinkers.’ Not be among them even, not to talk about become one of them, like meat eaters. These are very simple things, but I think many of us have overlooked. And the Buddha also taught us to be vegetarian, not to eat any sentient beings at all because they’re all our relatives and friends – meaning we are all interconnected. Hinduism teaches the same, Jainism teaches the same: avoid killing of any manner.” “Obviously, the eating of any kind of animals, sentient beings is absolutely forbidden in all main belief systems and holy teachings. Yet too many of God’s children, or religious believers, are not following these basic guidelines, because we have been led astray by misconceptions that we need to eat the flesh of animals, fish, eggs and milk to be healthy. The opposite is true – it has been proven in scientific and clinical studies that consuming animals causes innumerable diseases in humans, such as cancers, all kinds of cancers and heart diseases, thus early death, and endless sorrow, suffering before that. Our original diet, as per the Garden of Eden, is the vegan diet. It promotes both physical and mental and spiritual wellbeing. We can live happy, healthy lives, thriving purely on plant foods.”

As most humans have lost the ability to telepathically communicate with each other and other beings, we do not know how animals think and feel. Fortunately, there are spiritual practitioners and animal communicators who can perceive the thoughts and feelings of animals. Today, we’ll present some of these people’s personal experiences encountering animals. “(It scared me also, that I can talk to the animals.) Why? It's good! (Yeah, because I didn't expect that they can respond me in the psychic. Sometimes when I pass by on the street and the dogs come by and I can hear his feeling or what he wants. Like sometimes I talk to them, but they are very scared. They keep distance from people, you know, they have broken heart, and they can hardly believe anymore that people can mean goodness to them.)” “(Recently, I went to a conference hall in Greece, and previously, it was a slaughterhouse.) Ah! Yes! (And I started feeling uncomfortable, and had pictures of panic and fright, and I didn't know why. I felt the pain and the panic. So, I started reciting the (Holy) Names, and I really cried for them, and I saw Your presence there. And their souls, I felt that their souls were liberated. They were previously entrapped in pain, in a level of pain. And through the reciting of the (Holy) Names and the prayer, they were liberated. ) Yeah, wonderful! (And I was grateful, and they were grateful immediately.) Oh, I am grateful to you, that you were there. (Thank You!) They were liberated... You bring love and blessing to them. (Yes, thanks to You, thanks to You. I brought You there, and it was such peace all over the place, and I immediately felt better, so I knew, I knew.)” “(I’d like to share something about the animals. I used to go and visit the cows. There was a field nearby with the cows. And sometimes I just needed to get something out, something off my chest and I’d cry from the bottom of my heart. And whenever I felt that way, the cows, I’d go and visit them, and they’d come right up to the fence every single time. And they also, they said a few things. They said they were very grateful for Supreme Master Television, for the work that You’re doing, for the work that all the disciples are doing. And sometimes I’d see one or two of the cows crying. And they said that it wasn’t because they knew of their fate, that they were going to die. They were crying for mankind.) They really feel sorry for humans, they don’t hate humans for hurting them even, the animals. When we’re hurting them, they are praying for us. They’re forgiving and they feel sorry for us so much. Because they feel that humans are so ignorant, they really didn’t know what they’re doing. So they feel very sorry. Yeah, so it’s good that you have such experience, very profound.”

Meat is not the only exploitative product that humans derive out of the helpless animals. There are numerous other products from animals that people consume and wear, such as honey, swallow nest, bear bile, leather, and all kinds of fur. Sadly, humans have been exploiting almost all species of animals. Supreme Master Ching Hai has condemned these cruel practices in many of Her lectures. "(We know from documentaries that the fur industry causes some of the most extreme suffering to animals, and that animals can be killed specifically for leather products. We also see that collecting feathers from birds like geese and wool from sheep involves cruelty. What is the merit lost from making or selling these clothing related products of fur, feathers, wool and/or leather? Thank You, Master.) Why do we talk about merit lost when we don’t even have any merit anyway? I mean, we can only talk about sins accumulated. But 'merit loss' is a very kind way to put it. We lose immense amount of merits, if we have any. And if we don’t have, we’re going to pay for it dearly, dearly, dearly, dearly. Yes. Anything that causes suffering to animals – for fur, for meat, for wool, for leather, anything like that – will incur very, very bad, bad, bad karmic consequences, and we will have to pay dearly with our own suffering." "I don’t see any beauty in clubbing a seal or smashing the head of a fox in order to put it on your back. My God, we have so many things that we don’t need... Yes, many things we can wear without being so wicked to other less defensive beings. This is terrible. This is really below our dignity to even think about it." For many millennia, out of ignorance, humans have exploited countless innocent beings and caused immeasurable suffering, reaping disastrous karmic consequences for our planet that are now becoming more and more evident. It’s not too late to heed the warnings of our beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai and stop these inhuman practices once and for all. We need to U-turn now to save our Earth, to save our souls, and to ensure a beautiful, kind future for our children.

