Questions about vegetarianism

Enlightenment of Master Kong Jing on Monks Eating Meat

When Sakyamuni Buddha was alive, his diet was meat, and the only person in the world who studied Buddhism and didn't eat meat was China. Vegetarianism was initiated by Liang Wudi in China. Before Liang Wudi, Buddhism in China also ate three refined meats. When Liang Wudi was reading the Shurangama Sutra, the Buddha said, "Bodhisattva is merciful and cannot bear to eat the flesh of all beings.". Liang Wudi was so moved that he automatically became a vegetarian. He is the great protector of Buddhism. He was a vegetarian, and of course he responded when he became a monk. Later, his family also responded. This is the beginning of Buddhist vegetarianism in China.

Buddhists don't kill, and the precepts don't say no to meat. Buddha was a caregiver when he was alive, while Buddhists were' compassionate-oriented, and convenience is the door'. When they are given a caregiver, it is convenience and sympathy. If you are a vegetarian, you have to ask someone to cook vegetarian dishes for you when you serve the bowl. Isn't that a problem? Therefore, there is no difference between a Buddha and a disciple. He eats whatever he gives. At present, the Hinayana Buddhist countries in Thailand and Myanmar are still shirking their responsibilities. This truth should be understood.

Vegetarianism is of decisive benefit to health. If the whole society advocates vegetarianism, it will be convenient for monks to go out and help others. We won't be surprised to see monks eating meat in foreign countries, but we are vegetarian and people are surprised to see us. Because he doesn't know the history of Buddhism in China, we have to explain to him why China's disciples are vegetarians.

Enlightenment of Master Kong Jing on Edible Plants

Many people will ask, vegetables are alive, why can they be eaten? The following excerpts are taken from Master Kong Jing's answers, from Buddhist questions and answers. ..

Q: The Buddha said that all things are equal, animals and plants are alive, and eating meat is tantamount to killing. But the same vegetables are alive. If we cut them down and eat them, why not kill them?

A: Your question is very good and deep. Can people not eat? Of course. Look at Sakyamuni Buddha and eat a meal a day on earth. We read in the scriptures that arhats live in this world and eat once a week, while Buddhists eat once every half a month. Speaking of the erotic world, heaven and man don't eat, and the erotic world is a meditative person. When they got their first Zen wealth, they had no food and no sleep. This is kung fu. We are called karma in this world. You must go on a diet. Without diet, you can't live. If you can't survive, you can't get rid of the six divisions in the wheel of karma. In Sixth Avenue, you will always get revenge. This truth is very deep. I can't tell you for two weeks. If you have to eat, think about it. Do you eat people or animals? There is a choice. Do you want to eat your parents or someone else? You won't eat your parents, you will eat others. Compared with animals, you still eat animals instead of eating people; If you compare animals to plants, you should give up animals and eat plants. If you compare it layer by layer, you will know that it is different.

A plant is a creature, but it has no feelings, that is, it has no revenge, it has no resentment; When you eat animals, animals will have revenge and resentment. Attract what? If the afterlife is not satisfactory, this problem will be serious. Plants can't. They want you to eat when you grow up. Why? It cultivates sustenance, and it also knows how to cultivate happiness. We grow our own vegetables in Australia. Our vegetables grow better than those on ordinary farms without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. We let these vegetables listen to Buddhist names and scriptures, that is, put them on tapes and take good care of them. Fellow initiates who managed the vegetable garden had a dream one night that loofah came to see him. It says the loofah is too old, so you should pick it quickly. It's very old. He was surprised and went to that position the next day. Sure enough, he found it. It is behind the leaves, but he can't see it. It's really old. What is that? I couldn't eat, so I kept it as a seed. You see, flowers and trees are all people. We treat them well and they repay us. This is their kindness in return for supporting the public. You have to study these things carefully so that you can really understand everything about life in the universe.

Why advocate vegetarianism?

-Interpretation of Master Ji Qun

Vegetarianism is a traditional virtue of Buddhism in China for thousands of years, and it is a concrete embodiment of the compassion spirit of Mahayana Buddhism. But in the past hundred years, probably because of people's broad vision, there are two different views on vegetarianism: some people think that learning Buddhism must be vegetarian, otherwise they will not be believers; Some people think that it is not necessary to be vegetarian to learn Buddhism, and take monks from Mongolia, Tibet, Ceylon and Thailand as evidence. Which is right and which is wrong? It is really necessary to discuss it.

