宗教における菜食主義
動物の肉を食べることの禁止
仏教
BUDDHISM
“EATING MEAT DESTROYS THE SEED OF COMPASSION and a meat eater’s every action will terrify all beings due to their bodily scent of meat.”
~ Mahaparinirvana Sutra
“I stipulate that you SHOULD NOT EVEN EAT MEAT blameless in the three respects. Even those meats other than the ten [previously forbidden] kinds should be abandoned. The meat of corpses should also be abandoned…. All creatures can recognize a person who eats meat and, when they catch the odor, they are frightened by the terror of death. Wherever that person roams, the beings in the waters, on dry land or in the sky are frightened. Thinking that they will be killed by that person, they even swoon or die. For these reasons, BODHISATTVA- MAHASATTVAS DO NOT EAT MEAT. Even though they may appear to eat meat on account of those to be converted, since they do not actually eat ordinary food then how much less so meat!”
Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas means great saints.
~ Mahaparinirvana Sutra
“Monks, a householder follower should not engage in five types of business. Which five? Business in weapons, business in human beings, BUSINESS IN MEAT, business in intoxicants, and business in poison.”
~ Vanijja Sutta
“Bodhisattvas and bhikshus who practice purity will not even step on grass in the pathway; even less will they pull it up with their hand. How can one with great compassion pick up the flesh and blood of living beings and proceed to eat his fill? Bhikshus who do not wear silk, leather boots, furs, or down from this country, or consume milk, cream or butter therefrom can truly transcend this world. When they have paid back their past debts, they will not have to re-enter the triple realm.”
Bodhisattvas means spiritual practitioners.
Bhikshus means monks.
~ Surangama Sutra
“Ananda, if living beings in the six worlds of existence cease to kill, they will not be subject to the continual round of births and deaths… How then can those who practice great compassion feed on the flesh and blood of living beings?”
~ Surangama Sutra
“If a man can control his body and mind and thereby REFRAINS FROM EATING ANIMAL FLESH and wearing animal products, I say he will really be liberated. This teaching of mine is that of the Buddha whereas any other is that of evil demons.”
~ Surangama Sutra
“Ananda, those practitioners who wish to enter the state of Samadhi should first observe strictly the rules of pure living to cut lust from the mind BY ABSTAINING FROM MEAT AND WINE… Ananda, if they do not abstain from carnality and killing, they will never escape from the three worlds of existence.”
Samadhi means holy communion.
~ Surangama Sutra
“At that time, Arya Mahamati Bodhisattva-Mahasattva said to the Buddha: ‘World Honored One, I see that in all worlds, the wandering in births and deaths, the enlaced animosities, and the falling into evil paths, are all caused by meat eating and cyclical killing. Those behaviors increase greed and anger, and make living beings unable to escape from suffering. That is truly very painful.’”
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“World Honored One, PEOPLE WHO EAT MEAT ARE DESTROYING THE GREAT MERCIFUL SEED of their own, thus the PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE THE HOLY WAY SHOULD NOT EAT MEAT.”
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“The Buddha told Mahamati: ‘MEAT EATING HAS COUNTLESS OFFENCES. All Bodhisattvas should cultivate their great mercy and compassion so that they should not eat meat.’”
Bodhisattvas means spiritual practitioners.
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“Those who renounce the flavor of meat can taste the flavors of the true Dharmas, truthfully practice the stage of Bodhisattva, and attain Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi quickly.”
Dharma means true teaching.
Bodhisattva means spiritual practitioner.
Anuttara-Samyak- Sambodhi means supreme perfect enlightenment.
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“Mahamati, I see that living beings are in the transmigration of the six paths*. Being together in births and deaths, they give birth to and foster each other, and cyclically become fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters of each other… They may also be born in other paths (of animal, ghost, god, and so on); whether virtuous or evil, they frequently become the relatives of each other. Because of these relationships, I see that ALL MEATS EATEN BY LIVING BEINGS ARE OF THEIR OWN RELATIVES.”
