Customer Reviews

The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights

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The Great Compassion: Buddhism & Animal Rights joins Roshi Philip Kapleau's To Cherish All Life and Bodhipaksa's Vegetarianism as the only readily available books on this subject matter. However, the breadth and scope of The Great Compassion mark it as a truly groundbreaking work in this field, indeed, in western Buddhism.

Compassion author Norm Phelps leaves no stone - or excuse - unturned. His book takes us through moving and horrific descriptions of the treatment of animals in factory farms, and the biological foundations of pain and pleasure - evidence of pain perception, including fish and amphibians - and on to the inseparable link between vegetarianism and compassion. He compares the compassion of Buddhism as it stands against other religions and philosophies and offers concise descriptions of compassion, loving-kindness, and the Five Precepts. Phelps dives deeply into the confusion over the transcribing and translation of the Buddha's words and thoroughly discusses the over-rated "three-fold rule" of meat eating. The author has a strong grasp of Buddhist theology and history, and he relates all this information, which is sometimes quite upsetting, with a sense of wit. He thoroughly and convincingly tears apart all the ridiculous arguments held by Buddhists that are attached to flesh foods, like the attachments to vegetarianism (how can one be attached to compassion?), "the Buddha ate meat, so why can't I?" (a claim that has now been widely discredited by historians), and other cloaks behind which meat-eating Buddhists hide.

Compassion's complete dismemberment of all the myths and arguments regarding vegetarianism in Buddhism can only be ignored by the blindest of practitioners. The simple truths contained in these pages can not be discounted, even by the teachers Phelps takes to task for their disparaging remarks on vegetarianism and compassion.

Above all there are two resounding, important ideals that emanate from this work. The first is the ideal of ultimate truth, for which all Buddhists strive, vs. relative truth, in which we all reside. Not only has this been a stumbling block for Buddhists through the ages, but it has provided an excuse for people to defend their bad behaviors. The shallow understanding of Emptiness that says "there is no animal being eaten or person eating the animal" as a loophole to eat animals is as ludicrous as saying "there is no rape victim and no rapist" as a defense for rape.

The second ideal is that "It's not about us; it's about the animals." This statement is not only true in the context of vegetarianism, but in Buddhism as a whole. We do not help the homeless for ourselves, we do not save animals for ourselves, we do not volunteer and give money to charities for ourselves. We are offering service for those who are served. It is the Bodhisattva ideal.

The Great Compassion is thoroughly researched and extremely well-written and despite the descriptions of factory farms and my disappointment over seeing so many Buddhist teachers and students disparaging our precious scriptures with their anti-compassion remarks, it is, in fact, a pleasure to read. This book gives me renewed hope that western Buddhism will evolve into a religion of compassion, foresight and beauty that Buddhism has always been destined to become.

I love Norm Phelps. Really. As a vegan who was drawn to Buddhism because of its philosophy of interconnectedness and compassion, imagine my dismay when I discovered that some Buddhists ate meat. Phelps has helped me to understand the social and historical context of the various forms of Buddhism, as well as the excuses of Buddhists when it comes to eating animals. Rather than throw up his hands in disgust, he encourages the reader to think 'OK,this is wrong - but that doesn't mean that Buddhism is to blame'. There is a phrase called 'idiot compassion' in Buddhism, but Phelps doesn't indulge in that. He is reasonable, fair but firm, pulling no punches when it comes to examining the ethical 'loopholes' that some Buddhists create to justify their diet. However, he offers hope also, in the form of compassionate alternatives. There is a better way, a way that liberates animals from suffering as well as liberating ourselves from cruelty and self-seeking behaviours. All animals, including us, deserve no less - so read this book, be thankful for this big-hearted, compassionate and inspiring writer - and hopefully you too will take a few brave steps towards a kinder way of life. There are a million and one good reasons to be veggie - or even better, vegan. With a wealth of great recipe books (and gorgeous food), benefits to the animals, your own health, the environment and the world's hungry, it's never been a better time to make the change.

This is a wonderful book about the direct connection between eating animals and products made from animals and the unimaginable suffering caused by the production of food and other consumer products made from the bodies of animals. For those who are curious about what the Buddha and the dharma said about these issues, Norm Phelps presents a thorough and compelling review of the Buddha's teachings. He also responds directly to the "justifications" offered in support of eating animals and products made from animals. A very important contribution to the "modern day" view of the dharma and animal slaughter. Very highly recommended.

I have greatly enjoyed reading this book. It has provided fuel for discussions and debates with teachers and friends. For that I would have given it 4 Stars. However, I was a bit disturbed by what seems to be a lack of understanding of the point of view of some teachers the author openly critizes without futher exploring their statements. Something the author fails to understand is that one can be vegan and still be full of anger and rage. One can eat meat and be further along in working with the nature of their mind. I am personally vegan and a Buddhist monk, and I believe veganism to be a natural progression on the Path. Yet non-violence is defined in abhidharma literature as the absence of anger and intention to do harm. As such, one can be 100% vegan and still not be non-violent due to presence of strong anger in their mindstream. In Buddhism, all facets must be taken into account for the debate to be valid. We cannot just rely on our feelings as they are what have kept us blinded to our state in samsara for all these eons. This is a wonderful book to use for discussion, yet one must read it with a grain of wisdom to see beyond the author's own point of view.

This is one of the most well written and inspiring books about animal rights I have read in a long time. On top of that the connection to Buddhism makes quite the argument against the eating of meat, dairy, and eggs. (something I already do not partake in) Some western Buddhists twist the meaning of the Buddha's teachings in a way that makes meat eating seem okay. Well, this book sets the record straight. It is well thought out and written. I would recommend this book not just to animal rights folks or just buddhists..but both. The two things go hand in hand!

I bought this book because I did a search on ahimsa. I am vegan and the Buddhist lifestyle is appealing to me, though I have not yet converted. I learned so much from the author on Buddhism and was shocked to hear that some Buddhists eat meat! He makes a good argument and tells it like it is. I recommend this book even if one is not a Buddhist. If you care about the world around you and the beings that we share it with, then this is the book for you; one does not need to be a Buddhist to read this book and enjoy it.

The Great Compassion is one of the best books I have ever read. It's beautifully written by a man who really knows about animal rights as they relate to Buddhism, and vice versa. Norm Phelps has a true gift, and I'm so glad he's chosen to share it with the world.

Norm Phelps is a fine writer (I've read all his books) and The Great Compassion a profound, well-researched yet accessible book (even for a non-Buddhist like myself). It's written in a gentle tone, with a compassionate heart (as a Buddhist, Phelps advocates compassion and respect for all, even those who hurt animals), which doesn't stop the author from calling nonsense nonsense (e.g. when discussing arguments used by some Buddhist to excuse the killing of animals, or being indifferent to their suffering).