In people's impression, vegetarianism is generally similar to eating vegetables (vegetables) without meat. However, according to the Buddhist precepts and the situation of the whole Buddhist community, Buddhists are not absolute vegetarians, because garlic in vegetables is not eaten; It is not absolutely opposed to meat eaters, and clean meat is allowed in the Hinayana precept. As for not eating meat as usual, meat is irritating, referring to things with particularly strong smells such as onions, garlic and leeks.

According to the Hinayana precept, Buddhist monks and nuns are allowed to eat meat. For example, there are two kinds of fish among the four drugs mentioned in the quartering method. Article 10 of the four commandments book is about fish, which also shows that meat is edible. This is because monks and nuns at that time lived a life of begging, and they could only eat anything in the donor's house. Where can you choose? But there are still some restrictions, that is, if you see that the meat provided by the donor is killed by yourself; Or heard that he was killed for himself; Even those who doubt that they are only killing to support themselves cannot accept it in the spirit of compassion and not killing. Because of this kind of meat, all beings were destroyed by me, which could have been avoided, but I don't know how to avoid it. This violates the commandment not to kill. Therefore, Buddhism forbids eating meat, not because it is meat, but because it kills life. If it wasn't for you, the three clean meats were not forbidden in the Hinayana precepts.

China is a northern Buddhism, most of which spread Mahayana Sutra and promoted Mahayana thought. The Mahayana Sutra clearly declares that Buddhist disciples should not eat meat. For example, the Shurangama Sutra says: If you have boundless karma, don't eat meat. There are ten kinds: first, all beings have been six relatives from the beginning, so they should think of their relatives and should not eat meat; Two, the fox and the horse, the reason why the butcher sold them; Third, the growth of unclean begging spots; Fourth, all beings are afraid of life; Fifth, make the kindness of practitioners immortal; Sixth, fools are used to it, smelly and unclean, and have no good name; Seven, make the spell unsuccessful. Eight, eat meat to see the shape, dye the taste; Nine people, abandoned by the sky, have more nightmares, and the tiger and the wolf smell the fragrance; Ten, eat all kinds of meat, and then eat human flesh.

There are many reasons for not eating meat. There are only ten here. The Nirvana Sutra also says:

From today on, disciples are not allowed to eat meat. If you observe that a son wants to eat meat, the meat eater will break up with a kind species, and those who have life on land, sea and air will complain, so they will not eat.

In addition, the Brahma Bodhisattva Sutra, the Shurangama Sutra and the Central Digging Rama Sutra are all opposed to eating meat, because the Bodhisattva Tao is based on compassion, and eating meat is inhuman and has various faults, so you can't eat it.

From the permission of Mahayana precepts to the resolute opposition of Mahayana scriptures to eating meat, it is closely related to the evolution of monks. At first, monks lived a life of begging. With the development of Buddhism, they got a lot of land and food from kings and believers. Monks have gone from nothing to considerable economic strength. The land of monks is cultivated by pure people, and the food is handled by pure people. In this case, naturally don't eat meat. Therefore, in the heyday of Mahayana Buddhism in India, eating meat was forbidden.

China advocated a vegetarian diet for monks and nuns in Liang Wudi. In the twenty-sixth volume of Hong Guangming Ji, Wu Liang wrote "a gentle article on breaking wine". The emperor saw some monks and nuns eating meat and drinking at that time, and thought it was against the Mahayana Sutra. It is believed that the master has the responsibility to help Buddhism and call on monks and nuns to cut off wine and meat, otherwise it will be dealt with according to national laws and monk laws. In the last years of China, the begging system of Buddhism was implemented. Since ancient times, most temples in China have owned temple property, or lived a life of self-cultivation and self-cooking, which provided favorable conditions for not eating meat. Whoever wants to eat meat will commit suicide, sell it himself and cook it himself. How can he not break the rules? Don't say Mahayana Sutra, and it is not allowed to listen to commandments.

Some people, out of their own needs, take the meat of monks and nuns in Thailand and Myanmar as an example, and suggest that monks and nuns in China might as well eat meat. This is a fallacy that ignores the truth and obeys selfish desires. As we all know, Hinayana Buddhism is popular in Thailand and other countries, begging for food as a profession. Nature can't compare with it. Another example is that Buddhists in Mongolia and Tibet are meat eaters, because Mongolia and Tibet are animal husbandry areas, and their staple food cannot be separated from cattle and sheep. In this environment, it is inconvenient not to eat meat. Han people don't have this kind of thing, so we have no reason to eat meat.

