[Buddha-l] Re: on eating meat

[Joy Vriens]

Lawrence K. Starner wrote:

> I eat meat, I confess, simply because I like it.  I drink a daily quantity
> of wine (usually 2 glasses) in the evening, but I don't drink enough for
> intoxication.  I also admit that I'm ignorant and not the best Buddhist in
> the world.

You're in good company. When surfing the net to help Mike find a good 
reason to become a vegetarian I stumbled on the following anecdote. 
Whether it's authentic I don't know, but the DL could have given this 
answer.

"An amusing story about the Dalai Lama and his meat eating: HH was on a 
plane and was seated next to someone who happened to notice that he was 
not eating the veg meal, but had the meat meal. The person seated next 
to him asked him, "Aren't Buddhists supposed to be vegetarians?" HH's 
response, "Good ones are!" I am sure there was a hearty laugh with that 
response!"

I also found this one for Mike:

"Killing and eating meat are interrelated, so do we have to give up 
eating animal products? I myself once tried to give it up, but health 
problems arose and two years later my doctors advised me to again use 
meat in my diet. If there are people who can give up eating meat, we can 
only rejoice in their noble efforts. In any case, at least we should try 
to lessen our intake of meat and not eat it anywhere where it is in 
scarce supply and our consumption of it would cause added slaughter."
-- from The Path to Enlightenment

You are saved by a question mark Mike.