Foie Gras and Buddhism
- Thread starter Jon123456
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You can get ethical stuff now, 90% the experience with none of the guilt.
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Just because the bird overeats itself doesn't make it alright. Better, yes, but still not on.
If I put a cat in a room with 1000 packets of dreamies and it got to 2 stone would that be ok? Or should you feed it a healthy diet?
If I put a cat in a room with 1000 packets of dreamies and it got to 2 stone would that be ok? Or should you feed it a healthy diet?
Soldato
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Is it just me that's not really a massive fan of Foie Gras anyways?
Having it occasionally is fine, but some of the posh French hotels literally serve it with everything. After a few days you're looking through the menu hoping to find anything that doesn't come with Foie Gras as you've had enough of it the previous days!
Having it occasionally is fine, but some of the posh French hotels literally serve it with everything. After a few days you're looking through the menu hoping to find anything that doesn't come with Foie Gras as you've had enough of it the previous days!
Which isn't what happens. Geese naturally fatten themselves up for the long migration. There is no feeding them anything.If you thought about it, if they eat all the food they gave them. Why force feed. Instead you just have to wait for their natural biological rythm and either have it canned ir fresh at particular points in the year.
If you thought about it, if they eat all the food they gave them. Why force feed. Instead you just have to wait for their natural biological rythm and either have it canned ir fresh at particular points in the year.
Forgive my scepticism, but I sincerely doubt a wild, unfarmed geese will eat as much food as one being prepared for foie gras "ethically". An animal will each as much food as it can because it's entire evolution is based on more food is an increased chance of survival, regardless of its health. In short, I suspect this is exploiting the animals own instincts to make it unnaturally obese, so it wouldn't be as ethical as you might think at first instance.
Also, roll eyes. Shame on you.
You do know many animals fatten them self up for winter or migration. Geese do the same. Is it identical. No. As I said compare it like you would rose geal vs normal veal.be skeptical all you want. But you can get foie Gras without fatning them up as its part of their normal life cycle.
Let's not get make it sound more ethical by saying is the birds choice.
I had a battery Turkey that had escaped from the farm. These birds are bred to eat themselves to death. Take a wild Turkey. It will not do this.
I'd personally never even try it
I had a battery Turkey that had escaped from the farm. These birds are bred to eat themselves to death. Take a wild Turkey. It will not do this.
I'd personally never even try it
No its just crap. They feed thenselfs as nature intend for their long migration. You simply kill them before they fly off. So no, no one is feeding them. Or locking them in a room with an abundance of food.
These are not reared turkeys. These are wild birds, that are born wild, live wild and around Christmas time gorge themself for around 4 weeks to sustain their long migration. The result is a fatty liver. Albeit only about 3 times larger, rather than the 5times by force feeding.
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Again, I'd suggest that it's the surplus of food available to them that permits the liver to swell to those volumes. If you picked a wild goose that didn't have the food available on that farm, I'd hazard a guess that it's liver would be a fraction of the size.
Ultimately, a difference in the reading between then lines, feel free to take a different view.
Ultimately, a difference in the reading between then lines, feel free to take a different view.
Wild geese. That gorge themselves before migration. What aren't you understanding. They gorge themselves on purpose for there thousands of miles of flight.
Do animals that hibernate. Only fatten up in farms? Because nature
Obviusley doesn't provide enough food in the wild.
Do animals that hibernate. Only fatten up in farms? Because nature
Obviusley doesn't provide enough food in the wild.
The Dalai Lama isn't vegetarian though is he?
Generally speaking most Buddhists are vegetarian out of trying to hold compassion for all living things. However, in reality it's only generally enforced amongst the monastic order, who are expected to hold a higher standard of spiritual development - especially those who have taken Bodhisattva vows (Mahayana/Tantrayana paths). Even then it's not necessarily true all the time. For example, monks and nuns will eat whatever is given to them during alms collection (food collection/ritualised begging).
Also amongst the laity meat eating is prevalent, and is a decision for the individual. Often the devout in traditionally Buddhist Eastern countries will not actually kill animals but rely on neighbours of other faiths to sell them slaughtered meat (rather hypocritical in my eyes, but whatever). This is certainly the case in Tibet. While not killing or eating meat could be considered right action (a tenet of the Noble Eight Fold Path), it's not a 'commandment' of Buddhism. In fact Buddhism is, in itself, a philosophical framework upon which an individual is encouraged to develop their own spiritual nature guided by the experience of those gone before. There are no commandments or judgements to be meted out. It's a matter for the individual.
