the reason to become vegetarian

• rokkie

  4 Jul 08, 15:06

  The reason is lined in 楞伽�。Hopefully is helpful to you guys

   

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• goldevil

  7 Jul 08, 20:40

  great post !!!

• sinweiy

  8 Jul 08, 08:53

  might as well add this,

  101 Reasons to go Vegetarian

  http://www.flex.com/~jai/articles/101.html

  /\

• Beyond Religion

  8 Jul 08, 11:41

  Ok I will be the first to admit that I cannot live without meat. 

  I try to minimize meat comsumption and avoided beef and mutton altogather, but I will feel very miserable on a diet without pork and chicken. I avoid eating meat primarily because of compassionate reasons (i.e. avoid killing other living beings), not so much on health and environmental reasons... but for the meat that I consume I will observe the Buddhist principles. Eg you will never see me ordering or eating live seafood.

  Hope that the scientist can come out with in vitro meat as soon as possible, so I can still eat meat without harming any animals.

• cycle

  8 Jul 08, 13:29

  Originally posted by Beyond Religion:

  Ok I will be the first to admit that I cannot live without meat. 

  I try to minimize meat comsumption and avoided beef and mutton altogather, but I will feel very miserable on a diet without pork and chicken. I avoid eating meat primarily because of compassionate reasons (i.e. avoid killing other living beings), not so much on health and environmental reasons... but for the meat that I consume I will observe the Buddhist principles. Eg you will never see me ordering or eating live seafood.

  
  You've taken the first step, so it's already a achivement! Together with your other practice eg chanting, giving, meditating...just reduce the meat intake bit by bit slowly at your own pace, and one day you will find yourselves not affected by the lure of taste anymore. I'm also giving up meat consumption slowly ( and sucessfully, as it gets easier by the day)), and I find it really works hand in hand with helping one in cultivating compassion. Jia you!

• justdoit77

  9 Jul 08, 17:57

  Let's take a step forward to refrain from eating after noon or for a start not eating dinner. There are many benefits and reason of not eating dinner.
  1) Makes your mind clearer and more alert.
  2) Improve your health.
  3) It is said that hungry ghost usually wander around at night. Due to their  past karma, whatever food they found will turn to fire or become uneatable. Some of them have not eaten any food for hundreds of years and starve miserably. So if at that time they see human eating something yet they can't eat and do anything, they will feel jealousy and grow hatred or even have unwholesome though. This will further create bad karma for them, they then have to stuck in ghost realm even longer.
  I have been not eating dinner for many years already, feel even more healthy, and I don't feel hungry at all. save time, save money, more healthy clearer mind, save more sentient beings. Isn't that good?

• rokkie

  10 Jul 08, 13:47

  Originally posted by Beyond Religion:

  Ok I will be the first to admit that I cannot live without meat. 

  I try to minimize meat comsumption and avoided beef and mutton altogather, but I will feel very miserable on a diet without pork and chicken. I avoid eating meat primarily because of compassionate reasons (i.e. avoid killing other living beings), not so much on health and environmental reasons... but for the meat that I consume I will observe the Buddhist principles. Eg you will never see me ordering or eating live seafood.

  Hope that the scientist can come out with in vitro meat as soon as possible, so I can still eat meat without harming any animals.

  I found my buddy, i think i am also miserable to avoid meat. I think avoid meat does not necessary means healthy, in fact i think most of vegetarian r weak, i seldom have healthy problem. i think avoid mean mainly for the spiritual reason, and compassion

• _dusty_linglong

  10 Jul 08, 16:17

  A buddhist counsellor once mentioned "Yuan" plays a part for one to stop eating meat.

• annoy-you-must

  11 Jul 08, 10:59

  Me, too, aims to reduce my consumption of meat. But I find that highly difficult especially when we are living in a society where the majority is non-vegetarian.

  Take me for example. I'm currently serving NS. Because my camp is so small, we do not have a cookhouse of our own. Instead, one person goes to the opposite camp every meal time to pack rations. If I am to insist on taking vegetarian meals, imagine the huge amount of inconvenience I can cause?

  Or when we are going out-fields for mission...are they going to make an extra effort to prepare for my meal?

  Or when our commanders treat us to lunch or dinner...

  Or even when just going out in a group with friends...do I make all of them eat in a vegetarian restaurant (which in itself is very rare in Singapore) just to accomodate my diet?

  Or is my mother going to cook a vegetarian meal just for me? Or cook vegetarian meal for the entire family everytime I booked-out?

