Buddhists liberate lobsters, at least for a short time

[rug]

GLOUCESTER, Mass. — Instead of plunging headfirst to their death in a pot of boiling water, 534 live lobsters escaped the dinner plate and belly flopped to freedom into the dark waters of the Atlantic Ocean.

A group of Tibetan Buddhists flanked the sides of a whale-watching boat at dusk on Wednesday, sprayed the lobsters with blessed water, clipped the bands binding their dangerous claws and gently released them one by one into the deep water below.

The 30 Buddhists of all ages trekked to the North Shore beach community known for its massive lobster hauls to purchase 600 pounds of lobster from a seafood wholesaler and save the critters from imminent death.

The lobster liberation was scheduled specifically for Aug. 3, which is Wheel Turning Day on this year's Tibetan lunar calendar, the anniversary of the first sermon Buddha taught. On this holiday, the merit for positive actions is multiplied many times.

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[Igel]

1. They'd really be blessed, I guess,

if they rounded up a bunch of antibiotics or household cleansers with bleach and destroyed them.

And bug spray.

Think of all the lives saved, all the bacteria and protists and insects. Who knows, one of the bacteria could have been Stalin, slowly working his way back up towards a multicellular organism.