On November 6, 2020, during a work-related phone call with a Supreme Master Television team member, Our Beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai, who continues to meditate intensively for the world, conveyed Her constant deep concern about the state of the planet and the climate crisis. She also graciously answered some questions including those about current events in the United States.(Master, the United States pulled out of the Paris Climate Agreement and many Americans are worried about it. Should they be?)(Master, the livestock industry is the one who emits the most methane gas (Yes.) and is responsible for heating up the climate the most, (Yes.) so why doesn’t the Paris Agreement mention that or address that?)(Master, President Trump, he spoke at a news conference about fraud in this presidential election. (Yeah.) And only a couple of major news media have played it. Why?)(Master, is there any truth to this fraud in the presidential election?)Whatever he can in his power and just limited four years. And with all the opposition around him. All the attacks, relentlessly, non-stop. (Yes, Master.) He still did many good things. I really applaud him and I thank him for the world’s sake and for the Americans’ sake. Even if he loses the election, I still thank him. I still think he is a worthwhile president of all time. I wish we have more presidents like that. And I’m sure if he knows much more about the climate change or about the meat industry, he would stop them. Just the way he would stop every other thing, almost immediately. (Yes, Master.) So I will be very sorry if he loses the election.But whatever it is, it’s all the Americans’ karma. And then God’s will, I mean the Lord of Karma will regulate, accordingly. So we can only pray. And we will not blame anyone, win or lose.The most important aspect, the most important issue is that we have to keep our planet and the world people and beings on this planet, all of them. We must keep them all safe by keeping the temperature as normal as before the climate change. Or at least stop it from getting worse now. I don’t see any governments are doing anything substantial to stop the climate change. To stop all these disasters because of climate change. To stop all the suffering, the pandemic, even, because of the livestock industry, livestock imprisonment, livestock torture, livestock massacring. They should stop that and everything else will be better and OK soon.We still just continue, just continue hoping, hoping things will change. (Yes.) It changed a little bit, but from the people, not from the lawmakers. (Yes.) Because they wrote it themselves. They did not even enforce it. And they themselves break the law every day by making suffering for the animals and allowing all this massacre and abuse and torture of the innocent, helpless, harmless animals who are the friends, the best friends of humans and the true friends of humans and all. (Yes.) Yes. So it’s not from the governments that things will change, only the people’s hearts will change to veer the course of our periled planet. (Yes, yes.) People, they watch the films, they watch our TV, they see the logic of it and the compassionate indication of it so they might change their hearts and that’s how people will change the life on this planet and rescue our world.

After thousands of years of translations from one language to another, perhaps there have been some misinterpretations of the ancient texts. In many enlightening lectures, Supreme Master Ching Hai has helped to elucidate the common misunderstandings regarding the diet of these great Saints and Prophets. “In Italy, they have that kind of pig’s delight mushroom, remember? Truffle, it's hidden underground and the pigs always dig it and eat it. When they sniff it, they dig it with their feet and then the people go after it and dig the mushroom out and sell it. They're very expensive. So the Buddha ate that, of course, He was offered that as a delicacy. They call it ‘pig’s delight’ or ‘pig’s feet’ because of that story, because of the pigs who are able to sniff that and dig it out for people. So the Buddha, poor Buddha did not taste any pork but ate a big ‘pig’s feet.’ Oh, dear God.” “Mostly all these documents are found in the Dead Sea Scrolls which they have unearthed not long ago, some years ago. And they have found all these great teachings. And Jesus belonged to this Order. ‘In their profound respect for all living things, they never touch flesh food...’ They don't eat meat, see that? I hope all the Essenes in this lifetime also read this and don't eat meat. ‘Nor did they drink fermented liquid.’ Means no alcohol. See that? Yes.” “In the Surangama Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha said, ‘If we spiritual practitioners eat sentient beings’ flesh, the highest level we can attain is maya’s level.’ It’s not that eating meat makes us become maya. It’s because of our level inside and our insensitivity that we are only worthy of being maya.” “Why are the Indian people more enlightened than other people? I wondered myself. Yes, and then I had the answer. God told me, ‘Because they practice what they preach. They practice ahimsa. They practice vegetarianism. They practice prayers. They practice meditation. They practice constant awareness of all beings are one. What is done to one is done to all others.’ And I said, Thank You very much! When we have sincere questions, God always answers. And this is what the Hinduism and the philosophy of this motherland is boiled down to.”

