Annual Lobster Release
Each year at the end of the lobster season, the monastic and lay community of Gampo Abbey, with the financial support of many donors around the world, purchase the last catch of lobsters from one of the Pleasant Bay lobster fisherman and release the caught lobsters back into the water.
“Life Release” — in which captive animals destined to be eaten are instead released back into their native habitats — is a traditional practice for Tibetan Buddhists, especially monastics. The most obvious benefits of the practice are for the sentient beings whose lives are being saved, but it also serves to strengthen the individual practitioner and the sangha as a whole, and to establish an important link with the local environment and culture.
You can support the lobster release
The annual Lobster Release, while rooted in the local culture, has served as a powerful means for the residents and donors of Gampo Abbey to connect with this ancient Bodhisattva activity of saving the lives of sentient beings. Each year the Abbey raises funds to support the Lobster Release. It’s also a way that the Abbey connects deeply with the local environment and townspeople.
You can support our annual Lobster Release by making a tax-deductible donation through the Supporting Gampo Abbey page, and select “Lobster Release Fund” under the Gift Designation menu. We will provide you with a receipt upon request.