I am confused when one of you said Buddha actually eat meat and
actually eating meat is OK lah.
It sounds to me like, never mind, it's OK to eat meat, no choice
lah.
Tibetan is because they have to survive, then no choice lah.
I found the below sutra. It doesn't say otherwise.
I believe practise is practise, whether you really want to be
disciplined to reach the goal of liberation, or you really believe
in karma retribution of killing, then we should be disciplined
enough to say we have to be vegetarian. And we aim to be vegetarian
to keep the first precept of non-killing. We are living in S'pore,
there are plenty choices of food. We have the accumulation of merit
to be born here, we should not waste this chance.
Lankavatara Sutra
(Tripitaka No. 671)
Translated during the Yuan,Wei Dynasty by Tripitaka master
Bodhiruci from India.
Chapter 16: Do
not eat meat
(Not eating meat is very important for Bodhisattva practice)
At that time, Arya(sage) Mahamati(Great Wisdom)
Bodhisattva-Mahasattva said to the Buddha:
"Bhagavan(World Honored One), I see that in all
worlds, the wandering in births and deaths, the enlaced
animosities, and the falling into evil paths, are all caused by
meat eating and cyclical killing. Those behaviors increase greed
and anger, and make living beings unable to escape from suffering.
That is truly very painful."
"Bhagavan, people who eat meat are destroying the
great merciful seed of their own, thus the people who practice the
holy Way should not eat meat. "
"Bhagavan, the Exterior-paths practitioners preach the
incorrect theories which may fall into the mundane views, nihilism,
eternalism, existentialism, or non-existence-ism, however, all of
their theories forbid meat eating, they do not eat meat and do not
allow others to eat meat. So would it be possible that, for the
cultivators who practice Brahma-behavior(Brahma-carya) according to
the pure Dharma of Tathagata(Thus Come One), there is no rule to
forbid meat eating? The Tathagata, the Bhagavan equally gives his
mercy and compassion to all living beings, how could he allow meat
eating? Virtuous Bhagavan, please tell us the offences of meat
eating, and the meritorious virtues of not eating meat. Once we
have heard it, all the Bodhisattvas and I will faithfully practice
it, widely preach and spread it abroad, to make all living beings
of the past, the present, and the future be aware of it."
The Buddha told Arya Mahamati Bodhisattva: "Good,
good, Mahamati, you are greatly compassionate, having pity on all
living beings, you asked this question. Now listen attentively and
I'll tell you."
Mahamati Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: "How
virtuous, Bhagavan! Yes I'll accept the teaching."
The Buddha told Mahamati: "Meat eating has countless
offences. All Bodhisattvas should cultivate their great mercy and
compassion so that they should not eat meat. Now I am telling you
in brief the merits of not eating meat, and the offences of meat
eating, please listen attentively."
"Mahamati, I see that from the beginningless time,
because of the habit of meat eating and the greed for flavors of
meats, living beings kill and hurt each others in never ending
cycles, thus they are apart from sages and suffering from births
and deaths."
"Those who renounce the flavor of meat can taste the
flavors of the true Dharmas, truthfully practice the Bhumi(stage)s
of Bodhisattva, and attain Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi quickly. They
can then make all living beings enter the resting-place of
Sravaka(voice-hearer) and pratyeka-buddha(self-enlightened one),
and after that make them enter the stage of Tathagata."
"Mahamati, these benefits are based on the merciful
heart. People who eat meat are destroying the great merciful seed
of their own, then how could they get these great benefits?"
"Mahamati, I see that living beings are in the
transmigration of the six paths, being together in births and
deaths, they give birth to and foster each others, and cyclically
become fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters of each others; They
may be men or women, may be the direct line of descent, may be
cousins, affinities, uncles, aunts, sons, daughters, grandsons, and
other various relatives of each others; They may also be born in
other paths(of animal, ghost, god, and so on.), whether virtuous or
evil, they frequently become the relatives of each others. Because
of these relationships, I see that all meats eaten by living beings
are of their own relatives. Due to the greed for flavors of meats,
the living beings circularly eat each others, then they always have
the thoughts of hurting each others. Their painful karmas are
always increasing, so they are wandering in cycles of births and
deaths and unable to escape."
