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Killing animals is not "wrong" but it is CRUELTY
"as a mother at the risk of her life watches over her
child, so let everyone cultivate a boundlessly compassionate mind toward all living beings." Budha.
just wondering how does killing animals for meat have anything to do with compassion?? how can one kid themselves into thinking this is compassion knowing the animal was likely tortured and killed for your taste buds.
do you think most vegetarians honestly just give up meat to be radical or cool or self -righteous? don't you think maybe it was hard for most at first to give up what one is used to-- but each time they become aware of their dinner plate. they think before they eat about the animal that gave it's life and suffered unecessarily
( when today there are 1000's of alternatives to meat)
also why did dalai lama become a vegetarian spokesperson when he was once a vegetarian ? he later admitted in an interview that he and his brother used to fight over the meat at his father's house as a kid.
People think of animals as if they were vegetables, and that is not right. We have to change the way people think about animals. I encourage the Tibetan people and all people to move toward a vegetarian diet that doesn't cause suffering."
- The Dalai Lama
" eating meat kills the seed of compassion." - Budha.
If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian." ~Paul McCartney
As custodians of the planet it is our responsibility to deal with all species with kindness, love and compassion. That these animals suffer through human cruelty is beyond understanding. Please help to stop this madness.
~ Richard Gere,
"I am a vegetarian for health reasons - the health of the chicken." ...... Mohandas Gandhi
Auschwitz happens when people look at a slaughterhouse and think they are only animals
~ Theodore Adorno, sociologist and philosopher
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Then again, SIR Paul -- net worth in the neighborhood of $800,000,000 -- has probably never watched illegal men, women, and children from Mexico breaking their backs picking some of his favored veggies and fruits in the Great Valley of California.
for all you know he eats organic, and um. doesn't he live in england ?? haha.
we all have to eat doing the least harm possible to children animal and plant.
to show compassion and be mindful.
there is a difference between having to eat vegetable- and or- meat for that matter - if there is no other option and you do all you can to avoid the suffering.
i don't go around killing people either- oh well because people die, suffering is there- i don't add to it or at least i try NOT too.
TO GO OUTRIGHT AND EAT A JUICY STEAK OR VEAL - i mean you are doing it intentionally and putting your taste buds first, this is not an act of compassion.
your supposed to do your best, not just pretend that you do so you can say you are a "buddhist"
http://www.veggiebuddhists.com/lankavatarasutra
I don't care where he lives. The principle is the same.
You're talking about compassion toward animals. I'm talking about compassion, too...but to the people who pick the veggies and fruits.
I'm fine if you don't want to eat meat because of your principles. But don't LECTURE people who have different principles.
It would be nice if we could all do that for all of our food, but we can't, so we have to rely on others to work for us. Is that a fair system? Not at all, since profit motive is the main factor in it. As long as the profit motive is the main driving force in society, there will continue to be unfairness and suffering at the bottom.
What Paul McCartney's fortune has to do with that is utterly beyond my comprehension.
the main argument for that is WHY NOT JUST KILL HUMANS AND EAT THEM WHILE YOUR AT IT ? i mean you want to kill? be my guest....budhism is about compassion.
i think you have lost site of the word's meaning -- i assume it is just a word to you...like everything else in your lexicon. i mean how can you say you are a budhist when your a fake?
1) you should do your best not to kill anything or anyone, if you can help it out of empathy and compassion.
2) we need to eat something but best to eat vegetables or at worst lower life forms with the least pain receptors or like bugs which do not suffer anything like an animal will- i mean that is common sense.. have you ever read basic biology??
3) the animals you eat, are not just killed, they are tortured in holocaust camp. and it is you that is causing this - you are the link in the chain, your karma- as a buyer.
4) nobody is perfect, but as a ###budhist ( i am not i dont say im anything) but i DO have a conscience, and any budhist should and would follow the basic principle DO NO HARM as best you can.
5) it's time to wake up, but you never will if you can't grasp the concept of compassion and empathy.
just like i would if this was nazi germany vs. the jews. i would do the same because im not a sheep.
For the people who champion animal welfare, there are a huge amount of small battles to be won before the war can be won, but as long as we keep fighting our corner for those who cannot, a positive difference can be made to the countless number of animals in the world in need of help.
the answer to your point (of underpaid labor) is the same as the answer many vegetarians have found. to the best of your ability, stop supporting industries that cause suffering. as far as vegetables, this may include visiting a local farmers market or the farms themselves if you happen to live close enough. as far as supermarkets go, do some research on the brands you buy from. i don't like when people post blanket statistics that make everything seem so evil and hopeless. i prefer to stay positive and do what i can.
@brodyn
" eating meat kills the seed of compassion." - Budha.
where did the buddha say this quote? despite vegetarianism being a weekly topic on this board, i have never heard this quote, which makes me think it is not real.
