Is it right?
If you think killing animals against their will, skinning them, gutting them, chopping them up, cooking them up just to please your taste buds helps your spirituality in anyway, you are heavily deluded. Suffering of any kind you give others… that you are involved in directly and indirectly is the total opposite of all the qualities we are trying to develop in our spiritual practice. How can actions that are opposing to the very qualities we wish to achieve help us in any way, shape or form?
Not eating meat is easy, be serious about your spiritual growth and path. Feeding your flesh with others’ flesh only serves to increase your delusionary attachments to doing actions that harm yourself in the end.
Tsem Rinpoche
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Is it right? Well its not right most of us would said it. Life is life’s greatest gift. The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated. Love the animals , they are one of us. No matter how few possessions we own or how little money we have, loving wildlife, caring and nature will make us rich beyond measure. Animals are our friends and companions. Choosing vegetarians on our menu is the right choice.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing, a reminder for us to give love and care to all animals. Do not harm them ,go meatless at least .
in many countries starvation and famine would cease if people ate insects . . . . .
Buddha Shakyamuni was not vegetarian, & when his jealous cousin Devadatta said vegetarianism should be mandatory, Buddha said it was optional not mandatory – HOWEVER – Buddha said killing is incorrect & that engaging in the trading of animal flesh to be incorrect livelihood, Theravada monks follow this principal by accepting meat, fish, animal products as sustenance provided the animals in question were never deliberately killed for them, and that lay practitioners should never order, see or hear any animal to be killed specifically for their consumption, (that’s OK – the Muslims can act as butchers) Chinese Mahayana ordained Sangha are vegetarian & also don’t eat garlic or onions, Je Tsongkhapa was vegetarian (musta been quite hard in a country/region known as “The Land of the Snows” with little to no vegetation available for human consumption – yet he authored 19 books and lived into his 60’s in 14th century Tibet were there were no sewage systems and medical knowledge was peimitive …) however, in Vajrayana – some meat & alcohol is consumed during tsog pujas – & even if you are vegetarian – how many insects died for your broccoli? A diet & LIFESTYLE free of aversion, attachment and ignorance is ideal, yet quite hard for many people – we have to apply our wisdom, compassion and understanding ALWAYS before judging people -the First Nations of America hunted buffalo for their skins and meat, and yet – they did their best to maintain a healthy buffalo population, they respected the animals they hunted – white settlers deliberately killed buffaloes en masse NOT FOR THEIR MEAT OR SKINS to starve out the First Nations . . . as Nagarjuna said: “Things are not what they seem, nor are they otherwise”
Dear Rinpoche, I totally agree with what Rinpoche has wrote. We should not be eating meat and using any animal products. If all animals are humans, I don’t think we would eat each other except for cannibals. What if animals could speak our human language? I don’t think anyone would not feel guilty when they are going to slaughter the animals.
Dear Rinpoche,
I would definitively never think like that.
I always hate the sight where people are slathering, eating or torturing animals.
I believe killing a animal/animals for whatever reason is bad and sinful no matter what reasons.
Though some religions still practice slaughtering meat for offering to the Gods to please them. I especially don’t like Hari Raya Haji because hundreds of Mosques around the world are slaughtering thousands and thousands of cows during this day.
Though the cows meat is given to the needy people in very poor villages I still believe that instead of slaughtering cows they should use this day to buy other Daily Necessities like rice, oil, sugar or etc.
I just hope one day the whole world would be meat free so that all animals can have the freedom to live until it is time for them to pass on peacefully.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing!
Love
Jutika
It’s definitely not right. Animals do not deserve to be killed and eaten. People often think that eating meat is a very simple thing and karma will not get us back. But we are wrong, karma does come after us. We might not believe it, but it does.
Most people won’t like to hear that they eat meat “just to please your taste buds” but really, that’s all it is, isn’t it? In this day and age, when there are so, so many food options available and so much development in food science, it is entirely possible to be vegetarian and still receive the full nutrition that our bodies require. As evidence of this, I have a doctor friend who is not just vegetarian, not just vegan but a RAW VEGAN. She takes exceptionally good care of her health and does regular checks – her health results come out far healthier than most of us, with the adequate (if not optimal!) levels of all nutritional elements in her body.
