Report by by Sophia Volunteers Journalist Tibet Today

Many Tibetans celebrated their first vegetarian Losar, thanks to kind hearted members of a local NGO. Members of the Tibetan Volunteers for Animals (TVA), ran a hard hitting campaign encouraging Tibetans to go meat free, between January 25 – February 1.

gaya01.jpgBodh Gaya Jan 25th, 2010: Every year in December, the holy place of Bodh Gaya attracts thousands of Buddhist from round the world due to various religious events like Kagyu Monlam, Nyingma Monlam, Gelug Monlam. This year there were more number of devotees than before as His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave a five-day teachings from January 5 to 8 Tibetan Volunteers for Animals (TVA) organized a month long Vegetarian campaign to spread awareness about the suffering of animals and also treated sick and injured animals in the area.

December 2009: Tibetan Volunteers for Animals (TVA) started its first regional chapter in New York, USA with the help and participation from a few long time supporters of TVA. The New York regional chapter of Tibetan Volunteers for Animals, (TVA-NY) is now a registered Non Profit Organisation in New York City, USA.

Here are statements from some of the eye witnesses of the world's largest Animal Sacrifice "Ritual" in Nepal. It is estimated that over 1 Million Animals including, buffaloes, goat, sheep, chickens were slaughtered on this day.

The members of Tibetan Volunteers for Animals visited Jaipur and Gurgaon, the two big cities of India, where the largest number of Tibetan sweater sellers reside; to talk to the local Tibetans and to spread awareness about animal sufferings.

 Dharamsala Saturday 21 November 2009: Despite protests from Animal rights groups, Nepal will slaughter half a million animals on Nov 24th and 25th 2009 to “appease the goddess Gadhimai” during the Gadhimai festival held once every 5 years at Bariyapur in Bara district of southern Nepal.

wecare-mundgod2.jpgMundgod February 14th 2008:Roses, gifts, chocolates & candles; for most people, this is the description of Valentine's day. But for a group of young Tibetans, this day meant something more than that.

tva-group.jpgSarnath, UP, India, 16 January 2009 - His Holiness the Dalai Lama began a 7-day teaching in Sarnath on Shantideva's A Guide To the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (chodjug) & Kamalashila's The Middling Stages of Meditation (gomrim barpa) near the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies on January 8 2009. Approximately 20,000 people attended the teachings, including 1100 foreigners.

Dharamsala, India March 13, 2007: His Holiness the Dalai Lama gave his annual spring teachings on Shantideva’s A Guide to the Boddhisattva’s Way of Life (chodjug) along with the 3rd Dalai Lama Gyalwang Sonam Gyatso’s The Refined Gold – The Stages of the Path to Enlightenment (lamrim sershoonma) from March 4 to March 13, 2007 in Dharamsala (North India). People from all around the world flocked into this small place to listen to the teachings.  

This year TVA organized `Ahimsa Music Concert` in Dharamsala (India) on the 1st of March 2008. Through this concert TVA aims to spread the vegetarian message through music. Music speaks the universal language and transcends all barriers; therefore TVA felt that the music concert will be the most powerful medium for achieving the goal.