In this episode, we will discuss ways you can boost your body's immune system against major diseases like COVID-19. The first person we might look to is Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine, who said 2,500 years ago: “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” But what kind of food is best for us? One of the largest and most comprehensive studies ever conducted in this area is a joint effort between Cornell University of the USA, Oxford University of England, The Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, and The Chinese Cancer Institute, tracking 6,500 rural Chinese over a 20-year period. The study finds conclusively that there are no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants. Not only that, it also finds that animal food of any kind, even in small amounts, is damaging to health. This highly regarded long-term is chronicled in the iconic book “The China Study,” released in 2004 by one of the lead scientists of the project, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, Professor Emeritus of Nutritional Biochemistry at Cornell University. Today, at the age of 86, Dr. Campbell remains active in the promotion of the whole food plant-based diet as a vital solution to chronic diseases, environmental degradation, and climate change. In an interview conducted by his eldest son Nelson Campbell in April 2020 about COVID-19, Dr. Campbell sheds light on the role of plant-based food in managing viral infections. “The greater the consumption of animal-based foods, the greater there was of the antigen – that’s the active form of the virus.” Further, in an article published on PlantPureCommunities.org in April 2020, entitled, “Our Most Important Defense Against COVID-19: Finding Hope Through Scientific Evidence,” Dr. Campbell wrote: “In my opinion, good evidence exists to show that the beneficial effects of a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet also applies to viral diseases like COVID-19.” An analysis of plant foods reveals why they are far superior to animal foods. Apart from providing the necessary fuel and nutrition for our body, a balanced vegan diet contains sufficient levels of many immunity powerhouses, including vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, flavonoids, selenium, and zinc. These super-antioxidants enhance the production and activities of two important immune system defenders – white blood cells and antibodies, and protect them from oxidative damage. As we have seen, a wholesome vegan diet is beneficial to the immune system in many ways.

In a YouTube video posted on March 14, 2020, marine biologist Dr. Robert Carter, a senior scientist and speaker for Creation Ministries International-USA (CMI-USA) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, discussed how SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, emerged: “You’ve probably learned that you have more bacteria in and on your body than you have cells in your body. That’s a lot of bacteria, but do you know what? You have even more viruses than you have bacteria. ‘What? What are the viruses doing?’ They’re controlling the number of bacteria in your gut, and they’re controlling the species of bacteria. So, what they’re doing is, regulating. In general, they don’t cause disease. However, when they jump to another species, that other species doesn’t have the ability to regulate this virus properly. Right now, there’s a new virus in the world, it’s a coronavirus.” The current consensus among the scientific community is that COVID-19 originated in bats. Bats are a major natural reservoir of coronaviruses. Bats do not become ill themselves from the coronaviruses they carry, but can pass them onto other animals. Since humans rarely interact with bats, it is unlikely that bats directly gave the COVID-19 virus to humans. However, humans routinely interact with other wildlife and livestock animals. Over the years, the ever-increasing human demand for meat and dairy has given rise to more numerous, larger-scale animal livestock operations, increasing the frequency of animal-human contact. Moreover, many of these sites are encroaching on bat territories, amplifying the risk of virus transfer from bats to humans. Moreover, as the “crown of creation,” we humans cannot, in good conscience, turn a blind eye to the fact that wet markets and animal livestock operations are a living nightmare for the animals and the human workers involved, flying in the face of the principle of love central to all major faiths. No matter how you look at it, a shift to a vegan lifestyle is a win-win proposition for all. One thing COVID-19 has opened our eyes to is that, collectively, we are willing to make drastic changes to our lifestyles when human lives are on the line. We wear masks, practice social distancing, stay locked down, and avoid mass gatherings. With potential runaway global warming looming large, no less than life on Earth is now at stake. This beckons the question: “Is it time for humanity to make one more simple but giant step – embrace the healthy, environmentally-friendly, and compassionate vegan lifestyle?” The answer is clearly “YES!” And by taking this action, we can solve a myriad of devastating global issues in one stroke, including pandemics, chronic diseases, enormous economic troubles, water shortages, world hunger, species extinction, and climate change.

