Invitation of discussion on "The beauty of lotus flower"
Anthony R. Brach (brach@oeb.harvard.edu)
Thu, 07 Aug 1997 06:31:16 -0700
>Return-Path: <ljshih@tpts5.seed.net.tw>
>Date: Thu, 07 Aug 1997 11:29:09 +0800
>From: Fan-Chia Kung <ljshih@tpts5.seed.net.tw>
>Reply-To: ljshih@tpts5.seed.net.tw
>To: brach@oeb.harvard.edu
>Subject: Invitation of discussion on "The beauty of lotus flower"
>
>Dear Mr. Brach:
>
> My name is Fan-Chia Kung and I am the editor-in-chief of the Golden
>Lotus magazine. The Golden Lotus magazine is a Buddhist magazine in
>Taiwan. It has been our goal to bring the truth, kindness and beauty of
>Buddhism to all readers since the magazine was funded in 1993. We
>dedicate ourselves to translate the Buddhism through literature and arts
>so that everyone can easily accept and understand. In the magazine, we
>have arts report, VIP interview, novel , vegetarian classroom, notes on
>sutra, ....,and special report. On special report, we introduce the
>most important issues that people concern like EQ, the benefit of
>meditation on lost weight and beauty salon, etc. This month, we have a
>special report on how to get along with pets. We wrote an article
>entitled "Discussing of how to get along with pets on the Internet". In
>the paper, we invited several experts and individuals through the
>Internet to share their experience and opinion on how to get along with
>pets ( Please see the attachment). The response is very good. So, next
>month, we want to write an article using the same format to have a
>Special report on "The Beauty of Lotus Flower" as well. In this
>report, we will introduce all the subject about lotus. Through the
>Internet, we find that you might be interested in this topic.
>Therefore, I write this e-mail as an invitation, hoping that we can have
>the honor to invite you to join our discussing on the topic of "The
>Beauty of Lotus(Water Lily)." Will you accept our invitation? If yes,
>please give us your precious opinion about the following topics. We
>shall collect all the response and introduce you to share with our
>readers. Thank you.
>
>Sincerely yours,
>
>Fan-Chia Kung
>Editor-in-chief
>Golden Lotus Magazine
>
>The topics:
>1. Please give us your feeling about lotus flower or water lily. Does
>it have any special meaning to you. Why does it so beautiful?
>2. Chinese call the lotus flower "the flower of gentleman." How about
>in your country. Is there any name other than it? What does that name
>mean?
>3. What color of lotus flower or water lily you like best? Why?
>4. Have you ever seen any special lotus flower or water lily? Why is
>it so sepcial?
>5. Have you ever heard any tale or legend about lotus flower or water
>lily?
>6. Have you ever heard any product, mountain, lake, dance, book, or*.,
>in the name of lotus flower or water lily? Do you know why they name
>it?
>7. In China and India, there are many lotus flower are printed on the
>temple. That*s because one of its special meaning is purity. Do you
>know any other special meaning other than that in spirit or physical?
>8. Have you ever heard any festival in the name of lotus flower or
>water lily? Where and what*s all about it?
>9. Do you know which garden that are full of lotus flower or water lily
>that we can suggest our reader to visit.
>10. Have you ever planted lotus flower or water lily. Do you have any
>tips to make it grow better and beautiful?
>11. Do you have any photo that can share it to our readers? If yes,
>would you please attach that with the reply.
>12. Our world are full of crime, taint, and pollution than before.
>What inspiration that the purity of lotus flower give you?
>13. If you have any friend that interested in this topic, please
>forward this e-mail to he/she.
>14. Do you have any comment about this topic?
>Discussion of How to Get Along with Pets on the Internet ---- digested
from Network Conference : How to get Along with Pets
> by Lian-Juh Shih
>
>With the help of rapid development of modern technology, people can easily
discuss Buddhism with surfers at all over the world through the Internet.
Network conference is a brand- new trial, hoping to gather the experience
and opinion of expert or individual with different country, color or
background together, through the Internet, as a reference for readers. It
is hoped that we can finally bring the truth, goodness and beauty of
Buddhism to the surfers at all over the world through the Internet as well.
