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• How essential is being a vegetarian to Buddhism?
• Can one Kill a creature that is Suffering?
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• That pesky precept
   

How essential is being a vegetarian to Buddhism?

Clearly there are health benefits to not eating meat. I am asking about the spiritual benefits. Is not eating meat essential to learning Buddhism? Clearly, Buddha was not a entirely a vegetarian. Can one be successful spiritually today and eat any meat. Thanks.

Is not eating meat essential to learning Buddhism? – The spiritual benefits.

If you are not trying to be a serious meditator, the answer is no. When there is no choice, just eat for survive and not for your needs. When there are choices, try to be a vegetarian.

If you are trying to be a serious meditator, the answer is yes and no.

Yes, for the meditation beginner, eating meat especially the big animal will increase the negative element in your body. This negative element will slow down the meditating progress.

No, for the advance meditator, however you have to utilize the mind power in refining your body.

The negative element can be material substances and immaterial things such as indirect karma, anusai, and bad will from the big animal. I still eat fish and chicken but try to eat more vegetable when I have choices. After stop eating pork and cow meat for 4 years and meditate a lot, I can feel very bad smell from the big animal meat.

Being a vegetarian is not essential to learning Buddhism. The most important thing is on the mind and from your practice.

There are at least 40 subjects of Buddhist meditation. Perception of the loathsomeness of food (Ahare patikulasanna) is one subject of the mental exercises.

Food whether it is meat or vegetable has to be wisely perceived.

Analysis of the four elements (Catudhatuvavatthana) can be applied with food and connected with Vipassana.

There was a deer in my back yard! It was lying down under a little maple tree, and jumped up as I came through the door. In fright, the poor soul scrambled across the yard, falling several times and regaining its footing...its hind quarters twisted and not functioning correctly...then fell against a little pine tree and could not get up. Slowly, while talking softly, I approached the deer and kneeled beside it. At first it was very frightened and struggled to get up... but could not. I reached out slowly and stroked it softly behind one ear and talked softly. Its deep dark eyes met mine, and I felt its pain and anguish. Its fur was falling out in great patches, its breath and smell was of something rotting. I called the local animal protection people who came, looked at the deer, and advised killing the animal out of mercy... and I agreed... I approached the deer and felt a part of myself with it, and I felt that its release from this suffering was proper.. and I anguish over that decision. I think I should have allowed this event to unfold naturally, that I pesumed upon the Nature of us all that i should know best. I would really appreciate some guidance with this.

wskelley

There are the Five Precepts from the Buddha:

1. To abstain from killing.

2. To abstain from stealing.

3. To abstain from sexual misconduct.

4. To abstain from false speech.

5. To abstain from intoxicants causing heedlessness.

They are the minimum virtues to be observed uninterruptedly and they are the virtues of man. To abstain from killing is the first precept and the most important. The Buddha teaches the person to love the other persons as he loves himself and love himself as he loves the other persons. This PERSON is all life forms.

Please forgive me if the following letters cause you sufferings.

Is it possible that the animal will come to us to be killed? Everyone loves his or her or its life. Kill an animal that is suffering causes the animal very suffering and great pain before dying. That animal can not say the word while it may be trying to tell “help me please”.

Good intention or kill without knowing may reduce the bad karma but killing still causes bad karma. All karma will return back in the future. In the past I killed many animals and now I stop any killings and try to help as much as I can. I try not to kill ant and insect in the daily life. No fishing.

Killing causes the killer to have shorter life or bad health and may not be born as human again in the future life, which also depend on other good karma effects. Karma is very complicated thing to understand. In previous life, the deer probably killed you without intention so this time you killed it back. This is just the sample to explain cause and effect of the karma. Please think about what will be happened in the future life between you and the deer.

The best way is to try to cure the deer as best as you can. Let it die naturally. Try to stop the cycle of past karma.

