Protecting the Lives of Helpless Beings

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Protecting the Lives of Helpless Beings: The Udamwara Lotus Flower

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Descriptionངོ་སྤྲོད།

This ebook presents a detailed discussion in support of vegetarianism and animal welfare. Geshe Soepa's presentation begins with an extensive look at the various sutras and tantras which reveal the Buddha's teachings on why we should avoid eating meat. There is a question and answer section on topics including tantric rituals and whether to offer meat to the Sangha. Geshe Soepa also discusses the practice of neutering animals and concludes that eating meat or otherwise exploiting animals is contrary to the core Buddhist practice of compassion.

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, has read through Geshe Soepa's explanation and said "It is well written. It would be nice if more equally useful texts were written for people to read."

Protecting the Lives of Helpless Beings is a must-read for all Buddhists and especially for those who wish to support and advocate for vegetarianism. A proponent of animal welfare, Geshe Thubten Soepa has taught extensively on the subject of vegetarianism. (Source Accessed May 2, 2026)

Citation

Soepa, Geshe Thubten. Protecting the Lives of Helpless Beings: The Udamwara Lotus Flower. Boston: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, 2007.

Publisher Link

https://www.lamayeshe.com/shop/protecting-lives-helpless-beings-ebook

Table of contents

• PROTECTING THE LIVES OF HELPLESS BEINGS1
• The Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive3
• Section One. Udamwara - Statements from Sutra5
• Section Two: Question and Answer18
• Section Three: Compassion is the Root of the Teachings23
• Endnotes34
• Scriptural References38
• Acknowledgements39
• Previously published by LYWA40
• About the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive41
• About the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition44
• What to do with Dharma teachings45
• Dedication46
• About Geshe Thubten Soepa47
• Signup for the LYWA eLetter48
• Browse all LYWA digital titles49
• Connect with LYWA50

Interconnections

Works related to this item

Tantra - Tantra, when juxtaposed with Sūtra, generally refers to the scriptures and texts which discuss esoteric topics. While the term is used to refer to texts on other topics, it is mostly used to refer to the genre of scriptures and texts on themes and topics associated with Vajrayāna Buddhism. Skt तन्त्र  Tib རྒྱུད།  Ch 密宗  

Go to the page with the definition of 'tantras'

Karuṇā - The profound wish for all sentient beings to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering. It is a core virtue in Buddhism and, in the Mahāyāna tradition, develops into 'great compassion' (mahākaruṇā), the driving force behind the pursuit of enlightenment for the benefit of others. Skt करुणा  Tib ཐུགས་རྗེ་  Ch 悲  

Go to the page with the definition of 'compassion'