DVA Perth - Dharma Voices for Animals - Perth Chapter

24/08/2024

🥳 DVA IS A 2024 ACE MOVEMENT GRANT RECIPIENT!

We are so grateful to receive a substantial movement grant from Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) to fund our work in Thailand advocating for Buddhist monks to change their eating habits through educational presentations, cooking classes, and providing resources to Buddhist centers.

https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/announcing-2024-movement-grants-recipients/

07/07/2024

Life – isn’t it precious and transient?

A human lifetime is a blink of an eye in geological time, though we may live to a hundred.

We are all visitors passing through time and space. We normally think that we have lots of time left to live but that’s uncertain and unpredictable.

We can look for what's in it for me and complain or rise above it.

In all of us, there’s goodness in our hearts and when we reach in and use that, a transformational change begins.

From that goodness flows kindness, compassion and love for all life.

We see our interconnection and interdependence with all of them, plants and animals, rocks, soil, water and air.

We see in terms of we, us, ours and the entire global community instead of I, me, mine, my race, my country, my religion, my traditions and my beliefs.

From this wholistic way of living, life becomes an ethical journey of discovery and understanding of our inner being and the outer world.

The longest journey is not going somewhere in the world but within yourself and that lasts the entire lifetime.

08/06/2024

01/04/2024

DVA Perth Chapter is a sponsor of the Perth Vegan Expo. Don't miss it next weekend 6-7 April.

This is what our little slice of vegan utopia will look like when we take over Moort-ak Waadiny next weekend!

This provides a full list of exhibitors & where you can find them.
You can find more information about each stallholder on our website.

We can't wait to welcome you all!

30/03/2024

Many people who are wealthy, powerful, and important in business, politics, and entertainment are not happy. They are seeking empty things - wealth, fame, power, s*x - and in the process, they are destroying themselves and those around them. In Plum Village, we have organised retreats for businesspeople. We see that they have many problems and suffer just as others do, sometimes even more. We see that their wealth allows them to live in comfortable conditions, yet they still suffer a great deal.

Some businesspeople, even those who have persuaded themselves that their work is very important, feel empty in their occupation. They provide employment to many people in their factories, newspapers, insurance firms, and supermarket chains, yet their financial success is an empty happiness because it is not motivated by understanding or compassion. Caught up in their small world of profit and loss, they are unaware of the suffering and poverty in the world. When we are not in touch with this larger reality, we will lack the compassion we need to nourish and guide us to happiness.

Once you begin to realise your interconnectedness with others, your interbeing, you begin to see how your actions affect you and all other life. You begin to question your way of living, to look with new eyes at the quality of your relationships and the way you work. You begin to see, 'I have to earn a living, yes, but I want to earn a living mindfully. I want to try to select a vocation not harmful to others and to the natural world, one that does not misuse resources.'

Entire companies can also adopt this way of thinking. Companies have the right to pursue economic growth, but not at the expense of other life. They should respect the life and integrity of people, animals, plants and minerals. Do not invest your time or money in companies that deprive others of their lives, that operate in a way that exploits people or animals, and destroys nature.

― Thich Nhat Hanh, Creating True Peace: Ending Violence in Yourself, Your Family, Your Community, and the World

04/12/2023

Living the sweet life at a sanctuary. To be precise A Better Life Animal Sanctuary.

These rescued fellow sentient beings will not become ham, pork, sausages, ribs etc. but will live the rest of their natural lives in safety and comfort.

Please consider that kindness includes not only comes out of our mouths but also what we put into our mouths.

13/10/2023

Unlike other predators, humans do not have inherent hunting instincts. Live cows, chickens, pigs, or fish do not prompt salivation, nor do we have the natural means to kill and consume these animals. In fact, attempting to eat them as a carnivore could, would result in severe illness.

From a young age, children are encouraged to consume products that bear no resemblance to the animal they come from. This creates a divide between the suffering of the actual creature and the meal on our plates. Unfortunately, propaganda is often utilized to justify the continued harm of animals.