When we consider this and put excuses of nutrition aside, then there really is nothing left to justify our want for meat except to satisfy our tastebuds. This really struck me when it was pointed out to me – that we would put thousands of animals through an entire lifetime of such tremendous torture, pain and suffering and then end it with even greater pain and torture, merely for the sake of pleasuring our mouths for just a few minutes a day! the moment we swallow that morsel of meat, the pleasure is over. We have no idea what happens as the food travels down our gullet and enters the digestive system and feel nothing pleasurable from that. The momentary pleasure of eating the food is really only for just those few very transitory minutes of chewing and eating. Is that really worth it for all that the animal has to go through? Logically, I’m sure you’d agree that it isn’t.
YOU too deserve much better for your own health and spiritual well-being. Some spiritual schools of thought also believe that it is very unhealthy to eat meat because we ingest not just the physical pieces of meat but also the energies of fear, sadness, anxiety, pain that are emitted by the animal just before it is killed. This is extremely damaging not just on an outward level but also on our energy fields, affecting our spiritual well being at a much deeper and more serious level than we can perceive. So really, what benefit IS THERE in eating meat, for either the animal or ourselves?
If we are serious with our spiritual practice and growth, we should really consider and care about others more and more, at the same time we also reduce the selfishness. These qualities are very important to have if we want to see results with our practice.
Therefore if we can’t just let go the pleasures of our taste bud, and this pleasure(eating meat) is only last for just a few minutes, and it hurts the other lives, then why we say we want to do spiritual practice? Spiritual practice is not something that helps us to feel good with ourselves by hurting others, but is through care about others more, think for others more and ‘sacrifice’ for others more, we will feel happy with ourselves. At least, we don’t bring harms to others and we bring care and love.
At times when I was younger, I’d wonder why I dislike the taste and smell of meat. Although I eat it but I was never really fond of it. I believe this was brought forward for previous lives of not eating meat. I dislike walking at places that sell meat as the smell is just overwhelming. Now I just tell my curious friends that it is healthier to not eat meat and it is easier for them to understand…
i am a vegetarian too and this is the exact reason why. i can’t stand how animals are being killed and tortured these days. everyone should start being vegetarian and now
Like what His Holiness Dalai Lama said, if we cannot be nice to others, at least don’t harm others.
Before I become vegetarian, I never thought eating meat will cause a lot of suffering to the animals before they are dead. Or shall I say I was only pretending I didn’t know the animals were suffering.
If we believe in karma, we should stop eating meat and harming others. If we continue to harm others, how can we expect to have a calm and undisturbed mind?
This is no where close to right. No animal shoudld suffer this amount of pain just so that us humans can have food. There are other sources of food in this world that do not need any killing to be involved. Please try your best to be vegetarian everyone.
We must stop eating meat so more animals will be save from being slaughtered and killed. We must protect the animals right now or else they will be extinct.
Yes I agree that nothing must ever suffer for our plate or fork. We are all consciousness.
看着这些被高高挂起的肉类，其实它就是被人宰杀后的”尸体“。。想像它就是成为别人的桌上佳肴，实在有够残忍，吃进嘴里的其实是”尸体“。想想我们为了果腹而必需宰杀这么多的无辜众生，那有何必呢？
虽然它们不能开口讲话，但不代表它们没有感觉，它们还是承受痛苦，害怕，无助的，每个众生都有生存的权利，不要剥夺它们的生命，这样的杀生果报还是会回到我们身上来的。
不杀生，不伤害众生就是在修行着我们的慈悲心，让我们平等的对待所有的众生。
This is so undeniable truth, I have came across many people that told us
1. they don’t kill, the animal is not killed by them, it is already dead, so if they didn’t eat, it will get rotten anyway.
2. they stop eating doesn’t make any different, because there are thousands more people eating meat.
3. if they don’t eat meat, they will not be able to work, because they feel very weak if only eat vege.
There are many more reasons they come up with so that they can continue to eat meat.
But actually, eating them means we are encouraging for more killing, and this is against Buddhism teaching, hope more people will understand this.
“Suffering of any kind you give others… that you are involved in directly and indirectly is the total opposite of all the qualities we are trying to develop in our spiritual practice.”