In many ancient cultures and religions, such as those of Egypt, Greece, India, China, and Âu Lạc (Vietnam), cows were revered as sacred beings. Even today, in Nepal and parts of India, it’s illegal to kill these gentle beings. In many of Her lectures, Supreme Master Ching Hai revealed the special qualities of cows and why they deserve to be treated with love and respect. “The cows have 38% PQ (Positive Quality), 0% EQ (Negative Quality), 40% SQ (Saintly Quality), 50% GQ (Goodness Quality). Cows are from almost the Fifth Level, border of Fourth and Fifth. Cows, all the cows are from there. And they eat them. You don't know whom you're dealing with all the time. You look down upon animals. You're not even there. Look at the cows. They eat just grass, and they give you milk, cheese, absolutely everything. And they still kill and eat them. The cows are like a mother of almost all the babies on the whole planet.” Many people grow up believing that milk is good for human health due to misunderstandings, misinformation and profit-driven advertisements. In reality, milk is not compatible with the human body and can cause many physical problems. “Milk products have also been linked to many forms of cancers as well as diseases that can be fatal such as Crohn's disease and listeriosis. And even though people often believe that milk contains a lot of calcium, the digestion of milk often requires more calcium than it contains. So, the calcium is actually removed from the body in order to digest the milk. In fact, countries that consume the most milk are the same ones that have the most osteoporosis and the weakest bones.” “Dairy is included together with meat because the cruelty and torture are the same, and the end result is a horrible death for the poor animals. After just a couple of years of nonstop pregnancy and milking, dairy cows are killed for meat as well. Their babies are sold also, and killed for veal. So, there is no mercy in the dairy industry either.” Words cannot describe the pain and anguish humans inflict on innocent animals, especially the gentle cows. As stewards of our fragile world, we must work together to ensure that all co-inhabitants, especially our more vulnerable animal friends, may live freely in peace and happiness as God intended.

Water is essential to the survival of all beings on this planet. It nurtures lives, cleanses, and connects everything. On June 24, World UNITY Water Day, the proposal for “World Water Law” and “World Water Year 2021” were launched. His Excellency Mussie Hailu, Member of UN Representative, and Goodwill Ambassador of Culture of Peace Initiative, sent an online message of endorsement for the proposal. The Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, first launched on June 19, 2017, is an international, multi-faith alliance that brings together faith leaders from around the world in a concerted effort to end tropical deforestation. Religious leaders from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist faiths joined the indigenous peoples from Brazil, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Indonesia, Meso-America and Peru to make protection of rainforests an ethical priority. Dame Dr. Jane Goodall, the British environmentalist, animal rights activist, primatologist and Shining World Compassion Award Recipient, was a guest speaker for the event. She talked on the magic of the rainforest and its crucial role in mitigating climate change. She pointed out the connection between the current Covid-19 pandemic and detrimental human behavior. “This pandemic, it’s keeping us apart. I should have been with you today, but I am locked down, in Bournemouth, in England. Others of you will still be locked down. We will be social distancing, or something. We brought this pandemic on ourselves. And it’s because we disrespected the forest, disrespected the natural world, disrespected the animals.” On June 27th, celebration of the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter was the climax of World Unity Week. Established on June 26, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations is a foundational treaty to uphold the basic human rights of every world citizen and a broad outline of principles to achieve higher standards of living for all. Signed by 50 countries, the Preamble of the treaty begins with, “We the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small.”

“If we say that the ocean ecosystems are dependent on fish populations to be balanced, then those ecosystems are extremely imbalanced right now.” “If fish are continually taken from the ocean, it will become as empty as the desert. In 2006, an international team of scientists and economists found that around a third of the ocean’s fish populations has already been wiped out due to fishing, pollution, and other human causes. They warned that if the steep decline of fish populations was not stopped, the oceans would be empty of fish by 2048. It’s not far. It’s not far future for us. Our own survival is at risk if we continue consuming fish, because the oceans produce half of the world’s oxygen, and fish are an important part of the marine ecosystem which produces oxygen for us.” Supreme Master Ching Hai shared one of Her own interesting encounters with fish and explained why fish love to be close to spiritual practitioners. “It happened when we were in Pingtung as well. The fishes all swam to the surface and danced. Yes! They were shining. In Pingtung, when we first arrived, we went down to wash our faces and hands. The fishes immediately came up to the surface. Wow! There were so many that the whole lake was lit up! It happened every time! Fishes love to be around us. They understand, their Buddha Nature inside understands. Their Buddha Nature and ours are the same.” “(Does one incur bad karma [retribution] when you go fishing?) Of course, you will get a lot, a lot of bad karma (retribution). Or what do you think? That the fish gets the bad karma (retribution) or what? Of course, if you go fishing, then you create heavy karma (retribution) because you are terminating a living being when his time has not yet come, when he hasn't gone naturally by God's will. Anytime we terminate an existence by our own self-will, we create a burden for our soul, and it's very difficult for us to erase that later on.” “If we truly wish to see real harmony born between humans and animals and nature and Heaven, we must be the harmony, we must live in harmony, and act also in harmony, which includes the act of eating harmoniously each time we come to the table. Peace, compassion, mercy begins on our plate. We cannot truly call ourselves harmonious if every meal is the result of filling our hands with the blood of the innocent and harming the environment and killing our planet on which we live. How can we call a dinner of fish harmonious, when slow and painful deaths by mass suffocation had to take place to bring the fish there onto our plate? All the scriptures told us that we receive what we grant, or we reap what we sow.”