>
>The topic of the first Network Conference is: How to get along with pets.
Here are part of the real time report on the virtual network conference.
>
>Chairman: Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to discuss the topic of
How to get along with pets with you today. How to get along with sentient
beings other than human is a very important issue during our learning of
love. All creatures are born equal. The true love shouldn't have any
specific object. Animals are the closest creature that we live with.
Among the animals, pets like dog, cat, bird, ...etc., are further close to
us. But, have these pets being taken good care of by us? Do we really
know how to get along with these pets? That is our major concern on
today's conference.
>
>To discuss how to get along with pets, we have invited nine guests from
four countries around the world. Dorothy Hoffman, Andy Beger, Kat Marsh,
David D. Maczynski, Linda J. Rice, and Diana Guerrero are from American.
Elisa Murphy are from Canada. Joanna Swabe is from Netherlands. Dr.
Hui-Li Su is from Taiwan.
>
>The following are the digest of the discussion.
>
>Issue 1. What is the best way to get along with pets?
>
>Andy Beger : Treat them like you'd treat any other member of your
household. Give them love and respect and they'll reciprocate.
>
>Kat Marsh : The best way to get along with pets is to treat them as you
would like to be treated yourself. Treat them with care and compassion.
Never harm an animal, pet or otherwise.
>
>David D. Maczynski : You should treat your pet like you would want to be
treated.
>
>Linda J. Rice : Raise them like children.
>
>Diana Guerrero : Most people need to accept animals for what they are and
who they are instead of molding them into our ideas. Teaching them our
rules and how to live with us is equally important.
>
>Joanna Swabe : To treat them with respect and to ensure that they are
healthy, properly exercised, housed and well-fed. It is also important to
remember that they are NOT humans; they have needs and natural behaviours
different to our own.
>
>Elisa Murphy : I feel the best way to get along with pets is to respect
them and love them as much as you would a human counterpart. Teach the pet
who is the boss and teach him/her to respect you and you respect the animal
and the relationship should be great!
>
>Dr. Hui-Li Su: When human want to get along with animal or when animal
want to get along with human, it need mutual observation and adjustment. I
think this is similar to the paten of human's getting along with human.
For example, when two people from two different country want to communicate
with each other, the first thing is to learn each other's language. Then,
they need to learn each other's culture and propriety. Human and animal
like two creatures from two different country. At the beginning, they can
not understand each other's language and behavior. So, they need carefully
watch each other's behavior and make conclusion so as to finally shorten
the time of knowing each other. When both can tell each other's body
language, peaceful relation will be built.
>
>Issue 2. What is our attitude to get along with pets?
>
>Andy Beger : Um...If you're asking what the attitude of people in general
is, I'd say it's a mixture of people who treat their pets like equals (or,
at least near-equals), and those who treat their pets like pieces of
furniture. Obviously, the first attitude is better, in my opinion.
>
>Kat Marsh : Look at each of them as miraculous creatures. Appreciate what
each pet has to offer. Treat them with love, not like something to feed
and clean up after. The rewards are numerous.
>
>David D. Maczynski : Treat them fair but let them know who the master is.
>
>Linda J. Rice : Just like a child, they need love, physical care,
education, and emotional care. Never separate a dog from his family by
leaving him outside. He can't learn to be a good family member out there.
>
>Diana Guerrero : The attitude to take is one of love, respect, and proper
understanding. Teaching animals how to learn, what we regard as "right and
wrong", and accepting their love with ours in return is the best attitude
to take. They are teachers here for us to learn from and to connect us back
to nature and our roots of living life in the moment.
>
>Joanna Swabe : There is much ambivalence in our attitude towards animals,
some are treated with great affection and respect, whilst others are abused
and maltreated. The same species of animals that we keep as pets, are also
sometimes used as laboratory animals. Some are kept purely as working
animals, others like ornaments or playthings. There is little consistency
in the way in which we regard and treat animals in our society.
>
>Elisa Murphy : I love and respect animals very much...I think animals can
be better friends to us than other humans sometimes.
>
>Issue 3. From the point of view of animals themselves, what do them want
us to treat them?
