PETSMART and Supreme Master

[Guest guest]

forwarded for BOB Linden

 

 

 

in the future he will post on his own ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I am concerned that there may be some irresponsible characterizations being presented by writers in this group regarding "Supreme Master", as accusations mount from people who haven't seen or read the book, to people who are certain that eating at a "Supreme Master" restaurant supports caged-bird cruelty, to concocting an association with PetSmart. For those willing to act - without factual basis, but upon heresay - I say- "shame on you". Too bad we humans don't have the divine qualities of other animals, so that we wouldn't eat our own so ferociously and so readily. We in the vegan / animal rights / animal liberation / animal welfare movement suffer fragmentation and need all the allies we can get. Must we be so quick to

condemn?Because of my position hosting a vegan / animal rights radio program, I was given a copy of the book "The Birds in My Life", written by "Supreme Master" Ching Hai. Apparently - THESE ARE RESCUED BIRDS. They are birds who were saved from tiny cages from breeders, they are birds deemed too old for sale who would spend the rest of their lives condemned to tiny cages, they are birds who were neglected by their so-called "owners", they were birds too aggressive for their so-called "owners" to handle, they were baby birds given her by a veterinarian to bottle feed, they were birds suffering anxiety and depression, loss and separation. There were sick birds. These 23 birds now thrive in a large, apparently-loving garden environment, perched in trees, enjoying sun,

sky, flowers, toys, and healthy food - to which photographs attest. There was one bird referenced who came into the community via a pet store, one she pitied so much when she went there to buy toys for the other birds, that she felt she had to rescue him. But to paint her as part of the cruel exotic bird trade, and to liken the refuge to battery-cage confinement is grossly unfair. In the book she talks of when she was a child, she was given two wild caged birds whom she immediately set free, not wanting to imprison them. She talks against confinement.The intention of this book is clearly to celebrate love for animals. On the back cover, it reads: "I wish we could all understand others like birds, and treat them as we would ourselves...They are so sensitive in their emotional relationships, and in the atmosphere where they are surrounded...Their companion and friends mean a lot to them, sometimes as life itself, their loyalty is so incredible! They

suffer loss and sorrow much like we do. All who have birds should consider their feeling and have respect for their dignity and love."I am not a member or follower of "Supreme Master", if indeed there are members or followers. I first became aware of her when one of her associated restaurants in Southern California participated in WorldFest, a vegan event I organized. Their food was some of the most delicious available there, and was wonderful ambassadorship for the vegan cause - which seems to be near and dear to all people I've met concerned with her. I just had the pleasure - and I do mean "pleasure", to have dined at Vegetarian House, her restaurant in San Jose, where the menu is completely vegan, organic, and spectacular. While there, I watched her satellite channel,

translated into 16 languages, talking about the connection between meat eating and global warming, urging veganism - with a feature quite sympathetic to the plight of polar bears. Similarly, her website has compassion for animals and the vegan cause as paramount.From what I understand with Ching Hai, meditation is central - not religion, religiosity, having members, devotees, and the like. Some writers in the Bay Area Veg group are yelling "cult", and even drawing comparisons with white supremacists, Jonestown, Heaven's Gate, etc. Maybe spirituality, metaphysics, or meditation aren't your thing. They are to millions around the globe. I would trade a world of cults devoted to compassion for animals, peace, and transformation to veganism - for the world that we have

today.One group contributor starts with "I don't know much about Ching Hai, but..."He seems to prove that by saying that patronizing Golden Era restaurant financially supports the cruel practice of caging live birds. People are now even looking for caged birds at the restaurants. The ignorance and persecution frenzy is in full swing.To engage in attacks against those who share our goals - without fully pursuing the facts, or having the courtesy of asking them about it - is thoughtless and destructive. It's vegans acting like they're under the influence of meat.I intend to dine at Vegetarian House and Golden Era more frequently.

 

written by Bob Linden, he doesn't have computer access now

 

posted by winnie

[Guest guest]

> ...THESE ARE RESCUED BIRDS... saved from tiny cages ... <who> now

> thrive in a large, apparently-loving garden environment, perched in

> trees, enjoying sun, sky, flowers, toys, and healthy food - to

> which photographs attest.

 

I am a long time customer of Golden Lotus. I have always found the

owner and family members who work there to be kind and compassionate

people. I am so glad that Bob Linden clarified where these birds

came from and how they are now living.

 

As for all the talk about the " Supreme Master " , remember that this

term is translated from another language. Also, how is it so

different for these people to follow her teachings than for others to

follow the words of the " Holy Father " or other religious leaders? If

they contribute money to their religion, so what? Lots of people do

that. And most of these other religions do not promote veganism, I

might add.