The Buddhism is different from others religious because the Buddhism causes us to be good man, with full awareness, and able to leave to the Nibbana where life is stable and no karma. Other religious can not show the way to the Nibbana.

I have posted a discussion on Can one Kill a creature that is Suffering ?. Although all of my letters came from best wish for you and it is the truth of the Buddha Teachings, some part of my letter may be too aggressive for you and for other persons who are not familiar with Buddhism. I feel very responsible for my comment and would like to apologize in advance for any sufferings if I may make it happen to you.

In Thailand, majority of the Thai people is Buddhist. I learn the Karma Law as the major part of the Buddhism lesson. When I was a child, I liked to shoot the birds and fishing. After I learned the Karma Law, I was very frightened what I did to other life forms. After that I tried and always try to be kind to all animals and practice the Dhamma to find the way to reduce those of my bad karma. Killing without knowing of the Karma Law has lessened the momentum of the bad karma especially when the killer is a child. One way to reduce this bad karma is to give life such as to free catched birds or fishes waiting to be killed in the water market.

In meditation practice, the practitioner should always share his merit to every life form and to the owners of his bad karma. Hopefully they will forgive him.

Thank you for your reply. I think this is a very important lesson for me, and I thank you for the truthfulness and love in your teaching.

WSK

You are always very welcome. The Buddha divided us to 4 types:

1. Come with lightness but go with darkness.

2. Come with lightness and go with lightness.

3. Come with darkness but go with lightness.

4. Come with darkness and go with darkness.

I might had been even worse than you. You and I can go with lightness and let the past be the past. Start new better things as if we are reborn. There was a real story that the Buddha stopped a killer who had killed 999 bodies and came to kill him to be the 1000th body. After the killer studied the Dhamma, he was Enlightened.

I have been working on the first of the five precepts all week, and I am determined to live the vow to abstain from killing. Somkiat, I am at a loss... how quickly and easily I fall back into sleep! ... this morning I was working in the garden, and some flowers have small insects that suck the juice from the stems and are killing the flowers... so I mixed some poison to spray on the insects... that could eventually end up in the ground water and into the river and bring suffering to countless organisms. Just as I was going to spray, I became aware of what I was doing and stopped. At first the vow seems easy and simple to follow... after meditation on this, it seems so far from my reach.

wskelley

I have the same problems as yours when I try for my plants. Life as Human is easy to make new karma so we should make the determination not to come back to this human life again. Hope with great determination that this life is the last time as human and try our best to the Nibbana. Then do the best as we could with the five precepts.

I have been reading this forum for a while, and came up with some things that were "problems" related to Buddhism. I hope others can help me answer these questions...

1) If one should not kill, what would happen if your cat got fleas and your carpet is full of them? You do not want to get bitten everyday right? So you get flea killers and spray them. But that is killing.

2) Places where Eskimos live is too cold for vegetables to grow, so they must eat meat only (fish in particular). How can one be an Eskimo and a Buddhist at the same time?

I think both of these questions are related to killing... Killing plants are ok, but not animals. (What about fleas, roaches, spiders, rats?) Also, each time we open our mouth we are getting germs, and when we brush our teeth, we end up killing lots of germs. Could it be possible that killing is not avoidable? How would you deal with this?

Buddhist

Will you consider a bit of your action as killing? Are there any more choices of action? It depends on your answer.

Killing plants is not OK for monk and laymen who promise not to kill plants.

My questions may not fully correct but hope it helps.

I have re-read what I wrote, and thought about other religions that have a "Thou shalt not kill" rule.

It seems in Christianity (and Judaism of course), one of the 10 commandments is not to kill. In

Buddhism's 5 precepts, the wording seems to be the same, "Don't kill". But have you noticed that in Christianity, "don't kill" only means humans, while in Buddhism, "don't kill" means every living thing. Could it be that Buddhists take words literally to an extreme? Or take compassion to an extreme? While Christianity is only concerned with humans?

