Taking a Stand By Ven. Abhinaya

Some time ago I picked up a Buddhist magazine, on the cover of which was
a design purporting to show the hand of the Buddha turning the
Dharma-wheel. On the back cover however, there was a commercial
advertising , among other things, meat and fish for sale. Strange
companions, front and back !

Certainly, I am aware that money must be raised for the publishing of
such magazines ; it doesn't grow on trees. But I also think that
discretion should be used in the selection of advertisements to be
included in Buddhist magazines, even if it means rejecting some and
thereby losing some funds ; after all, the purpose of publishing such
magazines is to propagate the Dharma, is it not ? If we compromise our
principles, we defeat our purpose.By allowing the pages of a Buddhist
magazine to be used for advertising meat for sale , we are even if only
indirectly condoning killing.

Indefensible

Feel free to disagree ; it won't prevent me speaking out. Some Buddhists
maintain that the Buddha never said we should be vegetarians, and that
monks ( who the bulk of the Buddhist rules apply to ), may eat whatever
is offered to them, as long as they do not see, hear, or suspect that
the animals, fish or fowl were killed especially for them ; if they so
see, hear or suspect, they are forbidden to eat the flesh. But this
standpoint is totally indefensible, as anyone who look sat things a
little objectively can see. And to say, as some people do, that by
eating meat, they are helping the animals with their spiritual growth,
is too ridiculous and transparent to be seriously considered for a
moment.

Firstly, the Buddha never called anyone to believe or follow Him ;
instead, He urged people to see for themselves and find out what is
true. Even so, many Buddhists become prisoners of books, repeating
things like parrots or tape-recorders, without investigating, thereby
missing the great value of the Buddha's Way, which is a Way of
self-reliance. He exhorted people to" Test my Teachings as a gold-smith
would test gold ," and " Workout your own salvation with diligence " (
according to the Buddhist scriptures, these were His last words ), and
not depend upon Him to save them,because " Buddhas are only Teachers ;
they do but point the Way " which is the most that anyone can do ;
belief in saviours is regarded as a myth, with no foundation in fact.

Metta-Karuna

To use scripture to justify the disgusting and cruel habit of eating
meat is both dishonest and unworthy. I've never been able to reconcile
the preaching of Metta-Karuna ( Loving-Kindness & Compassion ) with the
practice of meat-eating ; they contradict each other. And as to seeing,
hearing or suspecting that the animal was killed especially for someone,
well ,for whom is the animal killed if not for those who eat its flesh ?
No amount of twisting , juggling and verbal gymnastics can get around
that. If nobody ate meat, the butcher would not kill the animals. This
is not only obvious to everyone except those who refuse to see, but is
in line with the Buddha's teachings about the Law of Dependent
Origination, or Cause-and-Effect in the moral realm, whereby it is shown
how one thing leads to another in a chain-like sequence.

Let us examine the eating of meat by this doctrine, and see what it
involves :

T he Consumer

The consumer likes to eat meat, and his desire to do so is the main
force that keeps this Killing Wheel turning.

T he Killer

Because of people's habit of eating meat, others see a way of earning a
living and take up the gun and knife to engage in butchery. There will
always be butchers and war and senseless destruction of life, as long as
people condone killing ; it is a matter of demand and-supply : if there
is a market for meat, some will try to supply it just as with drugs, sex
and weapons.

T he Animals

The animals are victims of the unwholesome desire for flesh. Though it
may be the karma of the animals to be killed as some believe that does
not excuse the killer. The cause produces the effect, and the effect, in
turn, becomes the cause of other effects, and so on.

T he Buyer

The butcher kills for money. If nobody ate meat, the butcher would have
to find another job. Those who buy and eat meat keep the butcher's hands
bloody, and the only people to whom this is not clear are those who do
not want to see.

Demand

It is like the trade in ivory and rhinoceros-horn : because of the
demand for these things,elephants and rhinos have been hunted and killed
to the point where they are now in danger of extinction. Ivory is prized
for its beauty and rhino-horn for what is believed to be its
aphrodisiacal- properties, which is probably just another silly and cruel
superstition. In order to boost their libido, or sexual energy so they
believe people are prepared to let these magnificent animals be shot and
left to rot on the African veldt. The poachers who kill them cannot be
totally blamed for this, as they are just one link in the chain, and not
the main link, either. Most of them are just poor tribesmen who also
need to live,and the possibility of making big money far outweighs the
risk of getting caught and prosecuted. No, the buyers and users of the
animal products are the real cause of this, and there is no getting away
from the fact. Stop the demand, and the supply will cease. What a pity
people are so selfish and stupid much more so than the animals on which
they look down with scorn !

