[Buddha-l] Re: on eating meat

[Mike Austin]

In message <1129760600.6234.29.camel at localhost.localdomain>, Richard P. 
Hayes <rhayes at unm.edu> writes
>On Wed, 2005-10-19 at 22:05 +0100, Mike Austin wrote:
>
>> It is for this reason that I do not find it convincing.
>
>I'm not clear on what you mean exactly by "this reason".

Neither am I. But are there not sutras that you think did not originate 
from the Buddha? And, if so, would you be able to explain why?


>As I'm sure no one has to tell you, a far better practice now would be
>to examine your own attachments and forms of resistance than to find
>ways of explaining away the sutras that annoy you.

Hehe! No attachment, but I had an aversion to discussing this subject! I 
have the impression that more people are attached to not eating meat.  I 
am equally content eating meat or vegetables but eat more of the latter. 
Sometimes, I feel as if my body needs a bit of meat.  I sometimes I have 
the same feeling about fruit juice. I need to look after myself.  I have 
a fortunate human rebirth, you know.


>> Meanwhile, any other references out there?
>
>Is there any reason to be confident that you would heed them if there
>were?

I am not asking for opinions, but references.


>It seems to me you have stated your position, and others have
>stated theirs, and I'm not sure anyone is going to say anything new on
>this topic.

Exactly. That is why discussing this subject can be quite fruitless, and 
vegetableless.


>One question one might begin with is: Would I be somewhat better at
>cultivating bodhicitta and universal compassion if I were not eating the
>flesh of animals who have been killed against their will? Answering that
>question does not require references to things others have said. It
>requires only intellectual and emotional honesty.

This is precisely the point. Friends of mine are vegetarians because it 
appears to them, intellectually and emotionally,  to be the only way to 
eat that is compatible with bodhicitta. I appreciate that. All I say is 
that this is not universally true, and others do not accumulate any bad 
karma because they behave differently.

-- 
Metta
Mike Austin