(* The six paths: god, human, asura, animal, hungry ghost, hell-being)
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“If any of my disciples does not honestly consider that and still eats meat, we should know that he is of the candela’s lineage. HE IS NOT MY DISCIPLE and I am not his teacher. Therefore, Mahamati, if anyone wishes to be my relative, HE SHOULD NOT EAT ANY MEAT.”
Candela means killer or murderer.
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“Bodhisattvas should discern that ALL MEATS ARE FROM THE FILTHY BODIES, which are combined by pus, blood, dirtiness, red-bindus, white-bindus of the parents. Thus, discerning the DIRTINESS OF MEAT, BODHISATTVAS SHOULD NOT EAT MEAT.”
Bodhisattvas means spiritual practitioners.
Bindus means bright drops.
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“All meats are like the dead bodies of human beings… the cooked meats are as stinky and feculent as the burned dead bodies, so how could we eat such things?”
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“Meat eating can increase desires, meat eaters are greedy…For the instinct of protecting and cherishing life, there is no difference between human and animal… For every living being, he himself is afraid of death, how could he eat the meat of others?... Anyone who wants to eat meat should first discern the pain of cutting his own body, and then discern the pains of all living beings, and then GIVE UP MEAT EATING.”
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“Mahamati, in the future, there will be some ignorant persons saying that many Buddhist precepts allow meat eating. They love the flavors of meats due to their past meat-eating habit; they said those words simply according to their own views. But in fact BUDDHAS AND SAGES HAVE NEVER SAID THAT MEATS ARE FOODS.”
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“Meat eaters have so many countless offences, thus VEGETARIANS [VEGANS] HAVE MASSES OF COUNTLESS MERITS AND VIRTUES.” A vegetarian is a person who adopts an animal-free diet.
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“If no one eats meat, then no one kills living beings for food… The killings are for the buyers; thus the buying is the same as the killing. Therefore, MEAT EATING CAN OBSTRUCT THE HOLY WAY.”
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“At all times, all kinds of meats are inedible, unexceptionally. Mahamati, I forbid meat eating not only for one time, I mean that both IN THE PRESENT AND FUTURE, MEAT EATING IS FORBIDDEN.”
~ Lankavatara Sutra
“A disciple of the Buddha MUST NOT DELIBERATELY EAT MEAT. He should not eat the flesh of any sentient being. The meat-eater forfeits the seed of Great Compassion, severs the seed of the Buddha Nature and causes [animals and transcendental] beings to avoid him. Those who do so are guilty of countless offenses.”
~ Brahmajala Sutra
“Also, after the birth of the baby care must be exercised not to kill any animal in order to feed the mother with meaty delicacies and not to assemble many relatives to drink liquor or to eat meat… because at the difficult time of birth there are innumerable evil demons, monsters and goblins who want to consume the smelly blood… by ignorantly and adversely resorting to the killing of animals for consumption… they bring down curses upon themselves, which are detrimental to both the mother and the baby.”
~ Ksitigarbha Sutra
“Be careful during the days immediately after someone’s death, not killing or destroying or creating evil karma by worshipping or offering sacrifice to demons and deities… because such killing and slaughtering committed or such worship performed or such sacrifice offered WOULD NOT HAVE EVEN AN IOTA OF FORCE TO BENEFIT THE DEAD, BUT WOULD ENTWINE EVEN MORE SINFUL KARMA INTO PREVIOUS KARMA, MAKING IT EVEN DEEPER AND MORE SERIOUS. …thus, DELAY HIS REBIRTH TO A GOOD STATE.”
Karma means retribution.
~ Ksitigarbha Sutra
“All men tremble at punishment, all men fear death. Likening others to oneself, one should neither slay nor cause to slay.”
~ Dhammapada Sutra
“A man is not noble (or elect) because he injures living creatures. He is called noble because he does not injure living beings.”
~ Dhammapada Sutra
“If we, humankind, have wisdom and can discriminate between the good and bad, we should consider: to be human means to kill not and to NOT HAVE THE HEART TO EAT THE MEAT, BONE, AND THE BLOOD OF SENTIENT BEINGS.”