The quote above is one of my favourites and to me, it summarizes how I can try to practice some compassion in my life. I dont know about everyone else, but I often get people coming to me, asking what they should do in this and that situation. In the past, I used to give advice based on my gut feelings, or based on what would be best for that person. But no longer. Nowadays, when faced with difficult questions, I try to examine the situation from all angles to find the path of least harm.
For every action, there is a equal and opposite reaction, said Einstein (well, almost – karma multplies). So if you eat the flesh of others, just think what will be coming your way.
Most of us strive to achieve a higher state of mind or consciousness like compassion. No one strives or likes to be known as being an embodiment of the opposite of a higher state of mind. No one likes to be known as cruel for example.
Is not eating flesh a kind of compassion most definitely as not eating or participating in the slaughter of an animal no being will be harmed or hurt. Have we all been to an abattoir? If we have to kill for our own meat how many of us in this day and age will actually do it ourselves?
Dear Rinpoche, thank you very much for reminding. This is our attachment, is hard sometimes but for our spiritual growth, being vegetarian is one of the basic to be a Buddhist.
Eating meat has been a habituation that has always been centered on self, of satisfying MY tastebuds. Our delusory mind is so focused on self that it forgets that the meat we dress up deliciously as a dish is the result of taking a life brutally and callously, the life of a being which wanted to live as much as we want to live. It’s horrible that we can so ignore the right of another precious being to live.
And here we go…always fighting for our rights to this and that, when we so cruelly deny the right to life of another being.
It’s not difficult to be a vegetarian. As Rinpoche says(thank you Rinpoche),we must be serious about our spiritual growth and path. Compassion is at the heart of our spiritual growth.Not eating meat is an expression of our compassion.
Can’t call ourselves real Buddhist if we are involved directly and indirectly in the killing of animals. It’s one of the vows we take when we take refuge. If cutting meat is difficult, it would be impossible to advance to anything higher.
Even though eating meat is nice but think of it the other way,if you were the animal will you be happy?And if you were going to be gutted skined and be eatan for the happiness for the human beings will you be sad or happy?
It seems hard to quit eating meat, but once your mind tell you to do so, firmly, it is easier than what you think. Especially when you think of not harming others.
我想没有人或动物愿意被杀然后奉献给你当食物吃。我们身为万物之灵会贪生怕死那动物更加会。所以将心比心你还吃得开杀得下手吗？每天在念经学佛法的弟子又怎能忍下心呢？不吃肉不但对健康好也代表尊重生命及一切有情众生。这并是修行的一种。
To torture and to kill another sentient beings just to feed ourselves is definitely WRONG! Especially meat is NOT our only source of food. Its a matter of choice!
Can you look into the eyes of those poor chicken, cows, sheep or even fish when they are about to be killed and be on your dinner plate? I cant! Hence I am a vegetarian. That’s no turning back. I dont want any corps on my dinner plate.
No it is not right at all. How would we feel if we are in their place, to be hanged upside down waiting to be killed. It will be very terrifying. Animals have feelings too and its so sad that they cant talked and expressed themselves. As humans we should have compassion for them. Just think how the animals have to suffer in order to satisfy our taste buds. I was a meat lover until I stopped taking meat about a year ago and I feel that taking vegetarian diet is so much better and healthier.
Thank you Guru, for the kindness and patient to remind us again and
again to be a vegetarian. One year of becoming an vegetarian, feel.. good.. not so guilty feeling towards my meal. Now i can eat “Tanpa Was-was”.
It is damn wrong, if you ask me, the reason is obvious as I recalled my past when I am a fish in the ocean, I wonder why human catch us as we are just swimming in the sea. Then finally I know, they kill us for food regardless we have life or not. And I had work my way up to the ladder of human being over many many lives, by dying as much as the desire arise in me to eat a fish in this human life. Now I am in a human body. I see people killed just like that without second thought. I couldn’t stop my family nor the industry. What can I do ? I become vegetarian myself for as much chance as I could, minimize any consumption of meat as I could. I don’t want to be a fish nor a cow nor cattle, for all of them, I had been in order to have merits to become me. There ain’t free lunch in this world, every being I killed, I was them, every woman I lust, I am them. knowing all these… who want to be rich while 80% of the time you had to become a poor man to create the rich people life in 20% of time ?