(* The six paths: god, human, Asura, animal,
hungry ghost, hell-being)
After the Buddha had said that, all the Raksas who
heard the Buddha's words gave up their ferocious minds and stopped
meat eating from then on. They persuaded each others to arouse the
merciful heart, to make protecting the lives of all living beings
prior to protecting the lives of their own, to give up eating of
all meat. Weeping and sobbing, they said to the Buddha:
"Bhagavan, having heard the Buddha said that, in the
six paths, all the meat we eat are of the relatives of our own, we
now know that meat eating makes us the big enemies of living
beings, destroys our great merciful seeds, increases evil karmas,
and is the root of great suffering. Bhagavan, from now on we stop
meat eating, and will never allow my relatives to eat meat. If any
disciple of Tathagatas does not eat meat, we will guard and support
him day and night. For anyone who eats meat, we will do great bad
things to them."
The Buddha said: "Mahamati, the Raksas are ferocious
ghosts who constantly eat meat. Having heard my words, even they
can arouse the merciful heart and give up meat eating, so how could
my disciples who practice virtuous Dharmas be allowed to eat meat?
If anyone eats meat, we should know that he is the big enemy of
living beings and is destroying his holy seed."
"Mahamati, having heard my words, if any of my
disciples does not honestly consider that and still eats meat, we
should know that he is of the candala(killer) 's lineage. He is not
my disciple and I am not his teacher. Therefore, Mahamati, if
anyone wish to be my relative, he should not eat any meat."
"Further more, Mahamati, Bodhisattvas should discern
that all meats are from the filthy bodies, which are combined by
pus, blood, dirtiness, red-bindu(Bright Drop)s, white-bindus of the
parents. Thus, discerning the dirtiness of meat, Bodhisattvas
should not eat meat."
"Further more, Mahamati, for anyone who eats meat, his
smell frightens living beings and makes them run away. Therefore,
Bodhisattvas practice according to the truth, in order to enlighten
all living beings, they should not eat meat."
"Mahamati, for example, wherever there are
candala(killer)s, hunters, butchers, fishers, or birders, when the
living beings see them remotely, they will think: 'We are dying.
These approaching killers are very atrocious beings, they are not
aware of sins or bliss. They kill living beings for their current
earning. Now they come to look for us, and we have flesh on our
body, so when they find us, we will surely die."
"Mahamati, due to meat eating, one can make the living
beings who see him so frightened. Mahamati, all living beings,
whether they are celestial or terrestrial, when they see a meat
eater, they will all be frightened and think: 'I don't know whether
I am going to die now. This flagitious being does not cultivate his
merciful heart, he is like a jackal and a wolf, who cruises in the
world and seeks for meat. He is insatiable, like a cow eating
grass, like a dung beetle pursuing dung. My body is make of flesh
so I am his food, I should not encounter him'. Thinking of this,
they turn aside and escape hastily, just like human being fears
raksa."
"Mahamati, a meat eater can make the living beings who
see him so frightened, thus we know that meat eating makes one the
big enemy of all living beings. Therefore, Bodhisattvas should
cultivate mercy and compassion, in order to gather in and teach all
living beings, they should not eat those living beings. Meat is not
the food for sage and wise people. Meat eating is infamous and is
criticized by sages. Therefore, Mahamati, in order to gather in and
teach all living beings, Bodhisattvas should not eat meat."
"Further more, Mahamati, in order to protect the faith
of living beings, Bodhisattvas should not eat meat. Why? Mahamati,
all living beings know that, anyone who is called 'Bodhisattva' is
the inheritor of the merciful heart of Buddhas/Tathagatas. He can
be the refuge of all living beings; he makes the living beings who
hear his name have no fear; he makes the living beings think that
he is the relative, the friend, and the good knowing advisor of
them; he makes the living beings say that: 'We now have the place
of refuge and peace, and have the virtuous teacher.' Mahamati, not
eating meat can make living beings have such faith. Anyone who eats
meat makes all living beings have no faith in him, then the living
beings would say: 'There is no trusty person in the world', so they
would lost their root of faith. Therefore, Mahamati, in order to
protect the faith of living beings, Bodhisattvas should not eat any
meat."
