Fish are intelligent, aware, and emotionally sensitive animals. In his article, “Playing, Courting, And Vanity: The Rich Emotional Lives of Fish,” Jonathan Balcombe writes:
“… fish have personalities, they plan, recognize, remember, court, parent, innovate, manipulate, collaborate, communicate with gestures, keep accounts, deduce, deceive, show virtue, form attachments, have traditions, fall for optical illusions, get depressed, use tools, learn by observation, and form mental maps.”
While reading Vegan Voices: Essays by Inspiring Changemakers, edited by Dr. Joanne Kong, I learned of this organization that is devoted to promoting the recognition of fish as sentient beings: Fish Feel. You can learn a lot from the resources on their website, such as their “Fact Sheets” page. You can also learn more about fish from this site: Climate Healers, The Fish.
The late Zen Buddhist Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s centers went vegan in 2007… Recently I read his 1998 book, The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching, which was my favorite book of his, except for a part in which he was describing a master from nineteenth century Vietnam, who was caring for his aging mother. He wrote:
“One day his mother fell ill and needed fish to eat. He went down to the marketplace, asked some vendors for a fish, and carried it back up the mountain. Onlookers asked, “What is a Buddhist monk doing with a fish?” But someone of Master Nhat Dinh’s realization could do as he pleased without going against the precepts.”
I strongly disagree. No one, not even an enlightened master, has the right to contribute to the killing of a fish. As I wrote in the introductory section of my book, Vegan Ramayana, “I believe that spiritual texts and leaders should be scrutinized and updated…. We each have to find the truth inside ourselves and not listen to anyone else, not even a living avatar.”
Fortunately, many spiritual leaders are now going vegan, as you can witness in this film: A Prayer for Compassion. (If you would like to watch the trailer first, here’s the link: A Prayer for Compassion Trailer.)
As a child I enjoyed going fishing with my grandparents. At that time I did not know that fish feel pain. Now, I know that fish are beautiful living beings, with families and feelings. Even if something has been done for generations, like fishing, that doesn’t mean it is right.
If you are not yet vegan, please meditate on the fish, and then I hope you will go vegan very soon!
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Fish: hpgruesen on Pixabay.
