Can you eat meat and be Buddhist ?

[Osal]

And I'm ok with all that. My karma is my karma.

You seem to have a problem - insistent that I come to see things your way. Why is that?

 

[Bunyip]

namaskaram Bunyip ji



according to the tibetan tradition meat eating as has been mentioned is permissable due to the unavaiability of a good suply of vegetables in tibet , ....Apparently when the Dalai lama came out into India he did take to a vegetarian diet for a whille , but his physicians advised him that he needed the meat diet that he was used to due to the fact that he had suffered liver damage due to jaundice , he was in very bad health when he escaped to India , this I think was agravated buy the cobitions the escape party endured whilst fleeing fron the Chinese .

this is no defence on my part of his actions , ......just facts as I understand them , ...

Thanks, very interesting. Although I am referring to modern times, not the time of his escape. I meant that he eats steak now when he travels. Of course I do not think that there is anyrhing wrong with that, I just thought it an interesting fact.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I have carnivores at home, so unfortunately, I cook meat more than I would like.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram Bunyip ji

Thanks, very interesting. Although I am referring to modern times, not the time of his escape. I meant that he eats steak now when he travels. Of course I do not think that there is anyrhing wrong with that, I just thought it an interesting fact.

sorry what I was meaning to convey is that because of his dammaged liver ?his pysicians have advised that he does not follow a vegetarian diet , ...So I assume the liver damage to be perminant ??? and the recomendation to be lifelong , ...?

however not sure how I would take that ??? I had become vegetarian in my teens , but my doctors said that because of my skin problems (eczema) that I had to eat oily fish , .....this was when I was much younger , ...I did follow this instruction for a while but then I gave up and have suffered no ill health that I know of from giving up the fish , ...some years later I also gave up all dairy efevtivly becoming vegan , ....after three or four months the eczema and all traces of asthma and all alergies dissapeared !!!......

doctors never sugested that , ....I just think of it as a little Karmic pay back for sticking to my beleifs rather than doctors instructions , .....

 

[Rick O'Shez]

When I was self sufficient it would have been the difference between life and death. Sure, rich city people have choices.

I would think that most of us here on this forum have a choice.

 

[Bunyip]

namaskaram Bunyip ji



sorry what I was meaning to convey is that because of his dammaged liver ?his pysicians have advised that he does not follow a vegetarian diet , ...So I assume the liver damage to be perminant ??? and the recomendation to be lifelong , ...?

however not sure how I would take that ??? I had become vegetarian in my teens , but my doctors said that because of my skin problems (eczema) that I had to eat oily fish , .....this was when I was much younger , ...I did follow this instruction for a while but then I gave up and have suffered no ill health that I know of from giving up the fish , ...some years later I also gave up all dairy efevtivly becoming vegan , ....after three or four months the eczema and all traces of asthma and all alergies dissapeared !!!......

doctors never sugested that , ....I just think of it as a little Karmic pay back for sticking to my beleifs rather than doctors instructions , .....

I think it is a really difficult distinction to make - between the morality of killing an animal and a plant. I really would not confidently draw such a line. After all - what has more 'value' a fly or a great Aspen forest?

 

[Rick O'Shez]

Well, one consequence is that I have to endure vegetarians, vegans, straight edgers, trying to guilt - trip me into doing something that i don't want to do.

I don't think anyone can make you feel guilty, but if you do feel some guilt then maybe that's a sign you need to look more carefully at your behaviour.

 

[Bunyip]

I would think that most of us here on this forum have a choice.

Well yes sure. I don't see eating meat as necessarily ethically inferior, and am not a Bhuddist. Eating feral rabbits strikes me as more environmentally sustainable than growing soy beans for example. But I do respect the views of others.
I would never eat a Bhuddist of course, out of courtesy.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram Thirza ji

I have carnivores at home, so unfortunately, I cook meat more than I would like.

if you are doing the cooking try your freinds and fammily on some realy tasty vegetarian alternatives , ....heres a recipie that most meat eaters will find equaly tasty , ....


BBC - Food - Recipes : Falafel burger with hummus

you can also makr the same mix into small round balls and cook in a sauce in the place of meat balls , .....realy yummy , ...

 

[Rick O'Shez]

I would never eat a Bhuddist of course, out of courtesy.

Please don't, there aren't enough of us to go round.

 

[Bunyip]

Please don't, there aren't enough of us to go round.