"Further more, Mahamati, in order to prevent the
mundane persons from slandering the Three-Treasures(tri-ratna), my
disciples should not eat meat. Why? Because if someone in the
earthliness finds that any of my disciples is eating meat, he would
slander the Three-Treasures, saying: 'In Buddhism, would there be
any true sramana(monk) or Brahmana(Indian religious practitioner)
who practices Brahma-behavior? How come they abandon the sage's
food and eat the flesh of living beings? They are like the raksas
who fill their stomachs with meat and then sleep drowsily without
moving. They rely on the richness and force of the mundane persons
to find meat to eat. They frighten living beings as the Raksa-kings
do.' Therefore, he would spread these words everywhere: 'Where are
the true sramanas and Brahmanas who practice pure behaviors? There
is no Dharma, no sramana, no vinaya(precept/discipline), and no
pure practitioner at all.' If people have such immeasurable evil
minds, my Dharma-Wheel would be broken and the seeds of sage would
be strangled. These tragedies are all due to the offences of the
meat eaters. Therefore, Mahamati, in order to prevent the villains
from slandering the Three-Treasures, my disciples should not even
think of meat, not to mention eating."
"Further more, Mahamati, in order to turn the worlds
into pure Buddha-worlds, in which all living beings can be
enlightened, Bodhisattvas should not eat meat. They should discern
that all meats are like the dead bodies of human being, we cannot
even bear looking at or smelling them, how could we put them into
our mouths? Mahamati, the burned dead bodies are stinky and
feculent, the cooked meats are as stinky and feculent as the burned
dead bodies, so how could we eat such things? Therefore, Mahamati,
in order to turn the worlds into pure Buddha-worlds, to enlighten
all living beings, Bodhisattvas should not eat meat."
"Further more, Mahamati, in order to get out of births
and deaths, Bodhisattvas should intently practice mercy and
compassion. They should have few desires, be content with a little,
dislike the suffering in the world, and seek for liberation
urgently. They should renounce the blatancies of the world and stay
in quiet places. They may stay in graveyard(sita-vana)s or
monasteries(arinya), they may stay in the midst of tombs, or sit
alone under trees to meditate. They should discern that there is no
true happiness in the world, wives and relatives are like shackles;
palaces, houses and courts are like prisons; all jewels and
treasures are like masses of dung; all drinks and foods are like
pus and blood; drinking and eating are like applying something on
the tumours and sores, that is not for greediness, but for
maintaining the life to practice the sage Way. All alcohols, meats,
shallots, leeks, garlic, and scallions are feculent so that we
should not eat them. Mahamati, if anyone practices in this wise,
then he is a true cultivator who deserves offerings of all
celestial and human beings. If one does not dislike the world and
does not wish to get out of it, in the meantime he has the greed
for alcohol, meat, and the five pungent plants, then he is not
worthy of faiths and offerings of the world."
(* The five pungent plants: shallot, leek, garlic, scallion and
hingu)
"Further more, Mahamati, some living beings had
cultivated innumerable causes, conditions and affinities in the
past, then they have a little virtuous roots now so that they are
able to hear my Dharma. Having faith, they became Buddhist monks.
However, some of them may had been relatives of raksas, or had been
tigers, wolves, lions, cats, dogs, and so on. Although they are
studying my Dharma, they may still have the residual habit of meat
eating, so they may like to be close to meat eaters. They may drink
alcohol and eat meat in cities, states, villages, towers or temples
and think that this is happy, while people in the world find that
they are like raksas contending for eating dead bodies. They don't
know that they are no longer my disciples and have become the
relatives of raksas. Even though they are in kasaya(monk's robe)s
and had all their moustache and hair shaved, they make living
beings who see them frightened like seeing raksas. Therefore
Mahamati, if anyone regards me as his teacher, he should not eat
any meat."
"Further more, Mahamati, for those wizards with wrong
views, if they eat meat then their conjuring will not succeed. In
order to make their conjuring successful, even they do not eat
meat. For my disciples, in order to seek for the supreme sacrosanct
Way of Tathagatas and the supra-mundane liberation, they diligently
cultivate great mercy and compassion and practice austerities. In
such a way, they still fear that they cannot achieve the goal, so
how could the liberation be achieved by those ignorant persons who
eat meat? Therefore, Mahamati, in order to seek for the joy of
supra-mundane liberation, my disciples should not eat meat."
