Most westerners assume Buddhists to be vegetarian, but
unfortunately in
many countries despite the obvious teachings of
Buddha that one should not harm other beings this is not always the case, and this
includes monks. However in more recent years attitudes
are changing.
The following is a small selection of contemporary
advocates of Vegetarianism from different sects of
Buddhism
The
17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje
On January 3rd 2007 the 17th Karmapa,
Ogyen Trinley Dorje, (the Karmapa is leader of the Karma Kagyu
school of Tibetan Buddhism) instructed all his
monasteries and centres to become vegetarian. He stated
that it was most important that both Mahayana and
Vajrayana students do not eat meat.
"There are many great masters and very great realized
beings in India and there have been many great realized
beings in Tibet also, but they are not saying, "I'm
realized, therefore I can do anything; I can eat meat
and drink alcohol." It's nothing like that. It should
not be like that. According to the Kagyupa school, we
have to see what the great masters of the past, the past
lamas of Kagyupas, did and said about eating meat. The
Drikung Shakpa Rinpoche, master of Drikungpa, said like
this, "My students, whomever are eating or using meat
and calling it tsokhor or tsok, then these people are
completely deserting me and going against the dharma." I
can't explain each of these things, but he said that
anybody that is using meat and saying it is something
good, this is completely against the dharma and against
me and they completely have nothing to do with dharma.
He said it very, very strongly."
Chatral Rinpoche
His Holiness Chatral Rinpoche a renowned Dzogchen - a
type of Tibetan Buddhist teaching - master, a wandering
Yogi in his mid-90s is in particular
well known for his advocacy of vegetarianism, and his
yearly practice of ransoming the lives of thousands of
animals in India is legendry. He has stated that anyone
who wishes to be his student must be vegetarian.
Make
every effort not to kill any living creature,
Birds, fish, deer, cattle and even tiny insects,
And strive instead to save their lives,
Offering them protection from every fear.
The benefit of doing so is beyond imagining.
Venerable Abhinyana, was born in England in 1946. During
a summer holiday in India in 1970 he made his first
contact with Buddhism, deciding he needed to follow the
path of Buddhism he left his home and became a Buddhist
monk in the Thai Theravada Tradition in Malaysia. He
began a teaching career in 1979 the idea of which was to
teach people about Buddhism with the purpose of helping
people to alleviate suffering. He constantly travelled
to teach the Dharma, teaching, to anyone wishing to
learn and practice Buddhism
An
advocate of Vegetarianism he has written the very
thought provoking article :Taking a Stand, from which another
quotation
appeared earlier.
To
use scripture to justify the disgusting and cruel habit
of eating meat is both dishonest and unworthy. I’ve
never been able to reconcile the preaching of Metta-Karuna
(Loving-Kindness & Compassion) with the practice of
meat-eating; they contradict each other. And as to
seeing, hearing or suspecting that the animal was killed
especially for someone, well, for whom is the animal
killed if not for those who eat its flesh? No amount of
twisting, juggling and verbal gymnastics can get around
that. If nobody ate meat, the butcher would not kill the
animals. This is
not only obvious to everyone except those who refuse to
see, but is in line with the Buddha’s teachings about
the Law of Dependent Origination, or Cause-and-Effect in
the moral realm, whereby
it is shown how one thing leads to another in a
chain-like sequence.
This
is an excellent article. Take time to read the entire
publication for a good understanding from a Buddhist
perspective concerning the importance of living a
vegetarian diet
shabkar.org/download/pdf/Taking_a_stand.pdf
Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche
Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche 1921-2007,
also mentioned earlier, was born in Drikung Tibet and was a revered and eminent practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. At a very young
age he became a monk entering Drikung Thil Monastery and
studied Buddhist philosophy at the Drikung Nyingma
Changra Buddhist Institute.
In
1991, overcoming great difficulties he travelled from
Tibet to India. where he met with His Holiness the 14th
Dalai Lama who requested him to travel to different
places to give teachings for the benefit of all sentient
beings. He encouraged and inspired people to do the
simplest of all dharma practices: to extend kindness to
all sentient beings and to do the practice of the three
kayas by the recitation of the following mantras:
OM
AH MI DEWA HRIH ( Heart Mantra of Amitabha)
OM MA NI PAD ME HUNG ( Heart Mantra of Chenrezig)
OM AH HUNG VARJRA GURU PADMA SIDDHI HUNG (Heart Mantra
of Padmasambhava)
The six syllable mantra OM MA NI PAD ME HUNG is recited
to free sentient beings from suffering, all sentient
beings including animals.
