Q: Does a meat-seller (not a butcher), say a chicken rice hawker break the First Precept of not killing? He doesn’t kill any chicken though he buys dead chickens from a butcher. What about a poultry-seller who sells live chickens for customers to slaughter by themselves?
A: Technically, the meat-seller does not break the First Precept. However, his trade involves meat, which is considered wrong livelihood under the Noble Eightfold Path. It’s simple why – because his business demands continual killing. The live chicken-seller also does not technically break the First Precept but it also practises wrong livelihood as it involves continual exploitation of sentient lives. The unwholesome karma created in either cases is not any less grave than breaking the First Precept – especially over a long duration of time – because these occupations support killing quite directly.
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?
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.
:-S
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.
Though it is the negative karma of some of animals to be killed for human consumption, none of us have to purposely play a part in being conditions for their deaths by demanding for meat, which surely creates some negative karma on our part too.
It must surely be such too, that all animals’ negative karma to be killed for human consumption will end on the very day all humans stop actively creating negative karma by demanding for their meat. While this day of a total vegetarian humanity might be some time away, we can start joining the right side by reducing or giving up consumption of meat and other animal products.
Yes, it’s best to be vegan!
Amituofo
(Y)
There is a new interesting handy booklet in short chinese stories that I found in front of the Guangming Dian (where the 3 Jade Buddha statues are)’s free distribution corner where the lots are.
“Yi Zhen Jian Xie” very humorous & easy reading & worth reflecting & recommending…(*) (H) 😉
Should also place copies at other distribution points lah…
I went to looksee today but don’t see the book. Maybe it was placed there unofficially? You can email publication@kmspks.org to ask too. Amituofo
😉
I saw it last Fri at the distribution pt infront of the DaBeiDian (Guanyin). Small colorful cartoon cover booklet in Mandarin. 😉
Please correct me if I’m wrong….
It may be impossible to live without killing.
Everything in existence is a living being. e.g. animals, trees, flowers, plants, etc….
So are vegeterians or vegans are as bad as meat eaters as far as negative karma is concerned?
We all should not be too worried/concerned too much about what we eat. Everyone should continuosly doing good things in their life. Just not eating meat and doing nothing good in one’s lifetime is not good for anyone or anything at all. I would rather see people eating a balanced meal and doing good and wonderful things for other people or other living beings in their life.
Vegeatarians and vegans indirectly kill much LESS than animal-eaters, because animals have to eat a lot of plants in their lifetime, while veg*ns eat plans directly. For a clear example on this, please see
https://moonpointer.com/new/2010/07/do-plants-feel-pain
We should be concerned with what we eat – as what we eat constitutes how we do good too. It is better to eat less or no meat while doing other general acts of good than to just do non-dietary acts of good alone. Eating with compassion and wisdom day in and out are major acts of goodness too. For solid reasons on why eating animals is GOOD in saving animals, humans and the environment, please see
http://www.viva.org.uk/goingvegan
:whistle: If humankind were to go vegan or vegetarian then we would have to create more farms to feed the millions who have given up meat. To create such good crops we would need to use insectacides to stop insects from destroying the crops is that then bad karma for killing insects? Also we would have to geneticly alter crops so they come more bountiful.
What about the people who live in the cold regions of the world who need to eat meat as a staple to survive such harsh conditions by stopping the eating of meat would this not harm them? again we go back to bad karma.
Would we have to let millions die of starvation to be able to sustain the population of the world with the farms we have. How would we stop countrys going to war over fertile land to create food to feed there people. Take the UK it has 61 million people living in it, could it create enough food to feed them on its own? Australia has only 22 million living in it but at this moment in time outside countries are buying up farm land to feed its people due to a percived future food shortage. Would Australia have to take back it’s own land by force to feed her own people?
This is a big can of worms waiting to be opened.