Ahimsa: Buddhism and the Vegetarian Ideal – Revised Edition

Description

Ahiṃsā means ‘harmlessness’ – carried out in thought, word or deed. A major precept of Buddhists of all denominations is to practice harmlessness. Such activity is not supposed to be theory, but a practical fact – a sacred pledge (samaya) – integrated into the fibre of one’s every mode of conduct on the path to enlightenment and liberation from saṃsāra.

This text elaborates that all good intent along this line falls flat in the light of the practice condoned by many Buddhists of meat consumption. Harm is caused to the animal butchered, to the consumers of the flesh, and to the environment we live in. It is also a decidedly gross act of adharma (not-dharma) to all in the society wherein the Buddhist practitioner that consumes animal products resides.

It is time that Buddhists heartily spurn all considerations of meat toxins in their bodily environments, to actively espouse the cause of true harmlessness in all that they do; and to act as Bodhisattvas by teaching all how to be compassionate through not killing or harming their animal brethren.

The reasons are clear of the way to be truly compassionate, as all Buddhists should be. Read, learn, and observe your true motives in everything you do. Desist from harmful actions, and thereby grow and become Bodhisattvas and Buddas at the end of it all.

You can read Chapter 1 of Ahimsa: Buddhism and the Vegetarian Ideal here. It also has the table of contents included so you can look at other chapter titles.

There is also an excellent discussion on vegan and vegetarianism on our website here.