Thank you rinpoche for the constant reminder. I have been vegetarian since Wen Xin full moon. It’s about a year now. Though at times have some urge for the taste of good food but when I think of the animal, will stop the urge immediately. It’s great to be able to be in controlled. In mandarin, there is a saying “己所不欲，勿施于人＂(if you do not want others to do it to you, please do not do it to others too”. It’s so true. Just like the law of Karma.
May all beings be well and happy and free from sufferings.
Killing is against the practice of compassion,eating meats can jeopardise the health of our body so why not become a vegetarian?
Buddha Shakyamuni did not oppose eating flesh (he ate meat Himself), Buddha opposed the wrong intentions on eating flesh (meat). So, eating meat for pleasure, and therefore causing harm to other beings, is wrong action.
I am not completely sure about my statement, and I would be very happy if someone could clarify this for me.
Spiritually speaking, it is a great practice which develops discipline and compassion. Monks (from Theravada and Zen tradition, to my understanding)still eat meat when they beg because their practice is different. They have no choice… but we do. Therefore, we have to be more mindful.
For those who are thinking about being vegetarian, let me tell you… it’s hard at first, but it gets easy. Very easy actually. I’ve been vegetarian since I was 14. I’m now 21. Those who are older now should be happy. Growing up, my family did not support this decision. My father even tricked me in eating meat one day. It was tough, and I was even mocked for it. Do what you know is right and stick to it!
The question of vegetarianism was really answered long ago. Gelug Shamar Pandita, and many other great Tibetan masters, said that eating meat taken from an animal that was killed for its meat is wrong. The Angulimala Sutra also gives specific reasons why meat eating is wrong.
Whether Shakyamuni Buddha ate meat or not is highly debated. Geshe Thubten Soepa refuted many points that are traditionally used to support meat eating by Buddhists. At best, the Buddha allowed the eating or meat taken from animals that had died of natural causes..
Dear Alfonso
It’s really nice to hear that you have been a vegetarian since 14 years old.
In regards to your request for clarification, our motivation is indeed very different from attained masters. Hinayana monks eat anything that’s offered to them including meat. Ordained sangha members have many vows unlike us. The fact that they can renounce and live an ordained/monastic life shows how much they have let go off unlike us. They have given their entire life to benefit others and for realized masters they are able to make dedications for the animal which has been killed.
We are attached to all sense pleasures and the attachment only increases each day as we engage in those activities as simple as eating a meal out of indulgence with no regard for the life which has suffered and being killed for us.
If you are serious about your spiritual growth, then, be a vegetarian. It helps to build tolerance, gentleness, kindness, a spirit of sharing and most important of all, Compassion. All proteins from animals including sea-creatures, mean absolute blood-bath, resulting to a terrible masscre – a real holocraust. According to researched reports, those who eat meat are far more likely to contact cancer than those following a vegeterian diet. Meat or flesh eaters also ingest excessive amounts of cholestral, which is dangerously susceptible to heart attacks. Heart attack, a most common cause of death in the world, is said to be killing one person every 45 seconds. Complete elimination of these products from one’s diet will certainly reduce the risk of heart attack by 90%. As a matter of ethics, just for ethical reasoning, let one step into an animal slaughter-house anywhere and see for oneself, how animals suffer the cruel process of forced confinement, manipulation and violent death. The sufferings of pains and terror are beyond imagination and estimation. People who come in contact with slaughter houses cannot help but be effected by what they see and hear for themselves, the delicious food of these animals which they enjoyed eating are the ones who are making these suffering sounds and noises!!! Om mani padme hum.
Dear Rinpoche, I really admire your compassion towards animals and the promotion of vegetarianism. I have been vegetarian now since 2003 and can honestly say I don’t miss meat at all. If you concentrate on that it is a lump of a dead animal, it can make you feel slightly sick. It is clear, if you spend time with animals they have feelings the same as us, they feel fear and pain just like we would put in the same horrible situation of being butchered. Also, not eating meat means we don’t create negative karma for the person who kills the animal.
Definitely not!
Animals are just like us, only they can’t talk or criticize the way we do. If we can feel pain, they can feel it too. It’s just not right to kill animals when we don’t necessarily need to.
We can thrive on a vegetarian diet and be more healthy at the same time. We also have a broad spectrum of options as far as food goes since all sorts of food can be made from vegetables or grains.
Rinpoche, thank you for showing us the way…