Compassion for All Life: Changing our Relationship with Non-human Beings

A public talk sponsored by the Florida Community of Mindfulness and Florida Voices for Animals.

Date: August 28 at 7:30 PM

No advance registration or cost, but donations at the door are much appreciated and will be used to support Geshe's Foundation

What is our relationship with animals…those that walk on land, fly in the air, and swim in the sea? Are they here to serve our needs or are we here to protect them?  Do domesticated animals have feelings and to they suffer? What are the effects of animal husbandry on the planet?  Does a person's individual diet really make a difference in the world’s unfolding? How difficult is it to move towards a plant-based diet?

In this public talk, Geshe Thupten Phelgye, a well known Tibetan Buddhist teacher and former elected representative in the Tibetan Government in Exile, will deal directly with these important questions.  Geshe Phelgye has lived his life as a Buddhist monk for over forty years where he not only lives the Buddhist principals but also teaches and promotes Universal Compassion and Peace around the world. He came to the United States on the invitation of Gonzaga University, a Catholic Institution, as their first Global scholar in Residence. Gonzaga University Law School helped his organization the “Universal Compassion Foundation” by registering it as a nonprofit 501 (c) 3, which allows him to fulfill his visions such as continuing the promotion of Universal Compassion and Peace and establishing Buddhist Institutions to promote these missions. 

Geshe Phelgye is one of the rare Tibetan Geshes who has been educated in a modern academic tradition as well as in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This makes him uniquely equipped with a western education with multiple languages along with ancient Buddhist traditions. This fact and his selfless service to others throughout his life led to his appointments and election to various public and governmental posts including the Tibetan Parliament.