Someone once told me of a high-ranking Tibetan lama appearing surprised
to learn she was vegetarian,and asked her why. And, far from praising
and encouraging her for abstaining from meat, he even disapproved of it
( may be because, being carnivorous himself and greatly attached to the
taste of meat ,he took it as a criticism of his habit ).

Consequences

Some years ago, in Malaysia, I was invited to stay in someone's home,
where I was served nice vegetarian food. One day, I went into the
kitchen to get some water, but my way was barred by the son of the house
; his mother was there eating her lunch. She knew I knew she was not
vegetarian, but was embarrassed that I should see her eating meat.
However,it was her house, not mine ; I was only the guest there. If she
wanted to eat meat, she should have done so without being ashamed ; the
fact that she was ashamed was a sign she had reservations about it.

If a person wants to eat meat, let him at least be honest about it and
admit he likes it ,and not use the scriptures to justify it , as that is
cowardly and unscrupulous. Let him also be prepared to accept the
consequences of his involvement in killing, without complaining or
blaming others for whatever happens to him, for he is surely involved.

Because of Tibet's altitude,few vegetables will grow there and so the
diet of the people is largely and unavoidably animal-based. The majority
of Tibetans are Buddhists and very pious as such. They scrupulously
avoid killing anything even to the extent of beating firewood vigorously
on the ground to shake free any insects before burning it.How, then, do
they get the meat they eat ?

The butchers of Tibet are Muslims,who are regarded by the Buddhists as
low caste or defiled because of their livelihood. The Buddhists
obviously do not see the discrepancy in their outlook on this, which
smells strongly of hypocrisy.

" If you delight in killing, you cannot fulfil yourself," wrote Lao Tsu
in the Tao Te Ching. Are these just empty words ? How shall one attain
Enlightenment except by opening one's heart and becoming sensitive to
the rights and feelings of others ? We do not live by and for ourselves
alone. What kind of Enlightenment is it if we are indifferent to the
pain and suffering of others? Enlightenment is not just something to be
hopefully attained as a result of following the Dharma, but should be
something that manifests in our lives as we go about our daily living.

Movement

Now, suppose one person here perhaps you and another one there, starts
to think about this, and reflects thus : " If no-one ate meat or wore
furs or skins, the animals would not be killed for such. I do not agree
with killing, for the animals have the right to live and do not want to
die just like me. I can live quite well on vegetables, and so, as a
protest against killing and as an expression of sympathy for the
animals, I will become vegetarian from now on." Let us further imagine
what would happen if the 300,000-plus monks in Thailand where Buddhism,
for the most part, has become passive and moribund decided to stop
eating meat, and asked the lay-people to offer them only vegetarian food
: Every day, millions of animals cows, pigs, goats, chickens,
ducks,fish, prawns,etc.would not be needlessly slaughtered ; many
lay-people would also probably become vegetarians. But I am happy to
report that now, at last, there is a new movement in Thailand which is
making quite an impression. The monks of this movement are strict
vegetarians, which is something I never expected to see there, but am
certainly very happy about. They lead simple lives, free from the modern
paraphernalia that fills many of the monasteries these days, and wander
around preaching.So there is hope ; it all depends upon understanding,
and begins with people like you and I .

Short-sighted

Many people mistakenly think that, alone, they can do nothing to change
the world, and that whatever they might do will make no difference. This
is weak-minded, short-sighted and wrong and, because so many people have
been touched by the Story of the Stranded Starfish in one of my previous
books, I will not ask pardon for repeating it here, so that it might
touch others.

Early one morning, a man went to the beach, and, while strolling along
there, he noticed,some distance ahead of him, a young boy frequently
bending down to pick things up and throw them into the sea. At first, he
thought it must be stones the boy was throwing, but as he got nearer to
him, he realized it was starfish. When he caught up with the boy, he
asked him why he was doing this, and the boy replied that the tide was
ebbing and the starfish were stranded on the beach, unable to get back
into the water, and would die of exposure as the sun rose higher in the
sky and became hotter. The man looked at the starfish all over the
beach,and said : " But there are millions of starfish on this beach ;
how can your efforts make any difference?" The boy looked at the
starfish he was holding, then looked up at the man and said: " It will
make a difference to this one !" and flung it back into the sea.