If we remain connected to our innate instincts, we would realize that consuming animal products is unnecessary. Additionally, by teaching our children to practice compassion towards all living beings, we can promote a more just society.

Please consider bringing all living beings into your circle of compassion.

☸🐷🐮🐔🐟

30/09/2023

“Many people in religious communities are reluctant to give voice to their views on controversial topics. They fear that to involve themselves, to speak up about them, or even just to think about them, makes them lose their peace of mind. This seems to conflict with their initial purpose of practicing a religion,”

For many years, Ven. Chao Hwei has earned a reputation as the Buddhist nun on the forefront of animal, environmental, and LGBTQ activism in Taiwan. In early 2019, she sat for an interview and shared her beliefs on the inner peace that can be achieved when one does not shy away from fighting for what is right.

“Many people in religious communities are reluctant to give voice to their views on controversial topics. They fear that to involve themselves, to speak up a...

07/06/2023

Dharma Voices for Animals is the only international Buddhist Animal Rights and Animal Advocacy organization in the world.

02/06/2023

On May 25th, Dharma Voices for Animals (DVA) organized the first ever vegan cooking class in Thanh Hoa province, located in the central of Vietnam.

Thanh Hoa is known for its traditional Vietnamese cuisine. However, this cuisine typically includes seafood, meat and animal products, making it difficult for those who follow a vegan lifestyle to find suitable options. In fact, many people in Thanh Hoa province are not familiar with the concept of veganism, and there are few resources available to help them transition to a plant-based diet.

This is where Dharma Voices for Animals comes in. As an organization that promotes veganism and animal rights through education and advocacy, we recognized the need for veganism in Thanh Hoa province, and we decided to take action by organizing a vegan cooking class.

The class was led by Chef Ha, who is a vegan chef and a member of DVA. Chef Ha demonstrated how to cook a simple vegan dish. She explained the benefits of a plant-based diet and answered questions from the attendees.

The vegan cooking class had a significant impact on the attendees and the community. For the attendees, it was an eye-opening experience that introduced them to the benefits of a plant-based diet. They learned that veganism is not only good for their health but also for the environment and animal welfare. They also learned that vegan food can be delicious and easy to prepare.

For the community, the vegan cooking class was a step towards promoting veganism and animal rights. It showed that there is a demand for veganism in Thanh Hoa province and that there are resources available to help people transition to a plant-based diet.

The success of the vegan cooking class has inspired DVA to continue promoting veganism in Thanh Hoa province. With more education and advocacy, we hope to inspire more people to adopt a plant-based lifestyle and to create a more compassionate world for animals.

-Son Pham, Assistant Director DVA Vietnam Project

01/06/2023

There is always room for others in our circle of compassion. ☸️

21/05/2023

Humans forget that we all are animals; another ape that's part of the Animal Kingdom. Some people claim that a god created us and all life. Even if that's the case, we did not create other lives and it's not up to us to end their lives whether for food, medicine, clothing, ornaments, amusement or for any of our many desires.

02/05/2023

19/03/2023

Wrong Views, Wrong Understanding and Wrong Thinking

The vast majority of violence and killing perpetrated by humans against animals arise from self-righteousness.

The thinking behind all this is:
I have a right to exploit and kill them to eat their flesh.
I have a right to drink their milk.
I have a right to eat their eggs.
I have a right to wear their fur and skin and use them for adornments.
I have a right to their tusks, horns, antlers, scales, bones, ligaments, organs, glands and other body parts.
I have a right to use them as medicine.
I have a right to experiment on them.
I have a right to use them for entertainment.
They are property and commodities and their value is measured only by their price.
Therefore, I can do whatsoever with them.

All these Wrong Views, Wrong Understanding and Wrong Thinking have led to immeasurable suffering to living sentient beings and still continue unabated today.

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