I am often amazed by the way in which the Sabian Screen of Prophecy comments on world events, or events in my life.
Since I have just read the lessons for a month from now, to proof them, I do not remember exactly which lessons contain Marc Edmund Jones's comments on animal sacrifices and the Mosaic laws which sanctioned them. I do know that he said a lot of brilliant things about all that, and the fact that he says such things which no one else has ever said is is the main reason I believe in him and believe that he represents the Hierarchy of Masters (although of course no one represents it perfectly, and he himself would make no claim to have done that).
Tomorrow, November 24, in Nepal a huge animal sacrifice is planned, in which 20,000 or 25,000 (I have seen both figures) animals are planned to be slaughtered in the name of some goddess or other. In fairness, I must say that this is perhaps no worse, and perhaps not as bad, as the regular everyday slaughter of animals in the United States of America, because that is done in horrendous, heinous circumstances which deprive these animals of the right to any kind of a life, often chained up in their own excrement throughout their lives, unable even to turn around. That is so cruel that it might be even worse than the animal sacrifices in Nepal. In fact, it probably is. So if you eat the corpses of animals, please to not congratulate yourself that you are more civilized than the Nepalese who intend to slaughter these animals.
Many in Nepal are calling for this slaughter to be prevented. Intelligent and spiritually sensitive people everywhere can see the folly and evil of it. I am mentioning it not because I want to be a crusader here for animal rights, but because it fits in with the current lessons in the Thaumaturgic Message on the animal sacrifices of the Hebrews.
Here is part of a post from the Environment News Service http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2009/2009-11-22-02.asp :
In a November 3 article in the "Kathmandu Post," Maneka Gandhi appealed to the people of Nepal to abandon the killing of animals at the Gadhimai Festival.
A minister in four governments, the Indian politician, animal rights activist, and environmentalist said that this is not a way to honor the goddess, who will be instead be dishonored by the deaths and suffering of the animals. "Priests frighten villagers into believing that terrible things will happen if the goddess is not placated with animal sacrifices," she wrote.
She detailed the ways in which the festival is a profitable enterprise for priests, moneylenders and animal sellers. "The festival is a business, and profit is the motive for killing so many animals. Villagers go into debt to buy the animals to be sacrificed. Debt leads to bankruptcies, and when the small farmers� lands are confiscated to become the property of large landowners, then the former farmers become day laborers," wrote Gandhi. "The festival exploits both humans and animals."
The local business community is expected to raise about two million euros from sales of animal hides and carcasses as well as payment for logistics and recreational facilities.
The Tibetan Buddhist master Lama Zopa Rinpoche is requesting that all Buddhist centers and students read the Golden Light Sutra and pray that the killing may be halted before it begins. "I have asked Kopan Gompa [near Kathmandu] to send some monks to read it at the stupa and make strong prayers for the sacrifice not to happen, to dedicate like that and of course dedicate for world peace," said Lama Zopa in a widely circulated email.
The Buddha Boy, known for his Buddha-like ascetic life in the jungle, today moved to the Gadhimai Temple in an attempt to stop the sacrifice in the district where he was born and raised. Officially called by his Tibetan name Palden Dorje Tamang Rinpoche, or by his Nepali name Ram Bahadur Bomjan, he intends to preach non-violence and offer a blessing at the venue to stop the slaughter.
All this is especially sad for me because November 24 is the day of Sri Aurobindo's Siddhi, the day he acquired supernormal powers of a magnitude unheard of in the history of the world (1926). He did this not by animal sacrifices or primitive magic but by making touch with and embodying the Supreme in His and Her universal omni-competence, omni-awarness, and omni-charity or love.
Although the cultures are very much different, I cannot help thinking of Jesus driving out those who sold animals for sacrifice from the Temple in Jerusalem a few days before he was arrested and killed. His motive was not animal rights, within that culture, but the profanation of the Temple by using it for crude profit-getting. And of course we know that in the Christian tradition even the motive for animal sacrifices came to an end by reason of the Supreme Sacrifice.
Hugh
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