How can we wish for world peace
for all our lives,
while we wish to feed on victims of violence
for all our lives?
- Stonepeace
A disciple once asked the Buddha, "Why are there wars? When will
there be no more wars? When will there be no more wars? When will
there be world peace?" The Buddha replied, "If you want to know when there will be
peace, just listen to the cries from the slaughterhouses at night.
Only when there are no more cries from the slaughterhouses will
there be no more wars."…
Killing is a very cruel thing. Whether it is a cow, sheep, chicken,
duck, fish, shrimp or crab, an animal will feel indescribable
terror when it knows that it is about to be killed. When the knife
cuts through its body, the pain is completely intolerable. Human
beings cruelly kill animals in order to satisfy their craving for
good food. Rivers of blood have been shed. Animals have
consciousness like us, so they feel a sense of loathing towards
their killers and want to get revenge, which they may carry out
when they are reborn as human beings. Hence we can see why there is no way to stop wars
from happening [unless killing is ended].
Furthermore, since all
living beings are continually reborn through the cycle of the Six
Realms, those pigs, chickens, ducks or other animals could have
been our parents, relatives or friends in previous lives. So
do we dare to eat their flesh just to satisfy our craving? We who
are learning to behave like the Buddha should have compassion.
Refraining from eating meat is in accord with the Five Precepts
that all Buddhists follow [though this is not stated directly]. The
first of these precepts is 'no killing'. Following this rule helps
to nurture compassion and loving-kindness.