Buddhist

Could anyone give me some advice. I have a very old Golden retriever who is dying of cancer. The vet says she is suffering and I should have her put out of her misery. It will break my heart to loose her, but I can't sit by and watch her suffer. Please, I need some advice, I havn't been studying Buddhism very long, but I know it's not right to kill, but is it right to watch a dog suffer.? If anyone can spare the time I sure could use some sage advice!!! Thank you in advance. Carol

A dog is a life form whose next life will not go lower than being dog. Dog may reborn as dog again or reborn as human or higher. Previous life of the dog may be dog, human, or even higher forms. This was a telling from a Buddhist master. Next life of the dog is much better than some bad human whose hell is one of his chances.

We may consider killing is a help to end sufferings. But sufferings are caused by karma that will be lasted until completeness. Sufferings may continue in next life. Help her by killing may not stop her suffering. (Life means not just being human or animal but also unseen life form.)

There was a Buddha’s disciple whose monk body was really sick and caused so much sufferings so he could not practice as others. He saw his body as a barrier to Nibbana and he did not want his body any more so he asked other monks to kill him or he would suicide. No one killed him so finally he killed himself. He went to Nibbana because actually he was ready to Nibbana and his body was the last barrier. He practiced mindfulness of the body successfully while he was sick. Please notice that no one or even Arahanta killed him even though he asked for dying.

There was a warrior who killed many soldiers in protecting his country. He did not go to lower realm because he had to fight to protect his country and after the war he practiced Dhamma diligently. He had to kill intruding persons for the benefit of others. However that karma caused him to reborn many times as a warrior until this life he had been a monk. In his last life, he had very bad health but tried his best to teach Dhamma. This is a story from one of my teacher who could see previous life and applied it in explaining karma. His path was a Bodhisatta or to be a Buddha.

No killing is a precept and is the first precept so it is very important. While accepting this precept, I must not kill or ask other to kill. I should not happy to see any killing. I suggest you to do your best to cure your dog. Be proud and satisfied for the best you had done. Let her die naturally and be Upekkha (neutrality). Not many beings who can pass away suddenly and peacefully.

You may see more of my suggestions from the topic “Can one kill a creature that is suffering?” posted by wskelly on 20 June 1998. Take care and good luck.

: Are you saying that to alleviate physical suffering is to interfere with a being's Karma? Pascal

To alleviate physical suffering is to interfere with a being's Karma. I do not say that Karma should not be interfered. Everything relates with Karma directly or indirectly. Buddhism shows how to find sufferings, cause of sufferings, and ways to end the causes and sufferings. Taking medicine may alleviate physical suffering but not the cause of sufferings, which is previous Karma. It is also possible that taking medicine in the right time can end the cause of sufferings when the Karma had been fully completed. Death and alive may be not the condition of ending and beginning of sufferings. Sufferings are attached to the mind body (Citta) who is active in every realms except Nibbana. Karma causes Sufferings that is from False Understanding.

Experience meditator who passes the Forth Jhana (4 th meditative state) will not feel sufferings because at that state the physical body and the mind body are separated-entity. He sees sufferings as normal and death is normal. Sufferings affect only physical level while his mind is normal. However we should try to keep our body healthful enough (the Middle Way) for practice Dhamma as long as possible although we can see that next life will be much better. A Buddhist master sees his body as a temporary jail.

Although the Forth Jhana of Samatha turns off the feeling of sufferings but it will not last endlessly. Vipassana especially Satipatthana is the practice to end the cause of sufferings permanently. This was the discovery of the Buddha over Samatha that was the well-known practice during his period.

Thank you for your answer. My question was badly put. Indeed, all actions are Karma. If we see an animal suffering from an incurable disease, it may well be its Karma, but is it not also our "duty" to alleviate this suffering if it is in our power to do so? In some cases, could "mercy killing" be a meritorious act? Indeed, when we see a fellow human being suffering some misfortune, should we not seek to help? I am always afraid of Karma being used to justify inaction. It may indeed be a reflection of my inadequate understanding of this complex principle. Pascal

Thank you for your question and answer shared in this board too.