>
>Andy Beger : I think they feel a definite need for love & affection. In
the case of dogs (which is what we own), I'd say there's a definite need
for the dog to establish some sort of "pack", and a caring family is just
what it needs.
>
>Kat Marsh : Most pets just want us to pay attention to them. To be a part
of our lives, and our daily activities. Pets who are ignored, are often
destructive.
>
>David D. Maczynski : With love and affection.
>
>Linda J. Rice : They don't know that they are any different than us until
we tell them. They want to please us in any way they can, and accept
whatever attention they can get. Many behavior problems are caused by lack
of attention paid to the good things they do. They figure a scolding is
better than not being noticed at all.
>
>Diana Guerrero : Animals will accept us for what we are and how we
operate. They can teach us about unconditional friendship and love. It is
important to treat them with kindness and respect. They ask only that and
if we do not provide that will accept what we do offer. Another lesson to
us as humans.
>
>Joanna Swabe : It is impossible to know what an animal wants, we can only
observe their behaviour, interpret it in terms of our own understandings of
emotion (i.e. we will often say that an animal is happy, guilty, sad,
etc.). Animals, however, are dependent upon us to give them food, shelter,
warmth and exercise. It seems logical that they want to be treated well;
maltreatment and abuse would have negative consequences for their own
well-being.
>
>Elisa Murphy : I think animals want to be treated the same way we, as
humans, do. They want and deserve respect and consideration just as we do.
They have feelings and thoughts just as humans.
>
>Issue 4. Can pets sense our emotion?
>
>Andy Beger : Oh, most definately. Better than many humans. =)
>
>Kat Marsh : ABSOLUTELY!!!!
>
>David D. Maczynski : Yes, if we are weak or sadden, they will become
nervous and confused.
>
>Linda J. Rice : When I cry, my dogs are sad, and try to comfort me. When
I am happy, they show that they are happy, too. This indicates that they
have stronger emotions than people do, and can actually become an extension
of a person, acting on that person's feelings.
>
>Diana Guerrero : Yes. Pets pay attention to emotions and our body
language. Animals are veryhonest in how they operate. Sometimes, if they
are too close to us, they may also be disturbed by some of our emotions.
Other times they will attempt to
>consol us.
>
>Joanna Swabe : Again, this is impossible to say. Animals often seem to
respond to their owner's emotional states. Our anger can scare and disturb
them, similarly they often come to us if we cry. This, however, could just
be inquistiveness.
>
>Elisa Murphy : I honestly believe that animals can sense our emotions and
much more animals can sense happiness, fear, and meanness. I am a believer
in the fact that animals of all kinds can see the aura of a person and tell
who is evil and who is good.
>
>Dorothy Hoffman : Every animal is unique and every relationship we have
with our pets grows out of our unique personalities. Not that we have to
start at ground zero with each new pet that comes into our lives, but I've
found the most valuable lesson each of our animal companions teaches us is
the importance of patience, compassion, and the willingness to meet others
more than halfway.
>
>The most successful human-animal relationships I've seen are based on
mutual trust and respect. Obviously, as pet owners, we have
responsibilities to care for and feed our pets - they depend on us for
their physical well-being. In return, we want their love and companionship.
But I think what makes that companionship so special to us is the absolute
separateness - the "otherness" - of an animal that we can only really
experience when we allow our pets to truly "be themselves," and not furry
reflections of our own selves.
>
>When my rabbit, Esther - the first rabbit I've ever had - arrived at the
age of 2 months, she hopped out of the carrying case my friend brought her
in and stood in my kitchen looking up at me while I looked down at her. For
a minute we each sized each other up. I'll never know how she evaluated her
new living companion that day, but I'll never forget my feeling of awe at
looking into the eyes of that small but willful little creature and
wondering if I would ever really "know" who she was.
>
>Eight years later, we're still getting to know each other - both, I'm
sure, amazed nearly every day at how completely different we are and yet
how very much alike. We've grown very close. We've learned to enjoy each
other's company and know when we need to be left alone. We've learned to
read each other's moods and even - to some extent - to understand each other's
>"language."
