Buddhist take on Dear Abbot letters.

Chicken lover,

“…in seeking to escape from suffering ourselves, why should we inflict it upon others?”  as stated in Surangama Sutra. 

To believe and place so much focus on eliminating suffering this situation described is not within the teachings and beliefs of Buddha or the Buddhist faith itself.  To attain liberation from suffering and gain contentment and peace one should not kill any living animal.  You yourself have described the chickens at this farm to be suffering in pain from the conditions in which they live.  To believe in the Buddhist faith you should desire peace and liberation from suffering not just for yourself but for all sentient beings.

You have already yourself questioned the circumstances of taking a position in such a business based in the inhumane suffering of another sentient being.  No amount of worldly goods, neither money nor opportunity will help you gain the enlightenment and serenity the faithful Buddhist strives for.  Be true to your faith

Respectively,

Abbot  

 

Torn between two choices,

Love is one of four Buddhist Immeasurables, under this Buddhist definition love is to want others to be happy.  Usually love has a lot of attachment applied to it in more common definitions and in marriage it is as if attaching ones self to more worldly things.  But, to have true love, where you want happiness not just for yourself but your partner is to truly know love.  I feel like you have this in mind and you feel as though you must choose, your job that provides you with the opportunity to be charitable and do good deeds, or be married.  If you are questioning your options because you are worried your partner will be unhappy with the amount of hours your job requires you are already thinking of her happiness which is to love.  Although there is no written Buddhist literature for or against marriage the Dalai Lama is quoted saying this: “too many people in the West have given up on marriage. They don't understand that it is about developing a mutual admiration of someone, a deep respect and trust and awareness of another human's needs...The new easy-come, easy-go relationships give us more freedom -- but less contentment.”  With all of this said I call you to look more closely at your reasoning for marriage, it you wish to be attached to this person because it is what you feel is expected of you at this point in your relationship or rather because you love her and are content with the admiration the two of you share.

Respectively,

Abbot