Welcome, concerned viewers, to today’s important, informative and urgent program, “COVID-19 and Meat Processing Plants: Deadly for Humans and Animals.” What exactly is a meat processing plant? They are fenced-off, massive multi-story, windowless buildings, in which as many as 10 million animals a year are killed, dismembered, cut into saleable pieces of meat or ground into hamburger mince, meat-meal, or meat-pastes, and then packaged for distribution. They were formerly called “slaughterhouses” or “abattoirs,” but have since been re-named “meat processing plants”- perhaps in an effort to make them less repulsive to the public’s ears and eyes. But we should have no doubt at all – these factories are horrific and torturous to both the animals and the humans who work there. During this current coronavirus pandemic, the slaughterhouse horror story is being magnified, as numerous meat processing plants have become hotspots for human transmission of the COVID-19 virus. Why is the virus so prevalent at meat processing plants? Many experts have cited, the stressful, dangerous working conditions in which employees stand shoulder-to-shoulder for long hours on the meat assembly line; in highly air-conditioned rooms laden with bacteria; and floors swirling in fecal matter and blood. This creates a highly volatile environment where disease can quickly spread. Added to this is the psychological and emotional stress of the constant killing, and the sounds and smells of death, all of which powerfully depress and inhibit the immune systems of the workers, which is exactly what the virus needs for infection and transmission. Whether the meat itself was a medium of transfer, or the workers spread it through their meat-products, equipment and bacterial-rich working conditions, remains to be discovered. One thing is for certain – these situations must stop, and stop quickly! Many organizations are calling for the permanent closure of meat processing plants, and an urgent and complete shift to a plant-based lifestyle. Supreme Master Ching Hai has reminded us that all pandemics and environmental disasters are the consequences from killing billions of innocent and helpless animal co-inhabitants, and recommends a global adoption of the vegan lifestyle.

In the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic, the first World UNITY Week took place from June 20 to 27, 2020, in an effort to bring together people of all faiths from different countries and racial backgrounds. Assembling 126 global partners, the online event called for a unified effort to help start a new page for Earth, to build a brighter, more beautiful future for our home planet and all co-inhabitants. More than 200 keynote speakers addressed the pressing topics of our time, including “collective climate action,” “partnerships for peace,” “global governance,” “interfaith harmony,” “interracial justice,” “sustainable and regenerative development,” “the role of business and economics,” and “human rights.” The opening ceremony on June 20th, the mid-year solstice, began with indigenous prayers led by the Honorable Native American Chief Phil Lane Jr. Joining the opening prayer ceremony were indigenous chiefs, peace activists, NGOs, and leaders from Buddhist, Christian and other religions. Several spiritual musicians also presented their most heart-touching performances. Our beloved Supreme Master Ching Hai was also invited by Chief Phil to speak at the opening ceremony. “This unprecedented time gives us opportunity to reflect inwardly, since outwardly we have been limited. But our soul is forever free as long as we know how to turn inward and find our real self, our soul, which is a part of the Divine, then we will feel free no matter what circumstances, no matter if we are hindered by physical situation. This is a time for us to be quietly contemplating our true nature within. To ask ourselves, why misfortune happened and open our hearts to listen to Divine guidance. The Divine guidance told me that, ‘As we sow, so shall we reap.’ So let’s start now, from now to sow all benevolent deeds that we can, so that we will get benevolent outcomes in return for our future. The past we cannot change, but we could change our future, depends on our present actions, our future will be doomed or bright. And you know well, according to that wisdom, we cannot expect full happiness, full joy if we cause sorrow to others including our Earth co-tenants, the sweet animals and all other beings around us. They are the blessing sent from Heaven to help us in our sojourn on this planet. We should appreciate them, protect them and be grateful for their presence. I guess, many guests would have more wise words and compassionate messages to share. So my simple message is: Be Vegan, Make Peace. Thank you all for doing your part to save our world. All my love and God bless.”