I promise to continually resist the buttery goodness of my friendly local Bhuddists. Bunyips are very magnanimous in such matters.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram

I think it is a really difficult distinction to make - between the morality of killing an animal and a plant. I really would not confidently draw such a line. After all - what has more 'value' a fly or a great Aspen forest?

I can understand that , ..obviously the choice is yours , ...I love plants too , but I find animals to be more Sentient than plants (to my knowledge) , ....so I choose not to , ....

I can understand that living a simple life of self suficiency is not easy , if one tries to grow a crop and the rabits eat it , ..eventualy if they leave you nothing you have to decide whether or not to kill the rabits , ...if you had to kill them , well it would be logical to eat them , ...not that I would want to , ...I would have to try growing something rabits dont like , ...last year I planted broad beans in hanging baskets so they couldnt be reached by the slugs here that decimate everything , ...I dont want to use poison , .....or kill them , ...so one just has to be a bit clever , ....the birds eat my rasberies too , but I recon I get half , ...

 

[ratikala]

Please don't, there aren't enough of us to go round.

lets spread a rumor that we dont taste nice !

 

[Desert Snake]

I got a question. . Can you be a Buddhist, and eat meat ?

Yes.

 

[Bunyip]

namaskaram



I can understand that , ..obviously the choice is yours , ...I love plants too , but I find animals to be more Sentient than plants (to my knowledge) , ....so I choose not to , ....

I can understand that living a simple life of self suficiency is not easy , if one tries to grow a crop and the rabits eat it , ..eventualy if they leave you nothing you have to decide whether or not to kill the rabits , ...if you had to kill them , well it would be logical to eat them , ...not that I would want to , ...I would have to try growing something rabits dont like , ...last year I planted broad beans in hanging baskets so they couldnt be reached by the slugs here that decimate everything , ...I dont want to use poison , .....or kill them , ...so one just has to be a bit clever , ....the birds eat my rasberies too , but I recon I get half , ...

Sure. Thanks. I struggle with that - a fly as sentient or a thousand year old tree. I am unsure. Rabbits are also delicious.
I am being rather obsessive with my gooseberrries this year - they are my favourite.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram

Sure. Thanks. I struggle with that - a fly as sentient or a thousand year old tree. I am unsure. Rabbits are also delicious.
I am being rather obsessive with my gooseberrries this year - they are my favourite.

one thing my husband cant understand , and I dont realy understand either , ..is how upset I get when someone cuts down a tree , I am usualy mild mannered and dont hate any one , ...untill they needlessly cut a tree , we had an ancient yew in our church yard I tried to get everyone to realise how special it was and to look after it , ....I did hours and hours of volentary work in the church yard trying to clear brabbles and ivy to let theese beautifull trees breathe , and look after the existing wild flower population , .....I tried to get a team together to do it properly without poisonous weedkillers and slash and burn mentality , ....but the neat bregade came in and with strimmers and chain saws and just masacred the place , ...I cant even speak to these people any more , .....some human beings are totaly loathesome , ....

even as a vegan I can more easily accept someone living on a farm or in the forest who eats a rabit out of need , than I can a misserable Ba****d who cuts down a tree for no good reason , ....

Rant over , .....

 

[ratikala]

another Dilema , ....

there are rats that get in our atic , ...I cant kill them , they just want to over winter in the warm , ....I dont want them in the house though , .....I just have to look at it as my fault for having a nice warm house , and be vigilant about blocling any entry ....thats what you get if you live in the country , .....critters everywhere !

 

[Rick O'Shez]

there are rats that get in our atic , ...I cant kill them , they just want to over winter in the warm , ....I dont want them in the house though , .....I just have to look at it as my fault for having a nice warm house , and be vigilant about blocling any entry ....thats what you get if you live in the country , .....critters everywhere !

Some people have rats as pets. You could have your very own rat family, and eventually the pitter-patter of tiny rat feet.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

lets spread a rumor that we dont taste nice !

Apparently human flesh tastes very similar to pork, but I don't know if Buddhist pigs taste nicer than non-Buddhist ones.

 

[Osal]

another Dilema , ....

there are rats that get in our atic , ...I cant kill them , they just want to over winter in the warm , ....I dont want them in the house though , .....I just have to look at it as my fault for having a nice warm house , and be vigilant about blocling any entry ....thats what you get if you live in the country , .....critters everywhere !

critters invading the home are always a dilemma. Around here, it's possible that mice can carry hantavirus. Squirrels are known to carry plague. Raccoons can have rabies as can skunks. If animals like that, get into the attic or crawlspaces it cab be a dangerours them-or-us proposition. There are humane solutions in some cases but not all.