Hi Pure Emptiness
It is not easily to be a vegetarian consider the 5 senses
temptation when one walked past the hawker stall.
Although I am not a vegetarian recently during my temple retreat
I enquiry the guest speaker who was a black female
Nichiren Shu priest, why she is a full time vegetarian
since our traditon does not require a believer to be one unless one
embark on a Novice or special training in the main temple in Japan.
She told me that her master, who was a white Nichiren
Shu priest request her to be during the Novice training. The
reason the master give was, how can one build one sensual pleasure
on another suffering. In this case, the suffering party is the
animal. Beside, most of the animal die in a violent way especially
in the American slaughterhouse. Therefore, by partaking in the
meat, I am consuming their violence suffering into my
life. Suprisingly, since becoming a vegetarian, she has become more
gentle less easily angitated.
The word just impact me in a way or another which did set me to
review my eating habit.
Currently, our tradition practice and encourage people
to chant, " Namu Myo Ho Renge Kyo, 南無妙法蓮華經" 3 times, as a form
of thankgiving to all sentient being which include farmers,
deliveryman etc, mother nature, the Sun, moon and etc and
even the animal for sacrificing their life so that we are able
to sustain our life as we believe in 相互依存,
interedependent life relationship.
Gassho
Namu Myoho Renge
Kyo