People fortunate to have chickens as companions find these loving creatures to be very affectionate, sociable, and intelligent. It is a sad and great loss for those who view these precious birds simply as food. More than 50 billion chickens confined in extremely crowded factories are slaughtered each year. Genetically modified and force-fed all kinds of hormones, medicine, and other chemicals to promote rapid growth, factory farm chickens have a life span of only 6-7 weeks rather than their normal 7-15 years. This leads to antibiotic immunity, dangerous hormones, poisonous chemicals, and epidemic diseases that are transferred to humans when they consume the chicken meat. “We love animals, cannot eat them. For example, will you go and grab a chicken and cut its throat and eat it, if you do it? (No.) No, you can’t. Just because people do it already and make it look so nice, a little piece, you don’t even realize that it’s life, it’s real life. He was walking on the farm yesterday with his little children and then they took him and cut his throat and then put on the table and eat it. (Yes.) Can you imagine? (Too sad.) We don’t do that – too sad, too sad. Because people don’t realize it, they’re too busy. (Yes, they are too busy.) Not like they don’t have a good heart: all the people have a good heart. They just don’t know that it becomes a habit, and one generation after another generation.” The egg industry is no less cruel. The hens are raised in filthy tiny cages, exposed to unnatural light all day to force-produce the maximum amount of eggs. The male chicks are deemed useless and are killed in the most heartless way. “Eggs have also been shown to be extremely unhealthy, so there is absolutely no need to eat them anyway. One US study with 14,000 adults found that just adding one egg a day to the diet increased the risk of heart failure by 23%. Vegan products, by contrast, are completely cholesterol-free and healthy for all our internal organs, for our mind as well. A healthy body houses a clear mind. It’s better for our body, for our conscience, for our mind, and for the planet to stay away from both fish and eggs. No animal products at all; that is the best way. We should be vegan.” “Spiritually speaking – some eggs may contain life in it. You don’t know which one with and which one without. It’s all mixed in the supermarket, you never know. That’s one thing. So, two: eggs attract negative power, negative energies. So the more you eat that, the more you’ll be irritated, sometimes you’ll get even possessed and you don’t know why. You don’t get possessed for nothing; must be something in your life that’s out of balance so that your guard has been destroyed, that the guardian angel is even helpless to help you, and your bodyguard, your natural guard, has been broken somehow so that disease or unfavorable entities, bad energy can enter your body and destroy your strong will power, controlling your own destiny.”

For sure, animals are sentient beings capable of feeling all the emotions we feel, happiness, sorrow, anger, and much more. When they are being slaughtered, they tremble in fear, frantically struggle, scream in anguish, and cry endless tears, imbuing these powerful negative emotions into their dying flesh. Supreme Master Ching Hai shed some light on this subject. “Whenever we eat meat, it is unavoidable that some of the hatred, anger, frustration in the animal's heart when he departs will be imposed upon, imprinted upon our subconscious. And then we feel uneasy inside. Therefore, when we sleep in the night, we have nightmares; when we see the animals, they are frightened of us and run away; and when we are sick, it is difficult to cure, because of all this hatred, anger atmosphere, which hangs around the meat that we eat.” With deep sympathy for the pain and distress of farm animals, Supreme Master Ching Hai wrote a poem entitled “Words of a Piglet” in Her late 20s. The heart-wrenching poem vividly conveys the thoughts and feelings of a little piglet. “Words of a Piglet The day I met you first Was the day of my birth. Pink and round, me oh so plump I gaily frolicked with Mom. Lovingly you looked at me Praising, ‘Oh, so round, what a cutie!’ Every day you came by to visit Bringing cool water and delicious veggie treats... Mommy and I were so touched Your kindness, more than gold worth I lived a peaceful life Under your care and protection Growing more plump with each passing day Just eat, rest and play... So lovely was this early morn As clouds were drifting across the sky Cuddling together, Mommy and I Unaware of the befalling tragedy! Two brawny young men Strong like tigers and elephants Squashed my tiny body into a cage of horror. Flat! There was no way to escape! O God, what purgatory was this? I wailed in fear and terror Mom, oh mom, please save me Oh caretaker, please, fast, come protect me! Rescue my life, I’m still at a tender age! Mom was crying out in sorrow Tears of desperation filling her eyes The immense Heavens cannot contain This horrendous heart-wrenching pain! My caretaker turned away Hands busy counting a stack of money Haplessly I rolled around in the car trunk Breaking heart more painful than bodily misery! The two young men bantered: ‘This piglet will be so tasty! Tomorrow we’ll slaughter him To celebrate the birth of the wife’s newborn baby!’ Oh, how ironic this life My soul is shattered Tears flow in my heart Like blood running in rivulets. I thought you loved me Nurturing me to maturity But all this was a sham It’s all just about profit and gain! Tomorrow my body will be chopped to pieces My flesh and bones turned to sheer torture Just so people can laugh in merriment At their happy feast and gathering. To your children and others’ too I wish them all long lives So the family can stay together Not endure the same fate as mine... I pray the whole family lives nobly To be human in many lifetimes And never be reborn as pigs Paying forever karmic debts! Alas, goodbye life... I ache for my gentle suffering mother. In tears I am overcome... Oh, mommy! Mom... mom!”