Can you put yourself into the place of that starfish? It is most
important, on a spiritual path, to be able to identify and empathize
with others, including animals.

We cannot force anyone else to change, but we can change ourselves, and
thereby change the world, as we are part of the world, and if we change,
the world also changes, be it ever so little. Don't always wait for
others to make the first move, therefore ; if you are convinced a thing
is right , follow it ; no matter if it seems that you are all alone, you
should know that you are never really alone.

Suffering

Are you concerned about suffering ? If so, you should know that it is
not something personal, like your private property, but something common
and world-wide. If you do not like to suffer, do something. Don't just
call yourself a Buddhist,and wait for someone to help you ; do something
yourself ! Calling oneself Buddhist or any other name for that matter (
this is meant not just for Buddhists ) has very little meaning. But to
be aware that we can do something to make our world a little bit better,
instead of worse, and to do it, that is something ! " Morality," as
philosopher George Santayana said, " is the desire to lessen suffering
in the world." Now, what do you think: Does eating meat increase or
decrease the suffering in the world ?

People become vegetarians for different reasons, but to abstain from
eating meat because one think sit is better for health or for making
merit ,or from the consideration that a chicken or fish might have been
one's relative or friend in a previous lifetime, are not Buddhist
reasons for being vegetarian. A Buddhist abstains from eating meat
because he knows it is right to abstain, and not from what he might get,
personally, from doing so. He is a vegetarian for the sake of the
animals, not for his own sake ; he considers the effects of his actions
upon others.

Mind of our own

Forget about what the Buddha may or may not have said about eating meat
; He died a longtime ago, and none of us ever met Him. We are not the
slaves of the Buddha or are we? but have minds of our own, which He
exhorted us to use. The animals are being killed right now, often with
our tacit consent and approval. What do you think about this? While it
means food for many, money for others and sport for some, for the
animals themselves it means suffering and death. Surely, this deserves
some thought. We should not be so subjective, always looking at things
from our own viewpoint, wondering how we can make use of things for our
own ends. The viewpoint we should look at meat-eating from is that of
the animals,is it not ? Try to put yourself in their position, and see
how it feels.

Now, reading this, some people monks and non-monks will probably fall
back on the old worn-out argument: " But Buddhist monks are not allowed
to ask for anything special for themselves, saying, like this or I don't
like that.They are supposed to eat whatever people are kind enough to
offer to them, without making a fuss and causing inconvenience to their
supporters." Yes, it is good for monks to refrain from being fussy and
choosy, but if they were to request people to offer them only meatless
food, they would not be asking for themselves, but for the sake of the
animals; their asking would be altruistic instead of selfish. And it
would benefit the people who offer as well as the animals, for their
offerings would involve less suffering and so would be more meritorious.
From every point-of-view, therefore including health and economy
vegetarianism is better. And, as for the lame excuse that,without eating
meat, we would not get enough nourishment and would be weak and sickly,
well, what about elephants, horses, cows, buffaloes, etc.? They are
herbivorous, and are not weak ! It is our minds that are weak, not our
bodies ! So, why hesitate ? Is it because of attachment to taste ? Is it
because we might find it inconvenient to change our diet? Do we live to
eat, or eat to live ? In order for us to eat meat, the animals must be
killed. Is that not a great inconvenience for them ?

Attachment

Ah, attachment! Some people may counter what I have said above by saying
we can be attached to vegetarianism, too, and that attachment is
attachment in any form, and end sin suffering ; we can be bound just as
firmly with gold chains as iron chains,and should follow the Middle Way
that avoids extremes. But is this so? Isn't it a matter of who and how ?
Following the Middle Way doesn't mean living in a non-committal,
wishy-washy manner, without principles or firm foundations; nor does it
mean following a set of rules imposed upon us or adopted from outside.
Following the Middle Way means living according to our understanding,
and trying to keep Dharma at the center as a focal point, not self; we
can still be flexible while holding fast to the essence and not
compromising one's principles ; it must come from inside from
realization of how things are not outside. The MiddleWay or Noble
Eightfold Path on paper, is a general guideline, and must be seen as
such ; the Way is not in the books, but in walking it, not a concept or
doctrine, but a living thing of experience. And some of the Buddha's
final words were : " Be an island unto yourself ; be a lamp unto
yourself ; be a refuge unto yourself. With the Dharma as your refuge,
look not outside of yourself for a refuge." He did not mean cling to it
as a personal possession and become attached to it,considering it a
thing of self, but to abide by it, live by it, accord with it,for in so
doing, we may break free of the idea of self. And the basic Five
Precepts covering our relationships with other living things (not just
people) are designed to help us refrain from causing suffering.