>
>The relationship between animals and humans can be very intense. I'm sure
these relationships are so important to us because what we get from our
pets we often can't get from our fellow humans. Part of that is the
emotional support they give us and the freedom to reveal our deepest
emotions openly to another creature. But this is a gift we need to use
wisely, because the burden of too much negative emotions can be very
damaging to our pets. I've often noticed my state of mind is reflected in
my pets' behavior. When I'm angry and frustrated over something, Esther
makes herself scarce, and when I'm nervous and on edge, she often thumps
her feet and acts jittery. Cats I've known will stop eating and act
neurotic when their companions are upset or depressed. Maddie, a wonderful
little terrier mix I once knew, became so emotionally distraught when her
owner lost her job and was having financial problems, she developed a
nearly life-threatening skin allergy. She was fine when her owner got her
>life back in order.
>
>The love and companionship our pets give us can't be taken too lightly.
It's dangerous to think of them as bottomless wells of solace and support.
We need to recognize and nourish their emotional needs too, and sometimes
restrain ourselves from dumping all our sorrows onto them. Their
separateness demands our respect.
>
>Issue 5. Will our emotion affect our pets' behavior and diet habit?
>
>Andy Beger : Behaviour, yes. Diet? I really can't say there.
>
>Kat Marsh : Yes, if we are enthusiastic and encouraging towards our
animals, they will respond in kind. If we are angry or upset, this will
often affect their eating habits and behavior. Many pets will hide or chew
up things to show that they are affected by our actions.
>
>David D. Maczynski : If you do not treat your pet with true love and
become mean, they will lose the desire to eat and sleep. If however, you
give them alot of love and care they will become content and their health
will be good.
>
>Linda J. Rice : Yes.
>
>Diana Guerrero : Yes. Both human emotion and conditioning will affect an
animal. Animals will also grieve and get depressed, which also affects them.
>
>Joanna Swabe : I'm not sure about our emotion, though our anger can
certainly influence their behaviour. It is more our behaviour that can
influence them. We can make pets neurotic through treating them as if they
were humans and not animals. People can sometimes deprive their pets of the
opportunity to exercise their natural behaviours. We can also spoil
animals; our well-meaning kindness can indeed turn into cruelty and they
can end up being fed human foods that are inappropriate and lead to
nutritional deficiencies or obesity. Conditions such as diabetes do not
occur naturally and are largely the consequence of bad or excessive feeding
practices and inadequate exercise.
>
>Elisa Murphy : I think our emotions affect our pets behavior in every way
and sometimes--depending on the emotion--it can affect their diet habit.
When you are close to your pet, you are sad, the pet seems to be more down
and controlled...when you are happy, they are excited and happy, too. I
have had the experience that when I am depressed my dog won't eat much and
she wants to be right by my side constantly.
>
>Issue 6. Should we also care about our pet's emotion? Why?
>
>Andy Beger : Yes! I personally believe pets can get emotionally "damaged"
as easily as people--in some cases, easier. If you truly care about your
pet, you want to avoid this at all costs.
>
>Kat Marsh : Pet's emotions can affect their diet as mentioned above. An
unhappy pet may stop eating altogether, or have stomache trouble. Happy
pets eat properly.
>
>David D. Maczynski : Yes, All animals are looked after by God. Your pet
can give back what you give. Studies have shown people live longer that
have pets. I have two dogs and four birds and they give me much joy. There
are programs in the USA that brings pets to visit sick people so certain
medical treatments have a better chance of working. Pets are people
too...they show different degrees of emotion. They can even sense when some
outsider is afraid of them.
>
>Why? How you treat your pet, is how you treat life.
>
>Linda J. Rice : Yes. If you love them you care about them. (all aspects
included) They love you, and care about your emotions.
>
>Diana Guerrero : Yes, we should. Respect to all is necessary since we all
contain the same spark of life within us. Plants, animals, humans, and all
creation is connected and deserves respect and care. To view it otherwise
causes discord and disharmony.
>
>Joanna Swabe : We should simply respect the animals for who and what they
are. It is impossible to say what emotion they experience, but on face
value they often seem to derive benefit from being comforted when in pain
or being praised when they have performed tricks or have retrieved objects
in play/hunting.
