[Buddha-l] Re: on eating meat

[Jim Peavler]

On Oct 19, 2005, at 6:58 AM, Andrew Skilton wrote:
>
> After a gap of almost 25 years, I have for the last 8 or so enjoyed 
> the company
> of a couple of dogs in the house.  I have found the experience of once 
> again
> sharing my living space with members of another species moving and 
> salutary, not
> least in realising the extent to which, during that interim quarter 
> century, I
> had become marginally seduced by the (Judeo-Xtian?) view that animals 
> are
> soul-less machines. And that even while being vegetarian!

With no evil intentions at all I cannot help asking any vegetarian who 
keeps carnivorous pets: What is better about supporting the death of 
animals to feed your pets than doing so for your own food? Isn't the 
effect the same? Please don't answer that it is "natural" for the dogs 
to eat meat and not for the human. It is just as natural (and a long 
long long part of our evolution as omnivores) for humans to eat meat as 
it is for dogs. Do dogs collect bad kharma for eating meat? and if not, 
why not?

I have always been puzzled by this and have never had an answer that 
seemed satisfactory.