A Butcher Killed by His Own Knife — Go Vegan! By Dr. Chapman Chen
- Chapman Chen
- 17 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. (Proverbs 11:21 NIV)
On 20 January 2023 at noon — just two days before the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit — a tragic incident occurred at the Sheung Shui Slaughterhouse in the New Territories of Hong Kong. A 61-year-old butcher surnamed Choi, who was in charge of the facility, was preparing to slaughter a large pig. After stunning the terrified animal with a captive bolt, he raised a 40-cm knife to complete the killing.
Suddenly, the badly abused creature regained consciousness. In panic and desperation, the pig kicked violently. The butcher lost his balance, fell, and his own knife slashed a major artery in his left leg. He quickly went into shock and collapsed into a coma. Despite being rushed to Northern District Hospital, he died from massive blood loss.
The man, reported to be an active member of the pro-Beijing Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, had spent his life participating in the killing of animals. In a cruel twist of fate, the instrument he used to take lives became the cause of his own death.
Trouble pursues the sinner, but the righteous are rewarded with good things. (Proverbs 13:21 NIV)
The fear of the Lord adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. The way of the Lord is a refuge for the blameless, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.(Prov. 10:27-29 NIV)
In Buddhist thought, such an event is sometimes described as “instant karma” or “immediate karmic retribution” — consequences that manifest swiftly in this very life. The Saṃyukta Āgama 《雜阿含經》 teaches that karma bears fruit in different timeframes: some in the present life, some in the next, and some in distant future lives. Occasionally, however, the result appears almost instantly and visibly. Likewise, per Dhammapada《法句經》, “The doer of evil suffers; the doer of good enjoys happiness. Good and evil each bring their results, as a shadow follows the body.”
Whether understood through Biblical justice or Buddhist karma, the moral lesson converges: violence breeds suffering. When humans inflict terror and death upon innocent creatures, they also cultivate conditions of harm for themselves.
Choosing a vegan way of life breaks this cycle. By refusing to participate in the slaughter of sentient beings, we spare animals from agony — and we also free ourselves from complicity in violence and its consequences. Compassion is not only an ethical choice; it is a path toward personal and spiritual safety.
To go vegan is therefore not merely to change one’s diet. It is to step away from a system of suffering and to align oneself with mercy, justice, and reverence for life. #VeganChrist #VeganGod #VeganTheology
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