"The syllable PAD closes
the door to the suffering of being reborn in the animal
realm. The suffering of animals is stupidity, preying
upon one another, being killed by men for meat, skin,
etc. And being beasts of
burden.
"
The following are his comments concerning the
recitation of the six syllable mantra OM MA NI
PAD ME HUNG ( Heart Mantra of Chenrezig) and the
need to practice nonharm to sentient beings.
"As a
Buddhist, we practice so as to benefit self and
others hence we do the six-syllable mantra
practice. However, when we eat meat be it
chicken, pork, fish or eggs in our daily lives,
we are creating immense negative karma. If on
the one hand, we chant the mantra and on the
other hand, we eat the meat of mother sentient
beings, then our words and actions do not tally
with one another. We are not doing as we preach.
Can this be considered as loving kindness and
compassion towards sentient beings? Is this
doing good and abstaining from evil? We take
refuge in the Buddha because his teachings could
benefit all sentient beings. As a Buddhist, we
should understand the essence of the Buddha's
wisdom and teachings, which is to do good and
abstain from committing evil deeds. Abstaining
from evil means that we have to keep our
precepts. Hence we should not take meat. When we
are sick, old or near death, we would go to the
doctor, we would practice and do anything
possible to extend our lifespan. However, when
we take meat, we are killing sentient beings
that are healthy. How great is our compassion
and loving kindness if we treat sentient beings
in such a manner? We should abstain from killing
because it generates immense negative karma.
Instead, we should develop loving kindness and
compassion towards all sentient beings."
"In countless rebirth, all sentient beings have
been our parents. When we took rebirth in the
human realm, we had human parents; when we took
rebirth in the animal realm, we had animal
parents and so forth. Samsara is such. We need
to generate a sense of gratitude towards our
parents in this lifetime and those of our past
lives. Hence, we should be vegetarians and
abstain from taking meat. In such a way, we
would do good and give meaning to our practice.
By doing so, our practice of the six-syllable
mantra would be able to benefit ourselves and
others, and also aid in the flourishing of the
Dharma. There are some people who say that their
doctor has advised them against becoming
vegetarians, as they would suffer from
malnutrition. This is a sign that the
determination of these people is not strong
enough. For if one has strong determination, one
would avoid doing evil deeds at all costs and
under any circumstances. Hence in our daily
lives, we should stop committing the negative
deed of eating meat. On this basis, the merits
generated from our refuge and practice of the
six-syllable mantra would be inconceivable. We
should try to change our lifestyle towards
vegetarianism. We would certainly face
difficulties in becoming full vegetarians.
However, when such obstacles arise, we should
remember how every sentient being had at one
point or another been our parents. When we
remember this, then we would not take meat just
as we would not eat the meat of our parents of
this lifetime."
"It is wonderful. We must absolutely promote
vegetarianism."
I do
not see any reason why animals should be slaughtered to
serve as human diet when there are so many substitutes.
After all, man can live without meat. It is only some
carnivorous animals that have to subsist on flesh.
Killing animals for sport, for pleasure, for adventures,
and for hides and furs is a phenomenon which is at once
disgusting and distressing. There is no justification in
indulging in such acts of brutality.
In our approach to life, be it pragmatic or otherwise,
the ultimate truth that confronts us squarely and
unmistakably is the desire for peace, security and
happiness. Different forms of life in different aspects
of existence make up the teeming denizens of this earth
of ours. And, no matter whether they belong to the
higher group as human beings or to the lower group, the
animals, all beings primarily seek peace, comfort and
security. Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to
a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just
as one wants to live and not to die, so do other
creatures.
The 14th Dali Lama
The Vegetarian Way, 19th World Vegetarian Congress 1967
quoted in The Extended Circle by Wynne-Tyson
"Thousands— millions and billions
— of animals are killed for food. That is very sad. We
human beings can live without meat,especially in our modern world. We have a great variety
of vegetables and other supplementaryfoods, so we have the capacity and responsibility to
save billions of lives. I have seen many
individuals and groups promoting animal rights and
following a vegetarian diet. This is excellent."
"I
think that our basic nature as human beings is to be
vegetarian—
making every effort not to harm other living beings."
The 14th Dali Lama
Vegetarian food only is served at the Dali Lama's World
peace ceremony
Dalai
Lama's World Peace Ceremony Goes Vegetarian
AMARAVATI -
At
Kalachakra for World Peace 2006, presided over by the
Dalai Lama, all the food served to the 200,000 people
attending the ceremony was vegetarian. He made a speech
in Tibetan, criticizing factory farming and meat
consumption, and urging Tibetans to stop the trade in
wild animal skins and furs.