 

I intend to continue to patronize Golden Lotus and Golden Era. Their

food is a great example of how good vegan cuisine can be.

 

Karen

[Guest guest]

"One group contributor starts with "I don't know much about Ching Hai, but..."He

seems to prove that by saying that patronizing Golden Era restaurant

financially supports the cruel practice of caging live birds. People

are now even looking for caged birds at the restaurants. The ignorance

and persecution frenzy is in full swing."Since Bob is obviously referring to me, I'm going to take this opportunity to respond to HIS "irresponsible characterizations" about me and what I wrote. I never once wrote anything about caged birds. In fact the words "caged" and "birds" don't appear anywhere in my post. I merely suggested that there may be financial ties between the restaurants and Ching Hai. Upon further reading after my original post I discovered that indeed there are financial ties: Ching Hai OWNS Golden Era, Golden Lotus, New World Vegetarian and Veggie house as well as other restaurants around the world. "From what

I understand with Ching Hai, meditation is central - not religion,

religiosity, having members, devotees, and the like. Some writers in

the Bay Area Veg group are yelling "cult", and even drawing comparisons

with white supremacists, Jonestown, Heaven's Gate,

etc. Maybe spirituality, metaphysics, or meditation aren't your thing.

They are to millions around the globe. I would trade a world of cults

devoted to compassion for animals, peace, and transformation to

veganism - for the world that we have today."Bob, I don't recall any mention by anyone about white supremacists or Jonestown in regard to this subject. Indeed the persecution frenzy is in full swing-pot, meet kettle. It may not be PC to label a "faith-based" or spiritual group a cult, but in many cases, that's exactly what they are. There are several cults that have promoted meditation, vegetarianism, compassion, peace and appear to be legitimate on the surface, but what goes on behind the scenes is contradictory to what they preach. Before you rip me a new one for this, I'll clarify: I said SEVERAL, not ALL. Do a little research and you'll find plenty of facts that support this. I have a strong interest in spirituality and metaphysics and that's one reason that this topic is of interest to me. Maybe you'll agree with me that leaders of spiritual groups need to practice what they preach and be held

to a high standard. When one of those leaders damages protected environmentally sensitive areas inside a national park and then disappears, I have a BIG problem with that. "To engage

in attacks against those who share our goals - without fully pursuing

the facts, or having the courtesy of asking them about it - is

thoughtless and destructive. To distort what others write to the extent that you have done is indeed thoughtless and destructive. I hope this is not indicative of how you respond to people on your radio show. While we share the goals of ending animal suffering, protecting the environment and improving health through veganism, there is a bigger picture. It's possible and all too frequent that a person or organization will promote noble goals while also privately pursuing sinister goals. This goes back as long as humans have walked the earth. It's up to each of us as individuals to educate ourselves and make choices, including where we dine, that are aligned with our principles.

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[Guest guest]

When I joined this group, I did it to unite with other veggies/vegans,

learn more about what is going on, and live a positive lifestyle. And

I see a lot of people getting upset within the group. Email can

sometimes come across in a negative fashion as you cannot see facial

expressions, etc.

 

Please note - I am not trying to condemn anyone. I think we are all

great, passionate people wanting to unite to do something positive. I

think instead of us all getting upset, let's talk about the facts

instead of hurting one another.

 

What is actual on this one? I believe someone went out and got the

" supreme master " website, thank you for that. When I got the website

link, the first thing I did was check it out. It states the birds are

rescued right on the site. So, the " Supreme Master " is doing a

positive thing in my eyes. There are also links on the site that talk

about abuse to animals in the world and living a vegetarian/vegan

life. They are promoting positive things for our group. Hopefully

others in the group did the same thing by checking out the site and

making a personal decision.

 

There may be negative issues with cults and this one in particular.

But what are they for this particular cult? I tried to locate some on

the web. I didn't see any. If there are factual problems with this

cult, lets discuss those.

 

The world in general is not perfect. We will never find that perfect

vegan restaurant, as someone stated. There is never one perfect

human, or group, or religion, etc. But what makes life fun is finding

out how we can improve the flaws in the world and stand together doing

this. I think we are all doing a great job. Keep your passion, your

views, and your drive...lets use them to make a difference. If there

are problems with this restaurant, we can talk to them about our

concerns, rather than give up on them. It's like giving up talking to

meat eaters, rather than approaching them with an new idea.

 

Again, I hope everyone finds this message in a positive light. I'm

not trying to hurt anyone...as I am guilty of doing it myself from

time to time. But I would like to hear from people or Tammy on what

our goal(s) for the group should be?

 

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

Take some time today to smile.

 

Mari