Buddhism for Dogs
Meet Zhi Xiang, a 51 year-old Buddhist monk from Shanghai who has turned animal welfare into a spiritual practice, rescuing thousands of stray dogs as China’s booming pet market leaves millions of animals abandoned on the streets each year.
Growing up on a farm, Zhi always had a connection with animals but after a chance encounter with a monk at 19 years old, Zhi knew he had found his calling. In 1993, eight years after he was ordained, Zhi was driving back to the monastery when he noticed a badly injured cat on the side of the highway. After taking the cat back to the monastery to care for it, Zhi kept two cages in the back of the car and found himself driving around the city “with no other purpose than hoping to find animals that needed help.”
In Buddhism all forms of life are regarded as equal and for Zhi, rescuing animals became an opportunity to put his faith into practice. “I can’t sit and pray knowing that another living being is suffering.” While continuing his duties as a monk, Zhi would wake at 4am every morning to care for the animals he rescued, borrowing money from his parents to cover expenses. However, as China’s pet market boomed, the number of abandoned dogs increased, and the monastery ran out of room to house them. In 2019, with the help of a small team of volunteers, he opened a rescue shelter in the city.
As the number of animal rescues continues to grow, so does Zhi’s financial strain. With 8,000 dogs currently in his care and annual costs of about $2.45 million, Zhi funds his mission through donations and personal loans. Thanks to social media, the shelter has started overseas adoption, sending over 300 dogs to loving homes in the USA, Canada and Europe.
Today, Zhi is head monk at the ancient Bao'en Temple and continues to wake at 4am to care for his animals, driven by faith and a determination to change as many lives as possible.
I will do whatever I can do and if I don’t have enough strength, I will motivate others. As long as it’s from the bottom of your heart, people will follow you.
