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On the account of vegetarianism
Ficus_religiosa
Veteran
I realize that the debate on vegetarianism is going strong in here. That's only natural, as Buddhist teachings are quite unclear on this - one the one hand it's allowed to eat meat (given you did not kill the animal yourself), on the other hand vegetarianism is encouraged because you then do not contribute to the killing of animals in any way.
The interesting fact is that the Precepts is formulated as not harming life or not taking life depending on the translation and interpretation. This is arguably meant in a deontological way - accidentally stepping on a beetle is not bad karma. Today however, we know that plants are living too and view them as such (I don't know how they were looked upon 2500 years ago) - but they are readily eaten. Should we completely follow the Precepts, eating would be impossible. Eating plants also means that you eat millions of microscopic animals living in and on the plant material. Cooking plant material means to kill them. What makes their life worth less than a cow's, or a dog's? The distinction could be made from level of sentience, but then again we can only assume and never know how "sentient" (humanlike?) an animal is - and is sentience qua intelligence?
My own answer is a middle way. I try to reduce my intake of meat, I try to not step on either plants or animals no matter how minute etc. I too realize that living means taking life - also knowing that one life is not worth more than the other.
The interesting fact is that the Precepts is formulated as not harming life or not taking life depending on the translation and interpretation. This is arguably meant in a deontological way - accidentally stepping on a beetle is not bad karma. Today however, we know that plants are living too and view them as such (I don't know how they were looked upon 2500 years ago) - but they are readily eaten. Should we completely follow the Precepts, eating would be impossible. Eating plants also means that you eat millions of microscopic animals living in and on the plant material. Cooking plant material means to kill them. What makes their life worth less than a cow's, or a dog's? The distinction could be made from level of sentience, but then again we can only assume and never know how "sentient" (humanlike?) an animal is - and is sentience qua intelligence?
My own answer is a middle way. I try to reduce my intake of meat, I try to not step on either plants or animals no matter how minute etc. I too realize that living means taking life - also knowing that one life is not worth more than the other.
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Comments
Eating is not the same karma as killing. If a human being needs to eat and must cut a plant or catch a fish, they are not "killing". It is the opposite. They are preserving life, that is, their own.
the discourses describe killing as with 'violence', 'bloody handed' 'merciless'
many religious cultures have rituals & prayers when human must take the life of animal to eat
oh...that's sounds reasonable
sad fact of life is life depends on other lives
buddha gave a parable about mother & father lost in the desert & having to kill their only child & eat him to survive
buddha recommended to eat with this attitude
If a person really wants to get down to the nitty gritty of it , killing life is inevitable no matter what diet you chose.
Why then, are Buddhists forbid to work in a business dealing with the raising of animals for the meat industry? And how is it different pulling a fish from the water (suffocating it), than holding a puppy under water - given you eat either because of hunger afterwards? I lean towards a fundamental, literal interpretation of the precept..
It's also worth bearing in mind that animals raised for meat are fed plants. Eating meat involves not only comsumption of the animal, but indirectly of many times more calories of plants. It takes 10 calories of plant food to produce one calorie of beef, for example. This is why a person following a vegan diet requires only a ninth of the land area to support their diet compared to that required for someone who eats meat.
A fish and a puppy have different brains, making their experiences unique. I cannot remember any lives I have lived as a fish or a puppy, so I can not speak for them except biologically.
I find DD's pointing at the son-jerky sutta to be helpful. If we eat with deep respect for the amount of energy and life it took to create the food we are chewing, then we are chewing skillfully. What we are chewing is of less importance to that.
I feel that eating a carrot out of indulgence and sensory desire would be more damaging to our openness than eating a steak reverently.
With warmth,
Matt
In todays world there is no need whatsoever to eat meat or seafood, there are many alternatives such as Quorn Tofu, TVE, Vegemince and Goodbite and I think these not only taste just as good but also are more healthy options. Even if you dont think they taste as good as meat or seafood just try and consider if you think its worth it to sacrifice a little on taste for the knowledge that you are not contributing to the suffering of a sentient being.
metta to all sentient beings
http://www.abolitionistapproach.com/a-frequently-asked-question-what-about-plants/
Yet as I follow my own path, embrace the act of cooking and healthy eating, I cannot help but eat a mostly vegetarian diet, I have developed a strong aversion to red meat, but do eat very little chicken, and some fish.
