It is traditional in Taiwan to give pigs as offerings to deities and immortals. The Chingshui Zushi Temple in New Taipei City is one of the few that still holds "divine pig" contests, in which participants offer pigs that have been force-fed to make them especially large. Ironically, Chingshui Zushi, the Buddhist honored at the temple, was a vegetarian.
Though well-intentioned, these offerings are cruel and indulgent, and an insult to the principles of Buddhism. Some believers have found humane alternatives to offering real pigs, for example a man named Huang who offered bags of rice which he gave to poor families after the ritual. Please sign the petition to convince Taiwanese authorities to ban the practice of force-feeding pigs.
As you know, it is traditional in Taiwan to give pigs as offerings to deities and immortals. The Chingshui Zushi Temple in New Taipei City is one of the few that still holds "divine pig" contests, in which participants offer pigs that have been force-fed to make them especially large. Ironically, Chingshui Zushi, the Buddhist honored at the temple, was a vegetarian.
Though well-intentioned, we believe these offerings are cruel and indulgent, and an insult to Buddhist principles. Some believers have found humane alternatives to offering real pigs, for example a man named Huang who offered bags of rice which he gave to poor families after the ritual. We respectfully urge you to support humane practices and ban the practice of force-feeding pigs for offerings. Thank you for taking the time to read and consider our petition.