5. Why should meat spice be banned?

Animal meat is a general term for vegetables with strong smell, usually spiced or spiced meat. There are different opinions about the names of five spices in ancient books, but most of them are called onion, garlic, glutinous rice, glutinous rice and canal. These five kinds of dishes have strong stimulating ability, which can give off an extremely unpleasant smell after eating, which will affect the harmony of family members, so they are forbidden by the precepts.

Five Xin, in the Hinayana Sutra, only garlic is mentioned, as stated in Article 70 of the quartering method:

Jobhikshuni vomited garlic and a thin mention. A bhikkhutujiro, whose formula is * Mona, Misha and Shamitojiro, is a crime; Those who don't commit crimes or get sick eat garlic cakes. If the rest of the medicine can't be cured, they will have to listen to garlic. If they smear sores, they don't commit crimes.

Because of illness, you can't cure it without eating garlic, so you can only eat it. After eating garlic, in order not to affect everyone, the law has made further provisions. As the Law of Monks says:

Take care of yourself. For seven days, you are not allowed to lie on the monk's bed, go to the monk's toilet, enter the monk's bathroom, greenhouse, lecture hall and dining room, be invited by the monk, even talk about Busa, and live there. It is not advisable to go around the tower. The tower is in an open place, and the wind is far away. Bathing, washing clothes and smoking on the eighth day have always been popular.

In a group, if everyone eats garlic, there will be no special feeling. If only one or two people eat garlic, the smell of eating garlic is absolutely unbearable for others. Therefore, eating garlic once should be isolated from public life for seven days, and he can return to public life after taking a shower and changing clothes.

The Five Hints of Fasting were put forward in Mahayana Sutra. As Brahma said:

If you are a Buddha, don't eat garlic, white onion, good onion, green onion and apricot koji. You shouldn't eat any food. If you eat too much, you are guilty of filth.

Among them, garlic, also known as chives, was sent to Dawan by Zhang Qian and retrieved from Alakazam. Kind onions, that is, onions, are called kind and soft stems and leaves. Onions, some say garlic, others say vegetables. Mingcong, a famous scallion, grows in mountains and rivers and is said to be a kind of scallion. Xingqu, it is said that there is no Han Dynasty.

Five spices are different from wine, which can make people unconscious; It's not the same as meat. Eating it goes against the nature of compassion. Why is it forbidden to eat in the precepts of Bodhisattva? The Shurangama Sutra says:

It is all sentient beings who seek three themes, and when they break the five kinds of spicy things in the world. It is five kinds of food. Cooked food is delicious, and raw food increases. If you are a spicy eater in the world, you can preach one or two classics and ten immortals, and you will stay away. Hungry ghosts and others lick their lips and kiss because of food. Living with ghosts often, Ford sells them every day, which is not good in the long run. He is a man who eats his heart, practices samadhi, is a bodhisattva, is an immortal, and is a good god of ten sides, so he doesn't come to protect him. He is a powerful demon king, and now he is a Buddha. This is a saying, not to break the prohibition, but to praise and anger. I finally became the devil's family, blessed by magic, and fell into prison. Ananda, a Bodhi practitioner, breaks the five spirits forever, so it is called the first step of gradual cultivation.

Eating spiced food will increase the chances, keep good gods away, tempt the devil, break the taboo and die in hell. The Shurangama Sutra also says:

All kinds of meat, onions, garlic and other kinds of wine are often far away. Eating begets escape, escaping begets ill feelings, and greed begets ecstasy. The drunkard's intention is not wine, and life and death are uncertain. Wine, meat, onions, garlic and other well-known things that hinder the sacred way and violate the sacred appearance are not edible.

This compares the mistake of eating onion and garlic with drinking and eating meat, because they can not only increase love, but also hinder the holy road, so they can not be eaten.

Eating meat is killing.

