Question asked by Anonymous
Hello to whoever isnreading this:
> Is humane meat acceptable? Like meat that naturally died or any other methods that are humane. Also is cloned meat okay? I'm not sure if it requires killing, but if it doesn't and the aniaml isn't harmed at all, would that be okay?
> Is a Tibetan Book of the Dead a good book to get? A lot of westerners obsess over it, but I'm not sure if it's worth to read. If it is worth it, do you know what it's about?
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for your question. It’s a very good question because technology is advancing so much that it is going to be common in the future. Why eating meat is not good, as explained by Tsem Rinpoche, is first because of the act of killing and second because it can have negative effects on the body. Meat itself is not bad therefore, but it’s the act of killing that is bad and created negative karma, as well as the negative effects it can have on our own bodies.
I am not aware of any current method to get meat that is humane. It will always involved the harming and killing an animal, so there is also negative karma involved. As far as I understand it, at the moment, even the process of cloning meat requires an animal to be killed to start the process. So there is still negative karma involved due to the act of killing.
There are many plant-based meat substitutes available today, which would not have the negative karma of killing involved. That would be a better option.
In regards to the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the text outlines the experiences we go through in the Bardo period after death, before our next rebirth. It is supposed to be a guidebook so that when these experiences occur to us, we are aware of what is happening and then can use that experience to progress on our spiritual path. However, that take a very high level of spiritual awareness that normal practitioners do not have. That level of awareness comes from years of study, learning, retreats, intense daily meditation practice. That is how Tsem Rinpoche once described it to me. In other words, it’s best to concentrate and focus on what we can do right now to progress on our spiritual path so that in future we will be able to reach that state and ultimately enlightenment itself. That is why Tsem Rinpoche emphasised the Lamrim teachings. They are things we can do right now.
I too read the Tibetan Book of the Dead when I was living in Europe. In fact, it was probably the first book on Tibetan Buddhism that I read. I also got a copy of it because everyone was talking about it, but I could not understand what it really meant. I guess the appeal of it for the majority is actually the mystical aspect surrounding it, etc. That is my opinion anyway. Thank you.