~ The Book of Truth
“We should learn to EAT VEGETABLES AND FRUITS and let our mind free, so we may become God, Buddha.”
~ The Book of Truth
“If you know the animals were killed for meat, but we still eat, we’re already committing the sin of killing. If because of us, the animals are killed, then the sin belongs to us and the soul of the dead will resent us, not the killer. If we are willing to eat that meat, that shows that we are cruel and ruthless! Therefore, only a ruthless heart can eat meat or meat eaters have a ruthless heart.”
~ The Book of Truth
“Moreover, sentient beings, whether plants or animals, are beings that follows us on the path of evolution; they’re our children, our siblings. As elders, our duty is to help them – how can we have the heart to kill our brothers and sisters? Doesn’t it go against the law of our universal and compassionate Mother? The ancients dare not belittle the animals, because although they take on animal forms, they do have the heart of a human, of God. And who knows, Buddha and saints may use that form to teach us the Truth, so how dare we look down upon them?”
~ The Book of Truth
We should remember that “humanity” means to behave humanely, not to kill or cause harm to humans and animals, to eventually include trees and plants, and learn to treasure life. If we don’t want war, don’t make an example of killing, don’t raise or sell animals for meat. If we want to live long, then don’t oppress any being. If killing plants is unavoidable, then we should repent every day and try to reduce it as much as possible.
~ The Book of Truth
Bửu Sơn Kỳ Hương Buddhism
“Meat and fish are foul and stinking. Meals can be made with fruits and vegetables. Bring compassion into practice. Avoid killing to preserve our benevolent nature. Though you are not used to vegan food, It is better than a meal filled with blood.”
~ Ten RecommendationsĐạo
Dừa-ism (Nam-Quốc Buddhism)
“To have peace, humanity must first have peace with the animals; do not kill them to feed ourselves, then there will be peace among people.”
~ Nam Quốc Phật Temple
“Everyone, whether young or old, rich or poor, educated or illiterate, if one can keep a vegetarian diet... especially if he can help humanity return to the highly evolved lifestyle of veganism, then his merit is infinitely great.” Such a person is “a soldier of peace… who helps establish justice and mercy in everyone’s heart. That is true peace building for humanity.”
~ The Ascetic Life of the Đạo Dừa Yogi
“O humankind, let’s live a life that nurtures lives with veganism ... to restore our true quality in order to re-establish an era of virtuous and saintly humanity, and to enjoy a generation overflowing with the True Dharma”
~ The Ascetic Life of the Đạo Dừa Yogi
“Old or young, all should try to be vegetarian in order to survive to see the new era.”
~ Nam Quốc Phật Temple
“The world now is very fragile. Demons and evils are snatching human beings. All the continents are crumbling. It is the destruction destined for the Earthlings. You should practice spiritually without any delay. Otherwise, when the end comes, do not complain why Heaven hears not your prayer. It is because you do not believe to practice. Or you practice spiritually, but do not keep the vegan diet.”
~ Prayer and Penance Rites
Hòa Hảo Buddhism
“Don’t kill animals to make offering. Sages and Saints are not biased. Your sickness is due to the previous life’s bad karma or because of this life’s violence.”
Karma means retribution.
~ Encouraging Goodness Scripture
“Human beings treat animals even much more ruthlessly: they kill animals for food, for superstitious reasons... forgetting that animals also have souls, also have bodies, also wish to live like us humans... Thus, please let the animals live, care for them, especially the domestic animals such as buffaloes, cows, horses, dogs, cats, etc... Don’t kill them, because they have helped us in our daily work...”
~ Essential Knowledge for Practitioners of Goodness
“Recite Buddhas’ Names, keep the precepts and the vegan diet. Being vegan in your heart is even better.”
~ Excerpt from the poem “Sa Đéc” by Prophet Huỳnh Phú Sổ (vegan)
“If you want to escape suffering, listen to me. Do charitable deeds, keep the precepts and the vegan diet. Study Buddhism, cultivate your heart The Enlightened Boat will carry you through calamity.”