To understand ourselves which is what the Dharma is all about we must
see ourselves in context, for alone and in isolation, there is no
meaning ; we simply do not exist like that. If we follow the Way from
fearful self-concern, far from getting what we hope to get,we only cause
ourselves more suffering. To become vegetarian with the idea of getting
something in return, such as merit, or better health, demonstrates the
kind of attachment that causes suffering ; but to do it with the idea of
lessening the suffering of others, means abiding in Dharma ; we cannot
call this attachment.

Support

It is often difficult to talk about vegetarianism to non-vegetarians,
for there is always the implication of criticism or disapproval of their
meat-eating indeed, just being vegetarian,without saying a word, is to
make a statement and few of us can accept criticism gracefully, even
when it is constructive, as in talk about vegetarianism. But if we
refrain from saying what needs to be said because we think people may
not like it and therefore might not support us, truth will be fettered
and gagged.Is this why there is so little Dharma-propagation in many of
the big and rich temples in Asia, where, more often than not, ceremonies
and superstition hold center-place, and crowd out all else ?

We must sometimes choose between speaking the truth and being popular,
as the truth is often unpopular. May be this is why Lao Tsu said: " The
wise person hears of the Tao [ Way,or Dharma ], and follows it
carefully. The average person hears of the Tao, and thinks about it now
and then. The foolish person hears of the Tao, and laughs aloud. If
there were no laughter, the Tao would not be what it is."Thus, the
laughter of fools, who are unable or refuse to comprehend, is a tribute
to Tao. The praise of fools is something more to be concerned about than
their laughter, while the criticism and censure of the wise should be
taken to heart.

If we wish to propagate Dharma,there is an element of risk involved ; we
must face the possibility of being unpopular, as we cannot please
everyone, and if we try, we might end up pleasing no one. We may dilute
the Dharma to suit the tastes of those who are unable or unwilling to
accept it as it is, but what would happen to the quality ? There would
hardly be any flavor left !

Many Westerners, new to Buddhism, spontaneously become vegetarians as a
result when they hear the teachings about Compassion and Respect for
Life. What a pity,therefore, that many allow themselves to be influenced
and persuaded into dropping their gentler mode of eating when they come
into contact with forms of Buddhism that do not espouse vegetarianism,
instead of persisting in it. It's a pity they lack the courage of their
convictions, and conform, for the sake of convenience or so as not to be
different.

Should we not find out for ourselves what is right and wrong, true and
false? In this world of confusion,where it is hard to resist the
pressure to conform, if we know a thing to be right, should we not try
to abide by it ? Not to do so would be to lose the precious little
integrity we might have and which we must try to increase. Why should we
follow others, like sheep ? Is it because we think others always know
where they are going, while we do not ? Using the Dharma and seeing
things as they are, we have a way to develop clearer vision and more
self-confidence than this.

To conclude : Just as it is natural for a flower to give off scent, so
Vegetarianism should be a natural expression of our understanding that,
just as we ourselves wish to be happy and avoid pain,other living things
feel exactly the same way. Is it really so esoteric that only very few
people are able to comprehend this ? I don't think so, and therefore
I'll continue to stand up for the animals, and say :

Stop killing !

Be kind to animals by not eating them !

About the author

Venerable Abhinyana was born in 1946, in England to a Protestant family.
In 1970, during summer holidays in India, he made his first contact with
Buddhism and found out this religion was what he needed to follow and
practice. Finally, in 1972, he left his home and became Buddhist monk in
the Thai Theravada Tradition in Malaysia. From 1979 he started his
teaching career here and there, to provide the teachings of Buddha for
everyone with the purpose of helping them get rid of their suffering and
achieve happiness.Especiall y, he spent much time in helping Vietnamese
refugees in Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Singapore and
Thailand.
Venerable Abhinyana is constantly travelling to offer the Dharma talk
for those wishing to learn and practice Buddhism.