Over the years, Supreme Master Ching Hai has shared Her insights about the harmful effects of meat on many different occasions. “All animals want to live; they fear death. If we force them to die by killing them, we incur tremendous bad karma, which can’t be cleansed easily even by the (Inner Heavenly) Sound Meditation. And we just practice occasionally; not to mention those who never practice. Therefore, eating meat isn’t safe and will hinder you from liberation.” The following is a testament from an Association member who struggled to keep the First Guideline at the beginning of his practice. “I wasn’t a vegan before. It was not easy for me to keep the vegan diet. I counted the days every day. ‘Today is the 10th day. Not bad, I’ve been a vegan for 10 days, 11, 12…’ I kept counting each day. When it was over 20 days, I couldn’t bear it anymore. I said to myself, ‘I am going to eat meat and quit spiritual practice. After tonight, I will quit for sure.’ So, that night, I didn’t meditate. I just took a shower, watched TV, and went to bed. While lying in bed, I had an inner vision. What was it? I was standing outside on a plain in the countryside on a plain in the countryside with a mountain in the front. I stood there alone. Suddenly a voice came from the sky. It sounded like the voice Master used to recite the Five Holy Names. Now I remembered. The very low voice said, ‘If you dare to eat meat, when you die, you will suffer more pain than now.’ Then, a flash of lightning struck me. My whole body jolted. Just one strike and I couldn’t bear it. The lightning was very strong. Normally, when we get an electric shock, our hand will feel numb for a while, but when the lightning struck me, my whole body was in pain! I jumped up and then fell down. I jumped up and then fell down. Another flash of lightning came, stronger, and I jumped even higher. ‘Ouch!’ I screamed. Then I woke up. (It’s to let you know that in hell, it’s more painful than that.) Yes! After waking up, I checked myself and said, ‘That was incredible! Looking at myself, I seemed to be fine. Since that day, I have not dared, nor mentioned eating meat. When I saw a piece of meat, I dared not even think about it, not at all!” “I can assure you, when you have reached a higher level, you wouldn’t dare to eat meat. Even without me telling you, you can see for yourself how the people who have just eaten a piece of meat have been punished. They are not punished by me; it is the law of causality. That is why some people have to come back as tigers, horses, cows, pigs or chickens to be slaughtered innumerable times before they can clear the karmic debt of their palate pleasure.” In Supreme Master Ching Hai’s Urgent Message to All Religious and Spiritual Leaders, She called on the reverent leaders of different faiths to remind people to change to the righteous and compassionate way of living. “As great spiritual leaders, You would also be aware of the devastation occurring on our planet, directly related to accelerated climate change caused by humans’ cruel behaviors and brutal habits, which is not so difficult to change once applying the principle of love. Please tell Your believers this truth. Please keep telling them, please keep reminding them. I know You did, but we could do more. Thank You.”

The karmic consequences of meat-eating include painful suffering in the afterlife. In today’s show, we will share with you frightening accounts of the punishment in hell that awaits those who eat meat or are involved in meat businesses. The first story is a personal experience by one of our Association members. “On the day Master came back to Hsihu from France, I went to see Master. In the evening, the inner Master told me, ‘Your friend has fallen into hell. Hurry up and go.’ So, I went. Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva was there to greet me, and four or five beings were there listening to His lecture. ‘Only four or five beings? Oh, God.’ Yes, very few. The hall was so big but only a few beings were there listening to His lecture. ‘They wouldn’t listen over there (hell).’ That’s right. Then Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva said, ‘Let me guide you.’ Then He took me to a place where meat-eating beings would fall into. It’s a big square, and many beings were lining up at the sides. In the middle, it seemed to me that it was bigger than a football field. And there were beings from the five continents: with skin tones of white, black, and yellow, etc. And later a kind of meat grinding device suddenly fell from the sky. That is, a meat grinder suddenly appeared out of thin air, and then a loud humming sound began. And later there were horrendous cries. And everyone stood in a circle; the diameter was one and a half meters. Then they were all ground up with flesh and blood everywhere. Later, after it was done, they had to line up again, being punished like this 3-5 times a day. Then I quickly recited the Five Holy Names and the Gift from the Seventh Level, and that hell was emptied of all beings. They’re liberated.” “We should keep the precepts strictly. The first precept is no-killing. This precept mustn’t be violated. Breaking that precept will cause you a lot of trouble. Apart from a shorter life, bodily discomfort, lots of illness, such as those untreatable diseases, are all from the bad karma of killing. Killing karma is very, very serious.” We now share with you another story told by Supreme Master Ching Hai about the afterlife retribution for those who served meat in their restaurants.