>
>Elisa Murphy : Of course we should care about our pet's emotions! They
are living and breathing creatures just as we are. They feel and think and
get lonely, hungry, and scared just as we do....If we care about our
children's emotions, we should care about our pets' emotions, too.
>
>Issue 7. Can pets be vegetarian? Are there any example?
>
>Andy Beger : I suppose. I know pets can be picky about what they eat, so
vegetarianism isn't much of a stretch.
>
>Kat Marsh : Many pets are vegetarians. Birds, some reptiles, etc. are
natural vegetarians. Dogs, too, can be vegetarians. Many dogs have
developed food allergies through years of breeding. This is why there are
so many different types of dog food products available today. Here in the
US there is a brand of dog food called "Nature's Recipe", which does make a
>vegetarian formula dog food. It contains things like soy, wheat, barley,
beets, rice, etc. It has the same nutritional values as other dog food,
cut contains no meat. Cats (to my knowledge) cannot survive properly on a
vegetarian diet. Cats are carnivorous and require a much higher level of
protien than dogs. They need animal protiens in their diet.
>
>David D. Maczynski : There have been studies that confirm that you can
give a dog table scraps (people food) and they can live just as happy and
long as one that is on dog food. However, the dog on people food, depending
on what the people eat, can suffer from the same problems that humans do.
>
>Linda J. Rice : Some pets can. I'm not sure a snake would like an apple.
>
>Diana Guerrero : No, not unless they are herbivores. It is very dangerous
to try and force this issue and unhealthy or deadly to the animal.
Nutritional deficiences create complications, illness, bone disease, and
death. To try and make an animal who is a carnivore or omnivore a
vegetarian is fighting nature and physiological adaptations. It is a human
viewpoint and not harmonious with what nature intended.
>
>Joanna Swabe : In Europe and North America, vegetarian pet foods have been
developed for both dogs and cats. Whilst dogs can obtain adequate nutrition
for such special foods, cats are obligate carnivores. Taurine is crucial
to feline nutrition and can only be obtained from meat.
>
>There are also significant ethical problems with regard to feeding animals
vegetarian diets. It can be seen as an imposition of human values and
ideals upon animals which have little choice in the matter of what they
eat. Vegetarianism is a matter of individual choice for people and, if
people are careful with their choice of foods, can be perfectly healthy and
receive adequate nutrition upon even a vegan diet.
>
>It may in fact be an even greater cruelty to animals to impose a
vegetarian diet on them. If people are so concerned not to make any
contribution towards the slaughter of animals for food, then they should
consider not keeping such pets at all. And, if they wish to keep animals,
to choose small herbivorous species that are naturally vegetarian.
>
>Elisa Murphy : Yes, they can be vegetarians...my dog did not eat meat for
the first two years of her life...I have started adding meat to her
diet this past year only because she got hooked on this certain food while
staying with a friend. Vegetarian lifestyle is very very healthy for
anybody...pets included. The meat added into your pets' foods is not very
good meat usually. Mostly, it's the stuff that is seemed unacceptable for
human consumption.
>
>Issue 8. If you are a Buddhist, how to apply Buddhism to get along with pets?
>
>Andy Beger : Not a Buddhist.
>
>David D. Maczynski : I am not a Buddhist. I worship my God like you do
yours. If you are a good person, kindness, caring, loving, have and
understand decipline, religion holds no boundries.
>
>Linda J. Rice : N/A
>
>Diana Guerrero : I do not practise Buddhism but honor all religions and
their teachings that view life as a gift, promote harmony and
understanding, and that respect others. Through meditiation you can tap
into the universal source and receive important answers, centerdness, peace
and harmony that will connect you to your pets and give you true
understanding of what is needed or necessary for your relationship with them.
>
>Joanna Swabe : Sorry, I'm not, but I believe that the teachings of
Buddhism can provide
>ample wisdom in order that animals be treated with the respect and care they
>require.
>
>Diana Guerrero : I do not practice Buddhism but honor all religions and
their teachings that view life as a gift, promote harmony and
understanding, and that respect others. Through meditation you can tap into
the universal source and receive important answers, centerdness, peace and
harmony that will connect you to your pets and give you true understanding
of what is needed or necessary for your relationship with them.
