Comments for Moonpointer : Buddhist Blog of Everyday Dharma

Comment on Not a Reason to Abort by Xinguan

Xinguan — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:53:13 +0000

If pregnancy occurred, whether planned or unplanned, and the doctor advised that there is a very high risk of death to the mother, or child, or both, through the pregnancy. Then we may have to take the advise of the doctor if the risk is confirmed and real.
While we should avoid abortion, we should also avoid risking our life and/or the child which is not different. Precepts are for protection, not restriction. Precepts should be for the greater good. When used wisely, it becomes ours. This is the correct way for keeping precepts.

Comment on Not a Reason to Abort by Karuno

Karuno — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:47:47 +0000

Everything is cause and effect therefore not such thing as unplanned. Mind is the fore runner of your action. No matter what happened, one needs to have the positive mind of wisdom and compassion to accept and change the case for the better.

Comment on Not a Reason to Abort by ck

ck — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:56:15 +0000

What if the pregnancy was unplanned and carrying the child or the birth of the child may result in the death of the mother, who has to look after another young child?

Comment on A Living Without Killing? by De Hui

De Hui — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 09:15:53 +0000

Broadly speaking chicken rice seller or meat seller are not choosing a right livelihood, agreed.

Think a little deeper, the land owner who lease the land to the ranches where animals are bread. The v arious logistic providers who faciliate the transport of live animals and the eventual meat from one point to the other. The supermarket that sells all the meat. The resetaurants and coffee shops. The advertising media which help to broadcast he advertismentin a way. In fact the whole value chain is inevitably involved.

The meat industry, and the entire value chain flourishes because there is a demand. So go vegeterian.

Think a little deeper, why are the animals reborn as animals, their karma unfortunately. So they end up as meat.

Those that end up as milk cows are worse off. They are continously forced to have calf to produce milk. The calf are sold as veals. The cows are milked daily, I guess it is a painful process especially when you see injection done on the cow’s nipples when they are swollen. So logically stop drinking milk too because these cows suffer more than those raised for meat, they also end up in the slaughter house.

When we look a some nice silk, bear in mind the numerous silkworms that are boiled because their cocoons are needed to produce silk. The wools that cause millions of lambs to suffer when their wools are shaved.

At he end of the day, it is the humans that want the meat and its by products, that is the root caused. Animals are animals because of their past karma. I have asked many monks, but none offer me a comprehensive solution.

Comment on Harder to Forget by shian

shian — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:34:20 +0000

Haha, that’s a good funny extension!

Comment on A Living Without Killing? by shian

shian — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:33:21 +0000

It’s part of the problem, though to a lesser degree.

From http://www.vegsoc.org/info/clothing.html :

Some people believe it is ok to wear leather because they see it as a by-product of the meat industry whereby the animals weren’t killed just for their skins while others believe that there’s a strong chance the animal died naturally. However, very few farm animals ever reach the natural end of their lifespan, most are killed when they are little more than adolescents and around 40 billion farmed animals are reared intensively (12). Remaining animals go for slaughter because they are worn out by continuous breeding and/or lactation. About ten percent of the value of the animal at the abattoir is from its skin, so by buying leather this is helping to support the meat industry.

Comment on Transformation by Power of Goodness by Kheng

Kheng — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 07:20:40 +0000

Thank you. This is a timely reminder.

Comment on Harder to Forget by ck

ck — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:52:50 +0000

If all 3 forget, it’s probably something not worth remembering, something forgettable!

Comment on A Living Without Killing? by Kheng

Kheng — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 04:25:28 +0000

When we think of making a living where some form of killing is involved, we usually think of meat-sellers.

What about people who sell leather products? Is it also considered wrong livelihood since animals would be killed for their skins to make these products?

Comment on Happy Dharma Teachers’ Day by shian

shian — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:17:00 +0000

Yes, good teachers are good coaches too. Semantics perhaps… cos usually we don’t think of the Buddha as a coach but as a great teacher, though he does coach!