I find that my diet is quite healthy and satisfying with following a mostly Mediterranean diet consisting of a lot of legumes, vegetables, grains and fruits.
After watching the movie Food.Inc which I highly recommend I don't eat processed foods as they all contain toxins and corn by products which result in obesity and diabetes type II. I now buy the raw ingredients and make all my own foods from hummus and related recipes to breads, and pasta. I have learned to embrace the act of cooking and so eating is really only the climax of the process and no longer the central focus of my nourishment activities.
As mentioned, I do eat some meat but I would say no more than 5-10% of my diet. There is no need to eat more than that as I find my recipes quite delicious from Tabuli, Hummus, Falafel balls, Stuffed Grape leaves, Spinach Egg Rolls (my own invention!), breads, pasta, salads, baked goods etc.
More importantly than labeling myself a vegetarian or going to either extreme (meat and potatoes or complete vegetarian) is my personal responsibility to respect all living things including the Plants that I eat, which also includes not wasting food by choice.
So I try to use all the materials wisely, eat what I can, freeze the rest and use good sound reason in what I buy and cook to avoid spoilage or unneeded waste. I see a lot of waste in how people eat, by refusing to eat left overs, or by eating what they "want" on a whim instead of what's already available in their home and which will spoil soon if not consumed.
I follow the teachings of the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh, and so when I eat, I focus on the act of preparation and consuming. I'm mindful of the present moment, and of how all things are truly inter-related.
When I eat my food I know that it is not just a piece of fruit, vegetable etc, but that it includes everything from the sunlight, earth and water that it needed to live and grow, to the human efforts, labor and toiling that were involved in planting, growing, reaping and bringing to market.
With this in mind, I eat with purpose, enjoyment, gratitude and respect. It goes beyond just paying for the food and thinking I own the food because money was exchanged. I see it more as a gift of nature and am very grateful for being alive and being the recipient of such wonderful and delicious materials that serve to nourish me and maintain my health so I can continue in my path.
We in our society, take so much for granted and are so bombarded by the media and advertising that we turn a blind eye to the suffering around the world. When we eat, we don't even focus on just how lucky we are and so we don't appreciate what we have to eat, and just how precious it is. As we eat without thinking, and easily through away the rest as we become full, fat and satiated, we neglect (or turn a blind eye to) the suffering around the world and often in very own "back yards" and the thousands upon thousands of starving people who would do anything to be able to eat what we discard as garbage.
It's amazing how much we as a people throw out not just us personally but the food and restaurant industry as well. Yet people die by the thousands daily because of the lack of nourishment and edible materials!
And so with this attitude my respect is pretty much the same for all foodstuffs be it plant or animal, as well as for all the elements that were involved up to the point of my consuming of the food. And this is how enjoy what I eat, how I lost 60+ lbs, and how I managed to get rid of my self made illnesses like high cholesterol, type II diabetes etc, obesity, and at the same time enjoy cooking and eating more than I ever have in the past.
Life is good if you just let it be and are awake enough to realize it!
Ivan
Ivan
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hipbi-mn7by4mFZ6veqVQ0OEmu9Q
Nearly half the primate species are in danger of becoming extinct from destruction of tropical forests, illegal wildlife trade and commercial bush-meat hunting.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/18/primates-extinction-red-list
http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/02/primates-face-extinction.html
Thank You!
What I mean when I regard the life of a vegetable to be as valuable as any other life, human or animal, is not that a veggie has a sentience (as humans or animals have, each in their own way), but that a veggie like any living being would, if it was able to, tell you that it wanted to live on and live a good life. Only other humans can ever actually tell you this, but we must assume that any living being wants a good and fulfilling life - whether they are capable of thought or not, and if, what level of thought (if it's even possible to talk about levels of thought/sentience as opposed to kinds of thought/sentience)