"Further more, Mahamati, meat eating can increase
desires, meat eaters are greedy. We should discern that in the
world, every being who has body and life cherishes his life and
fears the pain of death. For the instinct of protecting and
cherishing the life, there is no different between human and
animal. They would rather live in their scabby fox bodies than give
away the body to enjoy the heavenly happiness, why? because they
fear the pain of death. Mahamati, observing in such a way, we know
that death is a great suffering and is a fearful thing. For every
living being, he himself is afraid of death, how could he eat the
meat of others? Therefore, Mahamati, anyone who want to eat meat
should first discern the pain of cutting his own body, and then
discern the pains of all living beings, and then gives up meat
eating."
"Further more, Mahamati, those meat eaters are
abandoned by all celestial beings, not to mention sages. Therefore,
in order to see sages, Bodhisattvas should cultivate mercy and
compassion and should not eat meat. Mahamati, meat eaters are
suffering both when they are sleeping and when they are awake. They
often see various terrible things in their dreams, which frighten
them and make their hair staring. They are always in a state of
discomposure. Because they are not merciful, they lack the virtuous
powers. If they are alone in void places, ghosts and spirits will
often disturb them, tigers, wolves and lions will also wait for the
chance to eat their flesh, so their hearts are often filled with
fears and unable to rest."
"Further more, Mahamati, the greediness of those meat
eater is hard to satisfy. They eat too much and are unable to
digest, this aggravates burdens of their bodies and makes their
mouth-smell foul. There are innumerable fierce worms living in
their bodies, and there are a lot of tumours, ringworms, scabs, and
other various skin diseases on their bodies. Even the mundane
people would not like to smell and see them in their present
lifetime, how could they acquire the healthy and clean human bodies
in their next lifetime?"
"Further more, Mahamati, I teach mundane people that
they should eat pure food for purifying their lives, and should
regard all meats as the meat of their own son, so how could I allow
them to eat the foods that sages do not eat? Why all sages abandon
meat? Because meat eating produce innumerable offences, and lose
all supra-mundane merits and virtues, so how could I allow my
disciples to eat meat, blood, and the feculent flavors? If anyone
says that I allow meat eating, he is slandering me."
"Mahamati, I allow my disciples to eat what sages
should eat, and do not allow them to eat what sages abandon. The
sages' foods can help us to produce innumerable merits and virtues,
and help us to keep away from the offences. Mahamati, the foods for
sages of past, present, and future are: rice, barley, wheat, bean,
various vegetable oils, honey, sugarcane, sugarcane juice, and
other vegetable foods. They are seasonal products, are allowed to
be eaten and can be considered pure foods."
"Mahamati, in the future, there will be some ignorant
persons saying that many Buddhist precepts(vinaya) allow meat
eating. They love the flavors of meats due to their past meat
eating habit, they said those words simply according to their own
views. But in fact Buddhas and sages have never said that meats are
foods."
"Mahamati, in the future, anyone who does not eat meat
must have offered and sustained many Buddhas and have cultivated
his virtuous roots, so he is able to believe the Buddhas' words,
keep precepts firmly, and believe in cause and effect. He has self
discipline of his body and mouth, not greedy for the various
flavors in the world, and can arouse his merciful heart when he see
meat eaters."
"Mahamati, I remember that in the past, there was a
king named lion-slaver. He eats many kinds of meat and loves the
flavors of meat, so as to eats the flesh of human. Because he eats
human flesh, his parents, brothers, wives and relatives all
abandoned him, all his officials, people, states, villages then
rebelled and killed him. Because meat eaters have such offences, we
should not eat any meat."
"Further more, Mahamati, in the past, the king of
creation-enjoyment heaven(Nirmana-rataya) had been a pigeon. Then
Sakra-Devanam-Indra, who is the lord of Trayastrimsha heaven,
driven by his past meat eating habit, transformed himself into an
eagle and pursued the pigeon. The pigeon came to me for shelter. At
that time, I was the Sibi king, having pity on the cyclically
killing and eating of living beings, I substituted myself for the
pigeon, weighed the flesh of my body and give the flesh to the
eagle. Since the flesh I cut down is not enough, I walked up onto
the balance and suffered the great pain. Mahamati, because of this
meat-eating habit of innumerable lifetimes, both oneself and others
have such offences, how much more of those who often eat meat and
have no shame!"