If
the human community is based on principles of peace, it
will lessen the sufferings caused to millions and
billions of animals. Otherwise, out of humans' limitless
and unjustified greed and desires, they build beef
farms, pig farms, and fish farms which never existed
before and are not needed. And now, when the animals
bring diseases they are killed in large numbers. So many
fishes are killed and they suffer so much.
These days there are many Tibetan groups in India
working for vegetarianism and spreading compassion for
animals, such acts are extremely good and something to
rejoice. Most of the monasteries have also turned their
kitchen into vegetarian which is really good.
- from Dalai Lama's speech
The
above was extracted from the Raw Veg webpage, Buddhist
Vegetarianism, where you will find more information
about the growing move towards Vegetarianism in
Buddhism.
This is a poignant slide show film with
quotations not only from the Dali Lama but also from many noteworthy Buddhists.
Video by: JakubNo
You tube user
Buddha's Final
Teaching on Avoiding Meat & Fish
The video below is a
slide show of
excerpts from the
final teachings of
the Buddha on
abstaining from
eating meat,
including fish.
Shakyamuni
Buddha's Final
Teaching on
Abstaining from meat
& fish. In the
Buddha's last
teaching before his
passing, he said in
no uncertain terms
that his followers
to abstain from meat
and fish. He stated
that to eat meat or
fish destroys the
great seed of
compassion. The
Buddha said that
even if a monk is
offered meat or
fish, to accept it
but wash away the
meat and fish with
water and eat the
rest and if there is
too much meat in the
offering, to not
accept it. He said
in the 100 years
that people would
state that the
Buddha said it was
acceptable to eat
meat. They will
claim to be
following the Buddha
but they are not.
Any follower who
abstains from meat
is truly following
his wishes and is
practicing right
action.
Live Vegan: You tube
user and producer of
the video,
Buddha's Final
Teaching on Avoiding
Meat & Fish
You can
see that the teachings of Buddha overwhelming advocate a
vegetation even vegan diet, anything other is not in
keeping with the first precept. The above is merely a
snippet of the many teaching of Buddha and eminent Buddhist
monks and adherents from all sects of Buddhism. The
craving of flesh appears to be quite a problem even for
those dedicated to a spiritual path and it is sad that
the proponents of meat eating persist in their
endeavours to justify the unjustifiable.
The
Surangama Sutra says: "The reason for
practicing dhyana and seeking to attain samadhi is to
escape from the suffering of life. But in seeking to
escape from suffering ourselves, why should we inflict
it upon others? Unless you can control your minds that
even the thought of brutal unkindness and killing is
abhorrent, you will never be able to escape from the
bondage of the world's life...After my parinirvana in
the final kalpa different kinds of ghosts will be
encountered everywhere deceiving people and teaching
them that they can eat meat and still attain
enlightenment...How can a bhikshu, who hopes to become a
deliverer of others, himself be living on the flesh of
other sentient beings?"
Click
the following internal link to see more quotations advocating vegetarianism or veganism from
Buddhists past and present.
Why Animals Matter: Buddhist Quotations
Tibetan
Volunteers for Animals
(TVA) is a registered non-government and non-profit
organization registered under Karnataka Societies Act
1960. TVA is managed and run by a group of young Tibetan
activists determined to make a difference.
TVA's main aims and objectives are:
1) To foster the understanding that all sentient beings
on Earth have an equal right of life from the smallest
of ants to the largest of animals like the elephant or
whale.
2) To stop all forms of animal abuses.
3) To contribute to the protection of the environment
and assist in the production of world peace.
"Shabkar.org is a
non-sectarian website dedicated to vegetarianism
as a way of life for Buddhists of all schools.
The site takes its name from Shabkar Tsodruk
Rangdrol (1781-1851), the great Tibetan yogi who
espoused the ideals of vegetarianism."
A huge amount of information including articles
audio and video
Included earlier this is an excellent webpage
concerning a significant move in Buddhism
towards a vegetarian or preferably a vegan diet.
Quotations from eminent Buddhists advocating a
vegetarian diet. Please take time to read.
Mindful eating can help maintain compassion
within our heart. A person without compassion
cannot be happy, cannot relate to other human
beings and to other living beings. And eating
the flesh of our own son is what is going on in
the world, because we do not practice mindful
eating.
Extract
Eating for Peace - the Art and Science of
Mindful Consumption
By Thich Nhat Hanh
Important please note:
I
am not an animal expert of any kind just your average
person who loves animals, all animals, and feels deeply
about the plight of many of our fellow creatures.
Neither am I a writer, or any other expert. Therefore
please keep in mind that the information included in
this website has been researched to the best of my
ability and any misinformation is quite by accident but
of course possible.