All living beings are entitled to compassion, and as a Buddhist you would (try to) understand that any negative deed is not only incurring karma for the perpetrator, but also a manifesting result of previous accrued karma. Thus, one should be compassionate towards them. Further, all beings are Buddha and possess a nature stemming from the Dharmakaya (Buddha consciousness). As such despite the grossly manifest appearance of delusion and negative deeds, ultimately they consist of emptiness (shunyata) and are pure in nature. Depends on which level you want to look at things (Hinayana, Mahayana, Tantrayana).
A Zen (especially Sōtō schools) practitioner would caution that all beings are Buddhas, and that some Buddhas teach us by example how to behave, and others teach us by example how not to behave. We are each personally responsible for our own behaviour/karma, but that doesn't mean we have to be discompassionate to other beings based on their level of spiritual ability, delusion or action.
In fact HH The Dalai Lama would caution you to be even more loving and compassionate towards someone acting in a way you perceive to be cruel or unethical.
That's a summary, I'm too tired to type an elaborate reply citing sutras and lectures. Sorry.
Source: Twenty three years studying and practicing Buddhism under Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoché (Samyé Ling Tibetan Centre, Dumfries) and Sōtō Zen (Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey).
Also amongst the laity meat eating is prevalent, and is a decision for the individual. Often the devout in traditionally Buddhist Eastern countries will not actually kill animals but rely on neighbours of other faiths to sell them slaughtered meat (rather hypocritical in my eyes, but whatever). This is certainly the case in Tibet. While not killing or eating meat could be considered right action (a tenet of the Noble Eight Fold Path), it's not a 'commandment' of Buddhism. In fact Buddhism is, in itself, a philosophical framework upon which an individual is encouraged to develop their own spiritual nature guided by the experience of those gone before. There are no commandments or judgements to be meted out. It's a matter for the individual.
All living beings are entitled to compassion, and as a Buddhist you would (try to) understand that any negative deed is not only incurring karma for the perpetrator, but also a manifesting result of previous accrued karma. Thus, one should be compassionate towards them. Further, all beings are Buddha and possess a nature stemming from the Dharmakaya (Buddha consciousness). As such despite the grossly manifest appearance of delusion and negative deeds, ultimately they consist of emptiness (shunyata) and are pure in nature. Depends on which level you want to look at things (Hinayana, Mahayana, Tantrayana).
A Zen (especially Sōtō schools) practitioner would caution that all beings are Buddhas, and that some Buddhas teach us by example how to behave, and others teach us by example how not to behave. We are each personally responsible for our own behaviour/karma, but that doesn't mean we have to be discompassionate to other beings based on their level of spiritual ability, delusion or action.
In fact HH The Dalai Lama would caution you to be even more loving and compassionate towards someone acting in a way you perceive to be cruel or unethical.
That's a summary, I'm too tired to type an elaborate reply citing sutras and lectures. Sorry.
Source: Twenty three years studying and practicing Buddhism under Dr Akong Tulku Rinpoché (Samyé Ling Tibetan Centre, Dumfries) and Sōtō Zen (Throssel Hole Buddhist Abbey).
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Man of Honour
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I can live with that. I rarely eat it, it's a treat, but when I do, I have not one pang of guilt I'm afraid. However I was brought up on fine foods so I guess I overlook that sort of thing when it tastes so good.
I'm not saying I think it's great that some animals are gorged, in fact if I could buy the ethical stuff over the traditional method I'd be more than happy to - but ultimately I can't say it preys on my mind when I do eat it.
Because you disassociate what you're eating with how it's prepared. I've worked at a butcher and visited slaughterhouses, I think a lot of people wouldn't bother eating meat after that - I almost faltered but then realised it's just a natural part of it.
I'm not saying it shouldnt' be done as ethically as possible, of course not, I think it is quite tough to watch and deal with, but as I said you just disconnect it and enjoy the food.
How is that different to slaughtering any other animal? This one just happens to have an enlarged liver. Perhaps you should be vegetarian?
I'm just not posh enough obviously.