  As such, my refusal to become a full vegetarian is not due to my desire for meat, but rather, not to be selfish to the people around me.

• cycle

  11 Jul 08, 12:40

  Originally posted by annoy-you-must:

  Me, too, aims to reduce my consumption of meat. But I find that highly difficult especially when we are living in a society where the majority is non-vegetarian.

  Take me for example. I'm currently serving NS. Because my camp is so small, we do not have a cookhouse of our own. Instead, one person goes to the opposite camp every meal time to pack rations. If I am to insist on taking vegetarian meals, imagine the huge amount of inconvenience I can cause?

  Or when we are going out-fields for mission...are they going to make an extra effort to prepare for my meal?

  Or when our commanders treat us to lunch or dinner...

  Or even when just going out in a group with friends...do I make all of them eat in a vegetarian restaurant (which in itself is very rare in Singapore) just to accomodate my diet?

  Or is my mother going to cook a vegetarian meal just for me? Or cook vegetarian meal for the entire family everytime I booked-out?

  As such, my refusal to become a full vegetarian is not due to my desire for meat, but rather, not to be selfish to the people around me.

  It is out of compassion that Buddhists avoid taking the meat of another sentien beings; but of cos, compassion should also always include wisdom. In this sense, your concern for the troubles or inconveniences which you may caused to your friends and family due to your diet preference, is I think, also an act of compassion.

  It is true that we should not insist on our diet preference when the situation does not permit so, as in the various examples annoy-you-must had given above.

  When I go out with friends or relatives for dinner, I just don't order meat if possible ( can choose eg mushroom soup, mushroom risotto, veggie sphagetti, baked fries, veggie pizza. etc...) or if in chinese restaurant where the host has already ordered the course, then I just eat more veggie but a little meat, and somtimes they didn't even realise if I didn't touch the meat dishes at all; eveyone was so happy that noboby care to notice. Some of them don't even know that I have given up meat for so quite some time, I just blanded in .

   

  It is true that we should not damage the happy atmosphere while in a group outings or organization,or turn down the kindness of others, or increase the the vexation of others so as to make ourselves happy; as we are not ordained monks, we still need to funtion in a society where most ppl are meat-eaters.  But of cos if I know beforehand that the dinner is at a seafood restaurant, then I will give excuses not to attend, or if the inviter is a close friend, I will just voice my uneasiness of taking such food, no hurt feeelings. I think the main point is we ourselves should avoid taking meat when we are alone, or whenever the situation permits. Then there is no excuse, even for laymen Buddhists.

• An Eternal Now

  11 Jul 08, 18:17

  Originally posted by annoy-you-must:

  Me, too, aims to reduce my consumption of meat. But I find that highly difficult especially when we are living in a society where the majority is non-vegetarian.

  Take me for example. I'm currently serving NS. Because my camp is so small, we do not have a cookhouse of our own. Instead, one person goes to the opposite camp every meal time to pack rations. If I am to insist on taking vegetarian meals, imagine the huge amount of inconvenience I can cause?

  Or when we are going out-fields for mission...are they going to make an extra effort to prepare for my meal?

  Or when our commanders treat us to lunch or dinner...

  Or even when just going out in a group with friends...do I make all of them eat in a vegetarian restaurant (which in itself is very rare in Singapore) just to accomodate my diet?

  Or is my mother going to cook a vegetarian meal just for me? Or cook vegetarian meal for the entire family everytime I booked-out?

  As such, my refusal to become a full vegetarian is not due to my desire for meat, but rather, not to be selfish to the people around me.

  My opinion is: Persist in your preference for vegetarian meals but don't insist to the extent of causing others a lot of inconvenience.

  My Taiwanese teacher eats only vegeterian food in his dharma center where he stays but if invited to another place where the dishes have meat and it causes inconvenience to others to find vegetarian food, he would just go along and eat the meal.

  At home, try to learn to cook vegetarian dishes for yourself... and as my Master say, you must be able to (not just cook) but cook deliciously. Then you will like vegetarian food. My Master cooks very well and everyone likes his vegetarian food. Cooking is a skill that we will need in the future, when we do not live with family anymore, or go overseas.

• jacqn

  20 Jul 08, 15:13

  i tried during my poly times not to eat meat. but also in the end could not resist. however i minimize the intake of meat. i will eat whatever is available, so as not to waste any food. i always insist finishing the food i order and then i will try to finish the food my friends or colleagues cannot. my colleagues thought i am a big eater, but its just that i dont like to waste food.