: In some cases, could "mercy killing" be a meritorious act?

There are 227 precepts, 10 precepts, 8 precepts, 5 precepts, or 1 precept for each level of practitioner. I believe that it could be a meritorious act but the person who does must be in very high spiritual level and can see the fruit of his action vividly. Some case from reading may not be the same as someone’s problem. Sometime mercy killing ends the sufferings of others but not of the dead one which is the false understanding of the mercy killer. In my level in Buddhism practice, I can not see and explain why some killing human and animal is mercy.

: If we see an animal suffering from an incurable disease, it may well be its Karma, but is it not also our "duty" to alleviate this suffering if it is in our power to do so?

: Indeed, when we see a fellow human being suffering some misfortune, should we not seek to help?

Always help other beings as much as a person can do. Metta, Karuna, Mudita, and Upekkha are very important and Upekkha (Neutrality) is the most important in helping other being. Upekkha relates with meditating so it not easy to explain what Upekkha really is. Help others to be happy and not suffering and keep neutrality although your help does not work. Do not over do of what a helper can do.

I believe that the Buddha has all powers to alleviate the suffering but he used his Dhamma instead of his power. Alleviating might be success for a group of millions people but he could not help all beings in his period and future.

There are secret meditation practices for interfering with someone’s Karma. But the meditator must know how to protect and clean himself afterward. There is a warning not to cure other sick persons in the hospital who are not your relative because the ghost who makes this suffering will angry and try to make the helper sick also. Helping at spiritual level is almost unbelievable.

I would like to add more information on the merit making. What kinds of merit making make higher result? Giving of object, glad for other’s giving, forgiveness, giving of Dhamma, then meditation practice is sequentially the list of merit making from little to much effect. Meditating is the highest in the merit making. Why? Merit making is actually not a kind of making but it is the detaching process especially sensual desire. Meditating will success only when the practitioner has detached sensual desire. Merit making is a detaching process of mind.

I consider my postings as a sharing of Dhamma which is a kind of merit making. It is the belief and practice of me so it is not general prescription for everyone. There is an advice for persons who study Dhamma from Question and Answer not to decide that those answers could be suitable for everyone. Most of the times, the master answers a specific question for a specific person. I hope my posting can be applied then suitable for most of us.

Okay, this is really silly. I really try hard to live by the five precepts in my daily life. But there's one that causes me problems. But I think these problems might be a problem of translation.

Anyway, there's the precept against ingesting intoxicating substances. But sometimes I see it translated as just 'intoxicants' and sometimes I see it written as 'intoxicants that cloud the mind'.

To me there is a big difference.

Drinking alcohol (perhaps not to excess, but that's not my point) seems to be a pretty common occurance amongst Buddhists, even those of high attainment. But any other intoxicants are generally frowned upon. Is there a reason for this?

I think we all know what I'm getting at here, so I'll sign off now.

Cressida

Re: That pesky precept 

This is a Thai version of the translation of the precept number 5:

“Suramerayamajjapamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami.”

“I undertake to observe the precept to abstain from intoxicants causing carelessness.”

The key word of this precept is “causing carelessness”. Drinking alcohol is just one thing that may cause carelessness. Any thing; alcohol, drug, food, gas, etc; that cause carelessness is belong to this precept. This precept is the last one in the five precepts so it should be very important as the first precept (abstain from taking life). It is better to undertake the precepts with understanding the reason.

Carelessness is the chance for the one to break other precepts without knowing oneself. This precept is the control of other precepts. Carelessness is lacking of sati (awareness) so the one hardly attains samadhi (meditation) and panna (wisdom).

Each person should know how much of alcohol and others that can cause carelessness. Those some Buddhists drink alcohol because they do not undertake all precepts seriously. It is individual choice and destiny. There are many levels of practitioner.

Last updated
29-10-2542