Related Buddhist scriptures

Dahui! A person who eats meat is like waiting for infinite mistakes, breaking without eating and gaining great merits. Fools don't know such gains and losses, so I'll play for you today. Anyone who eats meat should know not to eat. Dahui! Anyone who kills people is mostly eaten. People don't kill if they don't eat, so eating meat is the same crime as killing. -Mahayana into the Shurangama Sutra

Dahui! If everyone doesn't eat meat and no one kills, everyone will eat meat. If there is no food to buy everywhere, kill for profit and sell, and kill for the buyer, then the buyer is tantamount to killing. So eating meat will hinder the holy road. That's why I say eating meat is a sin, so I don't listen to food. -Mahayana into the Shurangama Sutra

Clean monks, bodhisattvas, walking on the road, not stepping on grass, how to pull with your hands? What is the great sorrow of the cloud, taking all sentient beings and filling them with flesh and blood? -Mahayana into the Shurangama Sutra

Good job! I told the public that it is useless to eat the meat of all beings. If you eat meat, there is no pity; People who have no compassion are not my disciples, and I am not another teacher. -"yoga mirror sutra for criminals"

Ananda! In the world, there are six sentient beings, and if the heart is immortal, life and death will not continue. To practice samadhi, you must work hard, kill your heart, and dust will not come out. No matter how smart you are, if you keep killing before meditation, you will fall into the path of God. People with top grades are terrible ghosts. Intermediate products include Yaksa, handsome ghost and so on. Feel inferior, Luo Cha. There are many ghosts and gods and many disciples, and everyone claims to be supreme. After my death, there were many ghosts and gods in the last law, which prevailed in the world, saying that I ate meat and got Bodhi Road. -the first shurangama sutra

Ananda! I told monks to eat five kinds of clean meat. This meat is my special function and has no root of life. If you are a Brahmin, the land will be steamed wet. If you add sand and stones, grass and vegetables will not grow. I am endowed with the power of compassion, and because of compassion, I take my pseudonym as meat, and you get the taste. How can the Tathagata eat the flesh of all beings after extinction and become a famous son? You should know! Is a carnivore, longitudinal heart open, such as samadhi, all big Luo Cha. The final report is heavy, and life and death are bitter, not a Buddhist disciple. If so, they will kill each other and eat each other. What is a cloud and what is the Three Realms? You teach the world, practice samadhi, and kill every time. Is the name Tathagata, Buddha first, second decision, pure Zoroastrianism. -the first shurangama sutra

For beginners, you can let them eat three lean meats first, and then say to him, "Eating meat is equivalent to killing people!" " "

The Shurangama Sutra says: "People who eat meat die of heresy and suffer." Evil ways refer to hell, hungry ghosts and beasts. So we know that a person who eats meat will one day be unable to be reincarnated as a human being.

Let's take a look at the words of Eight Fingers Zen-"The fish in the pond suddenly cried like human language, and the guest said that he talked to you. I used to be a rich man, and you served me for fish. Now I'll feed you fish. " It shows that people who eat meat fall into hell and hunger, and they have to be reincarnated into various animals to pay off their debts.

If you don't kill yourself, can you buy something that others kill?

Life is full of disappointments, which everyone can understand. What are the reasons for these disappointments? Few people explore!

The Shurangama Sutra says: "People who eat meat seek merit and know whether they have achieved it. 」

Hua Yan Jing said: "It is a famous magic industry to forget bodhicitta and practice good dharma. 」

Animals and we are both flesh and blood. Because of our purchase, someone will help us kill them well. This kind of indirect killing with a knife prevents us from seeking the merits we want, which leads to family insecurity, unhealthy health, unfilial children and unsatisfactory career. There are all kinds of disappointments. On the other hand, eating meat will also cause great obstacles to learning Buddhism.

"Into the Cold Ga Book" says: "My husband's flesh and blood are abandoned by immortals, but saints don't eat them ... My husband's meat is far from the sky, and his breath often stinks ... The meat is not beautiful, the meat is unclean, which leads to sin and failure, and is abandoned by immortals and saints! 」

The Shurangama Sutra also said: "People who eat meat are far away, and all beings are afraid! Therefore, a person who eats meat can't get the protection of Tianlong Babu, so it's hard to achieve anything in his career, and naturally there will be more unpleasant things in his life!

Is Sanjin meat edible?

As I said before, the result of killing animals and eating meat, of course, includes "three clean meats". In order to give you a specific understanding, let's trace the origin of Sanjing meat from the classics!

In the Nirvana Sutra, Gaya asked the Buddha, "Why do you listen to three kinds of clean meat first, or even nine kinds of clean meat?" Buddha said, "It's because things are done step by step. If you know it, you will break the meat." In terms of hearing and hearing, before nirvana, Sanjing meat was allowed to be eaten, and after nirvana, all meat could not be eaten. As far as Bodhisattva is concerned, all meat is inedible before and after Buddha's nirvana.