"Mahamati, and there was another king who does not eat
meat, once when he was riding on a horse and strolling, his horse
was accidentally scared and carried him into the deep of the
mountain, then he lost his retinue and lost the way out. But
because he does not eat meat, lions and tigers did not want to harm
him when saw him, the female lions walk together with him and
wished to serve him. The animals even gave birth to their babies in
front of him."
"For another example, there was a king named fleck
feet. Because of the meat eating habit of his past lifetimes, when
he was a king he also eat meat frequently. He loves to eat meat and
having eaten too much meat, so that he ate human flesh.
Subsequently, all the children he borne, no matter sons or
daughters, are raksas. Mahamati, due to the past meat eating habit,
it is very likely that the meat-eating living beings would become
raksas, lions, tigers, wolves, jackals, leopards, cats, palm
civets, hawks, owls, vultures, eagles, owlets, chooks, and so on.
All living beings protect their bodies severally to prevent those
flesh-eaters from getting the chance of hurting them. The meat
eaters often suffer from hunger, they often have the atrocious mind
of eating flesh of others. Upon their death they will fall into the
evil paths again, it is very hard for them to become human beings,
even harder to get to the Way of Nirvana."
"Mahamati, we should know that meat eaters have so
many countless offences, thus vegetarians have masses of countless
merits and virtues. But, Mahamati, the mundane persons do not know
these offences of meat eating and the merits of not eating meat, so
now I say in brief that I do not allow meat eating."
"Mahamati, if no one eats meat, then no one kills
living beings for food. Because there are people who wish to eat
meat, if they have no meat to eat they will go everywhere to buy
meat, then the others who wish to earn money will kill living
beings and sell the flesh to the meat eaters. The killings are for
the buyers, thus the buying is the same as the killing. Therefore,
meat eating can obstruct the holy Way."
"Mahamati, meat eaters love the flavor of meat, if
they have no animal meat to eat, they would even eat human flesh,
not to mention if they get other kinds of living beings, including
roes, deer, pheasants, rabbits, swans, wild geese, pigs, sheep,
chooks, dogs, camels, donkeys, elephants, horses, dragons, snakes,
fishes, turtles, and so on, whether living in water or on the
ground, it is very likely that they will eat those animals. Because
they love the flavor of meat, they use many methods to kill living
beings. They will setup various equipments, machineries, traps,
holes, nets, bows, arrows, swords, poisons, etc throughout
mountains, earth, rivers, weirs, seas, etc, innumerable living
beings in sky, in water, or on the ground are being killed. All
these are caused by meat eating."
"Hunters, butchers, meat eaters and the like are
atrocious and hardhearted, they can do what others cannot have the
heart to do. When they see the living beings whose bodies are
fresh, fat or fleshy, they would think of eating them. They would
point to those animals and say to each other: 'Those animals are
edible!' without even a little bit of mercy. Therefore, Mahamati, I
say that meat eaters are destroying their great merciful
seed."
"Mahamati, I see that in the world, all meats are
gotten from the bodies of living beings. If people do not kill, do
not ask others to kill, and nobody kill for earning, then where are
the meats come from? If there are meats that are not gotten from
the bodies of living beings and are indeed delicious foods, how
come I do not allow eating them? But there is no such meat all over
the world, thus I say that meat eating is a sin, which destroys the
seed of Tathagata. Therefore, I do not allow eating meat."
"Mahamati, after my Nirvana, in the future when
Dharmas are about to disappear, in my Dharmas, there will be some
monks who have their moustache and hair shaved and call themselves
'sramana' and 'Son of Sakyamuni'. Although they are in my
kasaya(monk's robe)s, they are as ignorant as babies. They call
themselves 'teacher of precepts' but fall into the two-extremes(two
wrong views), with various fallacious apprehensions and analysis,
their mind are disordered and not composed, and they are greedy for
the flavors of meat. They follow their own minds to say: 'Buddhist
precept(vinaya)s allow meat eating', and slander me: 'The Buddha,
the Tathagata allows eating meat', and even slander me: 'The
Tathagata, the Bhagavan himself also eats meat.'"
