Why don’t Buddhists eat meat? Are there any harms for Buddhists to eat meat?

Question: Why don’t Buddhists eat meat? Are there any harms for Buddhists to eat meat?

Master Cheng Gang: I just told you that because we have the intention to study Buddhism and take refuge in the Three Jewels, Buddha is our learning and relying on our life, and is our example of our teacher. We are learning from all Buddhas in the ten directions and three times, not from anyone, no matter which great master, monk, or lay Buddhist, they are ordinary people, they are all practicing the cause and in the process of cultivation and verification, and have not completely eliminated the confusion and karma of life and death. Therefore, we do not preach other than the Buddha's teachings.

The Buddha has clear teachings and four kinds of purity and enlightenment in the "Lingyun Sutra". If we practice meditation and cannot fast the flesh of sentient beings, even if we have enlightened our minds and wisdom, we will definitely fall into the devil's path in the future. The upper one is the devil king, the middle one is the devil people, and the lower one is the witch. After the devil's retribution is completed, he will fall into hell, hungry ghosts, and animal realms. People who are greedy for the flesh of sentient beings have no pure mouths, and the demons and heretics come to approach him, attract all demonic obstacles, become confused and desireful, and hinder meditation. In addition, there is no response to chanting scriptures and mantras, and finally fall into the devil's path. This was taught by the Buddha himself.

In addition, the Buddha said in the "Lingyun Sutra": The Ru Brahmin land, where Ru Brahmin lives, is hot, and there are many sand and stones, and grass and vegetables do not grow. I use my divine power to turn into the five pure meats, so that you can eat and practice Buddhism with your diet. It is not to let us kill sentient beings and eat the flesh and blood of sentient beings. In addition, the Buddha said in the Bodhisattva precepts of the Brahma Net Sutra: Do not eat the flesh of sentient beings, and eat the flesh of sentient beings to eliminate the great compassionate nature, which all Buddhas in the three ages do not want to see. In addition, the Buddha said in the "Lingyun Sutra" that a person dies as a sheep, and a sheep dies as a human being. In this way, many kalpas are gone, and there is no end to each other, and they kill each other and eat each other. Kill each other and eat each other. Yesterday I told you that the Buddha said in the scriptures that those who kill animals have short lives, while those who eat meat have many diseases. How many people who eat the meat of sentient beings have bad diseases? One is the heart that greedy for the meat of sentient beings, which is the vicious intention, the harmful intention, and the dark intention. Therefore, this is the root of the disease, and this is the sin.

In addition, the meat eaten in the body is composed of bacteria, so how many causative diseases, incurable diseases, tumors, hypertension and so on. The Buddha repeatedly stated in the sutra that he could not eat the flesh of sentient beings, because we have made up our minds to learn Buddhism. The Buddha takes compassion as the body, and we must also popularize everything. Because all sentient beings are obtained from slaughter, and they shed blood and sacrificed, causing all sentient beings to suffer great suffering and satisfy our greed. We Buddhist disciples do not kill, steal, commit adultery, do not lie, do not drink alcohol, and eat vegetarian food for a long time. This is our basic practice and basic symbol. If we can't do this, we will kill and eat meat, which will make people feel terrible and are not as good as secular people. Then we don’t have the atmosphere of Buddhism. How can we become a true Buddhist disciple?

In addition, the Buddha also said in the sutra that these diets smell turbid and evil, and the mouth is not pure after eating them, which will cause all kinds of evil and imperfections, which will cause devil obstacles and hinder meditation. There is no response to chanting scriptures and mantras. Therefore, we should eliminate them for chicken, fish, meat, eggs, onions, leeks, garlic, cigarettes, wine, etc. Since we want to practice, we cannot mix with evil atmosphere.

If you commit all evil karma, you will receive retribution in accordance with your karma in the future. In the sutra, the Buddha said that killing has sins, eating foods, eating animals' flesh, wearing animals' skins, and forming causes and conditions with animals, and they cannot transcend the restrictions of animals. In the future, they will also become animals, being killed by others, and eating by others. They are all discovered according to the karma and the result is to follow the cause.

It is the Buddha's teaching to not eat the flesh of sentient beings. We rely on the sutras and not on people. We are Buddhist disciples. At any time or place, we cannot say that eating the meat of sentient beings is correct. We should eat it or make a promise. If we can eat the meat of sentient beings, then we ask in turn, is it okay for our flesh and blood to be eaten by others and animals to be eaten by animals? We definitely disagree. So don't harm it, it's true. In order to save sentient beings, the Buddha sacrificed his life for the past kalpa. In order to save sentient beings, the Buddha cut his flesh and fed the eagle, sacrificed his body to feed the tiger, and entrusted the deer king to save the murdered deer. Therefore, we cannot eat the meat of sentient beings. Because you have to think in your heart and say in your mouth that if you want to create a body, you have to slaughter it, and you have to fry, stir-fry, cook, and fry it. The whole body is all sinful karma. If you have karma, you have to be rewarded according to karma. How can you say that you can eat meat? But we say what our master said, and we say what we did. The Buddha did not say. We cannot make subjective assumptions and say whatever we want. That would be a sin, and we would mislead ourselves and lead our confusion. There will be shadows when you are upright, and there will be guilty when you eat them.

Pigs, horses, cows, chickens, ducks, geese, dogs, fish, turtles, shrimps, crabs, etc. are because they used to eat the meat of sentient beings, and finally follow the cause and receive retribution according to the karma. Therefore, they are also killed and eaten by animals. Isn’t this the cause and effect! Therefore, we should follow the Dharma and eat vegetarian food for a long time to prolong our lives. Because our hearts are compassionate, we can eliminate the atmosphere of evil. As a Buddhist disciple of the Three Refuges and Five Precepts, he is still greedy for the meat of sentient beings. In terms of Buddhism, it is an abnormal phenomenon that makes people feel terrible. It is not like the people in the world who are greedy for wine and meat, because they are confused and are not Buddhist disciples.