Now that Sakyamuni Buddha has been in nirvana for more than two thousand years, what reason is there to allow disciples to eat three golden meats? This can be strongly proved by a passage in the Shurangama Sutra. The Buddha said: "In the future, there will be fools who will talk nonsense about Ni (warning) and slander me, talking about eating meat and eating it by themselves." He said, "Great wisdom! I have said in many places that if you cover ten kinds, three kinds of people will gradually ban learning. This situation is that when the Buddha was alive, in order to attract all sentient beings, a "step by step" approach was adopted to let all sentient beings practice Buddhism. When he was about to leave this world of concubines, he explained the three lean meats very clearly. He said: "in this scripture, if you kill yourself, everything will be cut off for those who eat meat." Tell the disciples who study Buddhism that "whoever eats meat will know everything."

If someone still doesn't understand the Buddha's will and says that Sanjin meat can be eaten, what kind of cause and effect will he say? Buddha said: "If an idiot comes and people eat meat, you should know that it is a human being, and bad karma will haunt you forever. Therefore, not only can you not eat Sanjin meat, but you should also tell others that Sanjin meat can't be eaten.

Can I have meat side dishes?

Since all meat can't be eaten, how about eating meat side dishes instead of meat in social activities?

Nirvana asked the Buddha through Changgu: "Begging for food will get mixed meat. How can you get food? " It should be clean. The Buddha said, "Wash it with water to distinguish it from meat, and then eat it. 」

It can be seen from this passage that meat dishes need to be separated from vegetables and then washed before they can be eaten. But this is the time for monks to beg. In the objective environment, there is no way to change it.

In the last paragraph of the Shurangama Sutra, there are reasons why we should be vegetarian. The following simple excerpts are for the reference of former sages.

1. Lenga Sutra:

"All sentient beings have a career from the beginning, taste their six relatives, think about their relatives, and don't eat meat."

"So a yogi, who is kind-hearted, does not eat meat, and eats meat without compassion, is always free."

2. The precepts of Brahma Sutra Bodhisattva:

"Tathagata, then meat, all meat is not allowed to eat. Cut off the seeds of compassion, and all sentient beings will abandon it when they see it. Therefore, it is forbidden for all bodhisattvas to eat the meat of all sentient beings, and eating meat is an infinite sin. If you eat too much, you will commit the crime of light scale. "

3. Shurangama Sutra:

"Love and greed are the same. If greed can't stop, all the worlds will become wet and they will be swallowed up by power. People will eat sheep, sheep will die as people, people will die as sheep, and so on. They will live and die, and they will live together. In the future, when they are poor, they will always be born and die. "

"Ananda. There are six sentient beings in the world. If they don't kill their hearts, they will not live and die with them. If you practice samadhi, you will have to work hard. If you kill your heart, you can't leave the dust. No matter how clever a person is, he will meditate before he appears. If you continue to kill, you will fall into the path of God. People with top grades are terrible ghosts. The middle products are flying night * ghosts and handsome. The inferior goods should be Luo Cha. There are disciples in other ghosts and gods. Everyone is considered supreme. In the last law of my extinction, there are many ghosts and gods who make waves in the world, claiming that eating meat leads to Bodhi Road. Ananda. I let the monks eat five kinds of clean meat. This meat is my special function and has no root of life. Rubrahman, the land is wet and steam. If you add sand and gravel, grass and vegetables will not grow. I was endowed with the power of great compassion, and because of its pseudonym, you got its flavor. But after the Tathagata dies, eating the flesh of all beings is called releasing the child. You should know. He is a meat eater and is as happy as samadhi. He's all in Luo Cha, and he's bound to die. He is not a Buddhist disciple. If so, people will kill each other, eat each other and not eat each other. What is the cloud leading to the Three Realms? You teach the world samadhi, and you kill every time. It is the first Buddha, and the second decision is clean and clear. Because of Ananda. If you keep killing things, such as someone blocking their ears and shouting to tell others not to listen, this is called hiding and revealing. Clean bhikkhu bodhisattva, do evil, do not plant grass, pull out by hand. What is the great sorrow of the cloud? It feeds on the flesh and blood of all beings. If monks refuse to accept silk from the East, and these boots are covered with fur and cheese. If he is a monk, Yu Shizhen will take off and pay his debts instead of going to the Three Realms. Why? Serving their identity is related to their fate. If people eat hundreds of valleys on their land, they will never leave the ground. To make the body and mind, if all beings are identified, both body and mind are painted and refuse to eat. I said that the people are the real liberators. As I said, this is called Buddha's theory. Don't say that. Papman said that.