"Mahamati, in all sutras, including Elephant-Armpit
Sutra, Angulimalika Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, Great-Cloud Sutra, etc, I
have never allow meat eating, and have never said that any meat can
be added to foods. Mahamati, if I allow Sravaka(voice-hearer)s or
any disciples to eat meat, then I am not qualified to praise the
practitioners who honestly cultivate great mercy and compassion, to
praise the practitioners who do Dhuta-practice in
graveyard(Sita-vana)s, to praise those who practice and persevere
to Mahayana(Great vehicle), and to praise vegetarians."
(* Dhuta practice: twelve disciplines of restraint concerning
food, clothing and shelter)
"I do not eat meat and do not allow others to eat
meat, thus I persuade people to practice Bodhisattva-behaviors,
praise not eating meat, and persuade people to regard all living
beings as their own sons. So how could someone say that I allow
meat eating? For my disciples who practice any of the three
vehicles to achieve their goals quickly, I forbid eating of any
meat, how could someone say that my precept(vinaya)s allow meat
eating?"
"And some people will say: 'In other sutras, the
Tathagata has allowed eating of three kinds of meat', they simply
do not understand that the meaning of precepts is to stop meat
eating gradually, so they will say that meat eating is
allowed."
"Mahamati, there are two kinds of meat, meat of the
first kind are killed by others, and meat of the second kind are
from the living beings that died of themselves. Mundane people say
that some are edible, and some are inedible. They may say that meat
of elephants, horses, dragons, humans, ghosts, macaques, monkeys,
pigs, dogs, cows are inedible, and others are edible. But butchers
do not care whether edible or not, they simply kill all and sell
everywhere, thus innumerable innocent living beings have been
killed. Therefore I constitute the precept: All meat, whether they
are killed by others or died of themselves, are not allowed to be
eaten. We call some meat are 'killed by others' if we see, hear or
suspect so; we call other meat are 'died of self' if we did not
see, hear or suspect that they had been killed. Therefore,
Mahamati, my precept(vinaya)s say: All meats are impure for
sramana(monk)s - the Sons of Sakyamuni. They pollute the pure lives
and obstruct the holy Way, so there is no expedience that allows
meat eating."
"If someone say: 'The reason that the precepts mention
three kinds of meat is to forbid meat eating, not to allow', we
should know that he keeps precepts firmly, and does not slander me.
Mahamati, now in this Lankavatara Sutra I say, at all times, all
kinds of meats are inedible, unexceptionally. Mahamati, I forbid
meat eating not only for one time, I mean that both in present and
future, meat eating is forbidden."
"Mahamati, if those ignorant persons who call
themselves 'precept teacher' say that precepts allow meat eating,
and slander me that the Tathagata himself also eats meat, then that
become a great sin which obstructs them. They will fall into the
places of no benefit, no sage and no Dharma for eons. They will not
be able to see the sage disciples in present and future, not to
mention seeing Buddhas and Tathagatas."
"Mahamati, the everyday foods for
voice-hearer(Sravaka)s are: rice, noodles, vegetable oils, honeys,
various beans, and other vegetables. They can nourish the pure
lives. As for any things that are stored, accepted, or gotten
illegally, I say they are impure and do not allow to eat them, much
less I would allow to eat the nasty things such as blood and
meat."
"Mahamati, for my disciples, including voice-hearers,
pratyeka-buddha(self-enlightened one)s and Bodhisattvas, they eat
Dharma and do not need any drinks and foods, not to mention the
Tathagata. Mahamati, all Buddhas - Tathagatas eat Dharma and stay
in Dharma, their bodies do not need any drinks and foods, and are
not like any bodies which need drinks and foods. Mahamati, I regard
every living being as a same son, how could I allow eating of their
flesh? I do not compliantly rejoice eating of meat, much less I
myself would eat."