>
>Elisa Murphy : I am not Buddhist so I can't answer this question.
>
>
>Issue 9. Any comment about this topic?
>
>Andy Beger : I personally think this topic applies more to "higher" life
forms, such asdogs and cats, and less to things like turtles and fish. Of
course, that may just be a mammal-biased viewpoint. =)
>
>Kat Marsh : I think this is a wonderful idea for a report in your
magazine. I would love to see a copy of the finished product. I have been
doing my pet advice column for almost a year now, and have found it to be
very successful. I get some very interesting questions, and some funny
ones too. I feel that most people really love their animals. They treat
them like children, and want the best for them. Losing pets can be as
difficult as losing a family member. We have a responsibility as pet
owners to ensure the proper care of our pets. This does not mean just
nutritional, grooming, and veterinary care, but also the emotional care of
our pets. We have a responsibility to make their lives as full as
possible. We need to fill it with love, companionship, security and
happiness.
>
>David D. Maczynski : We under estimate the powers of a pet. How is it that
a dog can find it's way home over 100 miles away? Why is it that they
almost always know when they've done something wrong? Have you seen a pet
opening grieve for another? Why will they will risk their own life for yours?
>It is NOT because they are "stupid" animals!
>
>Linda J. Rice : Thanks for asking my opinion. I might be considered
extreme by some, but my dogs are great, and love me as much as I love them.
Good luck with your article, and have a great day. :)
>
>Diana Guerrero : I think you have decided to touch into an important
topic. I would appreciate a copy of your publication if you use any of my
quotes or comments.
>
>Joanna Swabe : Interesting topic, good luck with it!
>
>Elisa Murphy : I think animals are living breathing feeling creatures just
as we are. We are no better off than they are just because we have a
written spoken language and they don't. They all deserve respect and love
from us as humans and they need us in their lives to take care of them and
give them good homes.
>
>
>
>
>
>Conclusion
>Chairman : Thanks you for attending the network conference. From today's
discussion, we may find that the best way to get along with pets is to
treat them with a sincere affection. Although pets do not understand our
language, they can tell from our emotion or body language. If we treat
them well, they will reciprocate equally. That's why many of the examples
in the history that pets saved their owner's life. I believe our
discussion will bring some inspiration for people in treating with their
pets and even with other creatures. Eventually, if you want to raise a
pet, then please treat them with equal, and sincere affection. If you want
your pet be healthy, then give him vegetarian food. Thank you again and
wish you be full of happiness.
>
>Acknowledge
>People who attend this network conference are strangers to me. We haven't
met before. But, after they have read our introduction of our magazine and
the topic of discussion, they gave us their warm and sincere feedback.
There is a saying that "Having a friend from a place far from here is a
pleasure." I would like to express my thanks to all the guest who attend
this network conference. Their warm feedback plenitude the discussion.
>
>To be mentioned is that all the attendants are not Buddhist. But the
Buddhism is the truth of the life, it lies in everywhere and in everyone's
heart. The truth is always there, it will not disappear because people who
are not Buddhist. All the discussion about how to get along with pets
never stay away from compassion and wisdom, the teaching of Buddhism. When
we treat pets, we need compassion and we need wisdom as well. We should
not treat pet as a appurtenance so that we discard them when we don't need
them any more. Getting along with pets or other creatures should based on
the mutual trust, respect and love so that there will be no dispute or war.
Wish all the pet owners treat their pets with compassion and wisdom, and
wish all the animal will turn into a human and have a chance to practice
Buddhism after they died.
>
>Reference:
>
>Dorothy Hoffman
>http://www.netreach.net/~dhoffman/pawprints
>Andy Beger
>www.macalester.edu/~abeger
>Kat Marsh
>http://pages.prodigy.net/martians/advice.htm
>David D. Maczynski
>http://info-s.com
>Linda J. Rice
>http://www.metrolink.net/~lrice/
>Diana Guerrero
>http://www.cyberpet.com/ark
>Elisa Murphy
>http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/2593
>Joanna Swabe
>http://www.xs4all.nl/~ianmacd/Jo
>Dr. Hui-Li Su
>http://nlplab.cs.nthu.edu.tw/~flight/hus/hus.htm
>