~ Excerpt from the poem “Who Will Understand Me?” by Prophet Huỳnh Phú Sổ (vegan)
“Such is a custom to make offerings to the ancestors, by killing cows, pigs, all kinds of animals. Why is it that people feed the dead, but mistreat the living, I am at a loss!? Repay the ancestors’ favor the Buddhist way, by offering vegan food to your deceased parents. That is the pure and benevolent practice and their souls will be light and liberated. ”
~ Excerpt from a poem by Prophet Huỳnh Phú Sổ (vegan), in the poetry collection “Filial Piety is a Duty”
Tibetan Buddhism
“The offering to the deities of meat obtained by killing animate beings is like OFFERING A MOTHER THE FLESH OF HER OWN CHILD; and this is a grievous sin .”
~ The Supreme Path of Discipleship
Zen Buddhism
“Student: But when Shakyamuni was a Bodhisattva, He consumed three bowls of milk and six ladles of gruel prior to attaining enlightenment. If He had to drink milk before He could taste the fruit of Buddhahood, how can merely beholding the mind result in liberation? Bodhidharma: What you say is true. That is how He attained enlightenment. He had to drink milk before He could become a Buddha. But there are two kinds of milk. That which Shakyamuni drank wasn’t ordinary impure milk but Pure Dharma. The three bowls were the three sets of precepts. And the six ladles were the six paramitas. When Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, it was because He drank this Pure Dharma-milk that He tasted the fruit of Buddhahood. To say that the Tathagata drank the worldly concoction of impure, rank-smelling cow’s milk is the height of slander. That which is truly so, the indestructible, passionless Dharma-self, remains forever free of the world’s afflictions. Why would it need impure milk to satisfy its hunger or thirst?”
Dharma means true teaching.
Paramitas means perfect virtues.
~ Bodhidharma’s Breakthrough Sermon
“Those who observe the precepts don’t injure any of the myriad life forms of Heaven and Earth. If you hurt something by mistake, you suffer for it. But those who intentionally break the precepts by injuring the living for the sake of future blessings suffer even more. How could they let would-be blessings turn into sorrows?”
~ Bodhidharma’s Breakthrough Sermon
“Eating fruit and vegetables, suffering not therefore the bad karma (retribution) of the mouth.”
Karma means retribution.
~ Live in the World, Enjoy the Tao Trúc Lâm Zen Buddhism)
“Studying the Tao to repay the favor of the Sages and our parents; Esteeming the Buddha, uphold a vegetarian diet.”
~ Live in the World, Enjoy the Tao (Trúc Lâm Zen Buddhism)
“You love all including the animals because you have seen their true identity. The animals are also our friends, our relatives in past lives, so how can we have the heart to kill them?”
~ Zen Master Lương Sĩ Hằng (vegan) (Vô Vi Meditation)
These are just some examples. For more details, please log on to: SupremeMasterTV.com/scrolls
“You see, eating animal flesh, meaning we are decreasing our love in our being, from our structure, holy structure. We are born from God, we were holy, we were true humans, we were true children of God. But if we eat the animals, then the mixing of blood type and genetic code between human and animals makes us lose our status as the crown of creation, as true humans. As pure humans, the children of God, we are under direct connection with the Light, with the mighty Master power of the commanding center of the universe. We have absolute command over all under Heaven, because we were pure, and we’re children of God. But as we keep putting different elements into our beings, even physically, it will affect our spiritual structure as well. Because we became mix-ling, mixing structure, not pure, we became hybrid, vulnerable to attack from the dark force, because we are not pure anymore. Thus, this kind of mix-ling creature could be annihilated, because this mix-ling creature sends very confusing energy, confusing message into the center of the universe. It’s not recognized as pure human. So we could be eliminated, out of the physical realm, to be recycled, to be screened out for pureness again and to be reused. But this process can be very painful and torturous, over long periods, could be hundreds of thousands of Earth years.”
“Everybody knows that vegetarian (vegan) diet is good for health and to save the planet. They will be awakening their own great, compassionate, loving self-nature. And then their level of consciousness will rise up automatically. And they will understand more than they ever did. And they will be closer to Heaven than what they are right now.”