Have you not noticed a general principle that floats around this forum very strongly -- that Buddhism is not a religion/philosophy that FORCES you to adhere to a set of somebody else's rules? And yet, the OP wants to take what some feel is a Buddhist principle and enforce it through harsh statements and recriminations. And frankly, I'll prefer to observe what is acceptable to tens of thousands of monks over that of the OP...at least it's one yardstick. I think Brodyn ought to realize that anyone of us could take almost anyone else on this forum, get to know them, and begin harshly criticizing some aspects of their behavior and beliefs. But to me (and this is just one of my beliefs) that wouldn't be very Buddhist, either.
And is it what Buddhism really says? I lived in Thailand, and I go to Theravada temples here in the US. I have yet to see a Thai BUDDHIST MONK who doesn't eat meat. In fact, the whole of Buddhist Thailand is a pretty much a meat eating country.
Anyone who wants to eat only veggies, that's fine with me. It's their choice based on their beliefs. I'm happy for them. But stop trying to shove their belief down my throat. It's no different than the doorbell ringing, Bible thumping, evangelical Christians trying to shove their religious beliefs on everyone else...and there aren't very many people on this website/forum that think that is acceptable.
And as far as I am aware Paul Mccartney has never participated in or encouraged the type of labour in fields that you talk about in your posts, therefore I think it was a bit unfair and needless to cite him in your argument.
I also think it was unfair of @brodyn to criticize so harshley, and question the faith of the Buddhists who eat meat. While I understand the reasons why you could say these things, your not going to change anyone's attitude about eating meat by criticizing them as you have. If you want people to change, then the best way to do this is to show them a positive reason for doing so, by showing the benefits there change in eating habbits can have to workers and animals, not by preaching to them about how eating meat is unBuddhist.
Thats my two cents anyway
As I said previously, I have no problem with people who are vegetarians or who promote it -- TO A REASONABLE DEGREE. And there's nothing wrong with an evenhanded discussion and even a debate. But when you begin (as you put it) to criticize others' moral beliefs harshly...that is what I am objecting to.
I'm not the one who brought Paul McCartney up to begin with. But if we're going to quote him as being wise on the subject, I just want to point out that perhaps Paul is unaware of what the harvesters of fruits and veggies endure...and some of us are very concerned about the wages and living conditions and education of farm workers, many (or perhaps most) of whom live in abject poverty. Yes, there's the unseen aspect of processing meat (although I have been in an Asian wet market), but there's also the unseen toll on humans who pick and process veggies and fruits.
i understand your point, that it's not enough to think that just cutting meat out of your diet will end the suffering. it's always a good policy to be aware of the impact our choices have on the environment, but i really don't think that paul has anything to do with this. it's all a matter of perspective. obviously, you have some aggression towards vegetarians and you feel that they are judging you. and perhaps they are, but why does it bother you so much? i've met some vegs/vegans that have irritated me in my life, lol. i don't like when anyone makes others feel bad (you know the ones that openly criticize across the dinner table, "i can't believe you're eating THAT..."), but i don't see anything wrong with providing a point of view. polite conversation takes some tact, and of course, some people fall short of the bar. in my mindstate, i didn't find paul's comment to be infuriating or judgmental, i just felt he was making a point on the fact that most average people don't know what goes on in slaughterhouses, and they prefer to keep it that way. i have met people that have told me that they prefer not to know because they don't want to feel bad about it.
i would imagine that most people who are compassionate enough to animals to stop eating meat would be compassionate to humans who are paid unfair labor. so instead of just complaining on a message board, what can we do about this? are there any charities you know that help combat this sort of thing that we could promote? maybe it would be helpful to do some research yourself on different brands that engage in these unfair labor tactics and then get the word out. in this world, money is the only way that a small and insignificant person like you or i can have any effect on a huge corporation and the internet can be a powerful resource.
That said, sll of it is practice anyway, just like doctors practice medicine. There is no perfection, and new veins of thought arise all the time, so therefore no one should be passing judgement on another's practices(s).
There seems to be some holier than thou attitudes here, and that is a shame. Compassion is compassion, whether it be toward ourselves or another, it should be paramount, the rest just falls into place.
Anyone here for vegetable rights ?
"Vegetable Rights are defined as undeniable rights possessed by plants and other non-animal living things. Vegetable rights activists believe in the natural rights of vegetables and other plant life. These groups oppose all forms of plant bondage and genocide, including the keeping of house plants (which are referred to as "slave plants" in the movement), vegetable gardens, family farming, landscaping, tree trimming, grass mowing, and public parks."
From a reputable source !
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Vegetable_Rights
I never thought of the cactus in my Living room as a slave plant. Something to reflect on
:nyah:
Vegetarian article is funny also
http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Vegetarians