"Mahamati, all these feculent and nasty things:
fleshes, shallots, leeks, garlic, scallions, etc can obstruct the
holy Way, and prevent living beings from becoming human, heavenly
or pure beings, not to mention the retribution of being reborn in
the buddhas' pure lands. Alcohol also can obstruct the holy Way,
can erode good karmas, can bring on offences. Therefore, Mahamati,
for anyone who is coming to the holy Way, he should not drink
alcohol, and should not eat meat, shallots, leeks, garlic,
scallions, or other pungent things."
At that time, to repeat the teaching, the Bhagavan
said a verse(gatha):
"Mahamati Bodhisattva asked:
'The Buddha say that, alcohol, meat, shallots, leeks, garlic and
scallions are all impure and not allowed to be eaten.
They are what raksas eat, are not the foods for sages.
Eating of them is criticized by sages, and is infamous.
Bhagavan, please analyze the offences of eating them, and the bliss
of not eating them.'
Mahamati do listen carefully,
I am telling you the offences of eating them.
Alcohol, meat, shallots, leeks, garlic and scallions,
are obstructions to the holy Way.
I see that in the three-realms,
all living beings, including sages,
have cyclically become relatives of each others since beginningless
time.
How could we eat any of them?
Discern where meats come from,
then we know that they are very feculent.
Meats are combinations of pus, blood, urine, dung, purulence,
mucus, etc.
One who practice pure behaviors,
should discern that and should not eat meat.
He also should not drink alcohol,
should keep away from shallots, leeks, garlic, scallions, and
sesame oil,
should not sleep on through-hole-beds.
And should not kill any lives, including those flying tiny
insects.
Meat eating increases hindrances of the body, and produces evil
minds;
Evil minds produce greed, thus I do not allow meat eating.
The greed produced by meat eating can lead one to insobriety,
and insobriety produces lustfulness,
then one cannot extricate himself from births and deaths.
Those who kill living beings for earning, or sell flesh for
money,
will fall into the Screaming-Hell after their death.
The so-called three-pure-meat are: did not see the killing, did not
hear the killing, and do not suspect that they were killed;
But in fact there is no such meat in the world.
If one fall into the type of meat eaters,
He is stinky, feculent, and disgusting, and probably would be
mad.
He will most likely be born in the families of killers, hunters,
butchers, raksas,
or other meat-eating places,
or will become cats, weasels, or the like.
In Elephant-Armpit Sutra, Great-Cloud Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, Srimala
Sutra, and Lankavatara Sutra,
I forbid meat eating;
Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and voice-hearers also criticize meat
eating.
The one who eats meat without feeling shame,
will always be mad in his every lifetime.
The conditions mentioned above: did not see the killing, did not
hear the killing, and do not suspect that they were killed,
have already excluded all kinds of meat,
but those with mistaken thoughts do not understand that,
so they still think that some meat are edible.
Just like the offences produced by greed can obstruct the holy
liberation,
alcohol, meat, shallots, leeks, garlic and scallions,
all are obstructions to the holy Way.
In future there will be ignorant people who say:
'Meats are pure, eating them is sinless, and is allowed by the
Buddha.'
But in fact what I always say is,
Eating meat is like eating the flesh of ones' own son.
My disciples are content with very little,
they dislike the suffering in the world,
seek for liberation,
and practice mendicancy.
I always say that,
If anyone wish to keep his peaceful and merciful heart,
he should keep away from meat eating.
For example,
People do not dare to walk and live together with lions, jackals,
tigers and wolves,
Because those are meat eaters, they make everyone who sees them
frightened;
Likewise,
Meat eating frightens many living beings, how could we do
that?
Thus, Practitioners should be merciful and should not eat
meat.
Meat eating destroys the merciful heart,
obstructs Nirvana and liberation,
and violates the teachings of sages,
thus I do not allow eating meat.
Not eating meat cultivates the pure-heavenly(Brahma) seed and many
practice-Ways;
Wisdom, richness and nobleness,
all come from not eating meat.
(* Note: The word "meat" in this translation means any fleshes
and innards of any animals, including human, beast, fish, bird,
mollusk, and so on, no matter they are cooked or uncooked, edible
or inedible, killed by themselves or killed by others, or died of
themselves. In brief, "meat" simply means any body-parts of
animals, without any exception.)
(End of translation)
(Translated into English by Silfong Tsun)
(Special thanks to Padma Te Yuen for grammar correction)
(Last revised: Jan/23/2008)