Out of Her loving concern for those involved in meat businesses and those who eat meat, Supreme Master Ching Hai explained the terrifying situation awaiting them in many of Her lectures and conferences. “Eating meat is terrible! It leads one to hell and one’s flesh is cut piece by piece. It’s payback for the meat. One of our initiates is very sensitive because she practices spiritually. She buys meat for her husband to eat, because he forces her to. She practices well, but even so, when she is forced to buy meat, she is beaten up by demons every time she is in the market. every time she is in the market. She knows because she sees them. You can’t see them and wonder why you have a headache when you get home, why you keep falling down at that place, or feel drained of energy as though you’re crawling on the ground. You are beaten by demons, but you don’t know it and you can’t see them.” What are the repercussions for souls that work in butcher shops or slaughterhouses? “What’s the consequence? Oh my God. I don’t even want to think about it. Either they have to suffer a lot like the way the animals suffer in this lifetime, or they have to go to hell even, or they have to even degrade their birth into some lower level of existence in order to repay this debt, in untold suffering. I would advise everybody, please just stay away from these kinds of jobs, because it’s not worthy at all.” “The meat business is a bad business. It’s very bad for you. And the other four are: business in weapons, business in human trafficking, business in intoxicants, and business in poison. All these harmful businesses are bad for you, now and in the future. If you believe in the life hereafter, if you believe in Heaven and hell, you should stop the meat business immediately, like yesterday. Because nothing good awaits you in the life after if you cause suffering to others, be it human or animals. You will have multiple suffering in return, and for a long, long time. So instead, these people in the meat industry should join in the trend, which has already begun and expands hugely every day, I am happy to say. Thank you. Be veg, go green, plant organic vegetables!” Many enlightened Masters have advised people to refrain from meat due to its devastating effects. In fact, “Thou shall not kill” is the first and foremost commandment of many religions. This commandment is not a restriction, but rather a necessary protection for souls in the afterlife. Let us cherish and follow the precious Teachings of the great Masters and choose the vegan diet for a better life now and forever after.

The damage caused by meat-eating goes beyond the physical aspect such as sicknesses and ill health; it can also adversely affect us spiritually. How do our diets and professions affect our spiritual merit? Supreme Master Ching Hai explained the connection in a 2010 conference with the Supreme Master Television Team. “It’s about us, that we have to be good. And some merits are spiritually helpful, because if we don’t have enough merits, our spiritual merit will be deducted and our spiritual level will be automatically lower. If we don’t earn merit, then we will keep losing merit, and then we’ll become bad inside also, not just losing it – our quality will change.” “Is there a ranking of meritorious diets?” “Of course, of course. Meat diet is no merit at all – it’s eating up our merit as well. For example, if you have like 100,000 points of spiritual merit and you are eating meat in this lifetime, and that will be deducted according to how much meat you eat, and then maybe you even have a deficit in spiritual merit. Selling meat, fish, eggs, you will lose 100 million to half a billion per year. If somebody owns a meat or fish restaurant, lose 500,000 to one billion points spiritual per year; if owns an alcohol bar, like a pub or something with alcohol, lose 100,000 to 400,000 per year；own a slaughterhouse, lose half a billion to six billion points per year; own a meat animal farm, lose one billion to three billion per year; own or working on a fishing boat, lose half a billion to three billion per year. And work as fisherman, a worker for that, for money, lose 300 million to one billion per year. My God, these people, they will never be able to go to Heaven. They keep having to reincarnate again and again because they keep losing so much spiritual merit that even if they have a lot in the store, they will lose them all.” “It's the law of the universe, that if we kill or if we harm something, we have to share our spiritual merit with that. So how many animals we eat, we share all our spiritual bank account with those animals, and then we’re depleted, we get poorer and poorer spiritually. And if you don't have spiritual merit, enough, then you have to pay with your health, your luck, or your family member’s peace. And then larger, we pay with peace in the world – we have to pay the price, for having no peace.”