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Hi Dreamy, now i know what a big hypocrite you are. you claim you love animals and want to protect them by not eating them but you are asking a fellow human being to go and die. Strong words indeed. And you dare claim you are a Buddhist, full of COMPASSION but you want someone to die because that poor being is also trying to cut down on meat and eat more veggies, because you find the words she wrote disturbed you.
You did not even find out the truth and you start cursing someone to death
Nearvegan – you’re missing the point. There were no curses. Please reread what Dreamy said…
Hi near vegan,
I am sorry if I have offended anyone, but I think you are mistaken. The above stated was an analogy of what happens if we want to live a life without harming anything at all – we cannot survive and will have to die, because this kind of 100% harm free life is not possible. It was not a curse directed at anyone or asking anyone to go commit suicide.
Peace.
I am not a vegan yet but I am trying hard to reduce my meat consumption. I khow that by being a vegan, there are many health benefits on top of showing compassion to our fellow earth inhabitants.
But we should not think badly of those to consume meat. There are people who consume meat and yet are very compassionate, just that they are unconscious or not awake. Similarly they are vegans who have insidious minds.
I have personally witnessed animal or dog lovers who love the dog to bits and yet were very rude to their own parents and siblings.
Let me quote Dr.David Hawkins, author of Power Vs Force.
“Everyone acts from his own level of truth and therefore believe that his actions and decisions are “right”. It’s this “rightness” that makes the fanatics so dangerous”.
“The entire field of philosophy is merely evidence that man has struggled for thousands of years to arrive at the simplest recognition of what’s true and what’s false, or the discourse would have reached consensus centuries ago”
Grab hold of the book.
As Buddhists, we follow the Noble Eightfold Path and recognise the Four Noble Truths.
May all beings be happy and well.
It is kind of bizarre when non-vegans claim that there are vegans who are lousy in other aspects of life, even as they are kind to animals; that there are non-vegans who are good in other aspects of life other than choice of consumption (yes, veganism is not just about food but avoiding harm of sentient beings through refrain from using items that involve animal exploitation: experimentation and such).
It is bizarre because vegans in their right minds never ever claim that all vegans are perfect in all aspects of life; or that all non-vegans fare poorly in all aspects of life.
Why should there be a need to choose between being a vegan who is good only to animals, or a non-vegan who is good only to humans? Veganism as a lifestyle that advocates equanimity suggests being good to all beings, including humans and animals.
It is better to be good to more and all beings than just some beings. Simple as that. Well-rounded veganism is a necessary step in this direction. May all beings be well and happy, free from fear and harm.
How can we think badly of those who consume meat when some are also our family members and friends?
Veganism advocates a more compassionate lifestyle, but we are aware that by itself, it doesn’t make anyone holy or pure. We never claim so anyway. It’s just not fair that while we are talking about how to save the poor animals from suffering, a discussion would almost always sway towards how vegans can be unkind to other humans, or how meat-eaters can be really compassionate, which is overshadowing and missing the whole point.
Your first quote works both ways. Whether it’s for vegans or for those who think eating meat is necessary. Our vegan right is simple – the right to not support killing, harming or exploiting of any sentient being. Whether one agrees with our right or not, we are not going to kill, harm or exploit any sentient beings anyway.
Your second quote is quoted out of context. If you have read that book, the quote continues as below…
“… And it’s clear from common human conduct that even if the intellect could reliably arrive at this basic conclusion, it still lacks the power to stop the effect of negative fields. We remain unconscious of the causes of our afflictions while the intellect dreams up all kinds of plausible excuses, hypnotized by these same forces. Even when a person intellectually knows his behaviour is self-destructive, this knowledge has no necessary deterrent effect whatsoever; intellectual recognition of our addictions has never given us the power to control them.”
Doesn’t this mean that we should all the more remind one another where we should stand morally? Philosophy aside, our motto is much simpler… In the words of the Buddha,
“All tremble at violence; life is dear to all. Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill. One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter. One who, while himself seeking happiness, does not oppress with violence other beings who also desire happiness, will find happiness hereafter.” – From http://www.accesstoinsight.org/canon/sutta/khuddaka/dhp/ab0/index.html
Agree with guanzhao and nemo. I certainly don’t believe vegans are out to put others down with the “I am holier than thou because I am vegan” or “I am more compassionate than you, you have no compassion”.
We simply speak the truth about what is happening, as to whether others choose to go this way that’s their choice. This is not some “put others down” game we like to play.
In the course of talking about veganism to my friends etc. I have come across many reactions, from peaceful acceptance to violent opposition. And the reactions from both extremes of these people indirectly revealed their natural compassion.
Certainly there are meat eaters who are compassionate and vegans who are mean. But this is not a compassion contest. It’s more of growing our own compassion and aligning ourselves with what is natural.