To be or not to be a vegetarian

To be or not to be a vegetarian

I really don’t want to write about this but there are people asking me or having a go at me because I am a vegetarian.

Yesterday my workmate, who calls herself as a long term Buddhist (with more than 30 years practise in Buddhism), had a go on me because I am a vegetarian. This is not her first time. This is the Nth time she has done it. She asked me whether I knew there are many enlightened human who are/were not vegetarian. She confronted me and asked me if I knew that although people can be vegetarian but do bad deeds. That being a vegetarian does not make me a good Buddhist. That often vegetarians will suffer from vitamin deficiencies….

On the other hand, my other friend who is also a Buddhist is absolutely baffled at why some monks eat meat whilst others don’t. Does that mean she needs to cook meat to offerings to cater for monks who do eat meat? Some monks say we shouldn’t be attached to being a vegetarian; we should eat what is convenient for us.

I have to make a stand here. Firstly I am vegetarian not because of religion. I was a vegetarian long before I called myself a Buddhist. I am a vegetarian because I don’t want to cause harm to others. I saw a movie clip in the slaughter house and I also read many articles about how people farm their animals. That is the reason I became a vegetarian. I take no precept in this. I eat anything with no face. I make no fuss when I find my food has onion, garlic or leek although I don’t like their smell. Unlike some Buddhists they won’t eat food with this type of vegetable. I am a vegetarian not because I want to be enlightened.

Secondly I am vegetarian because there is choice that I can make. You can say I am attached to this. Whenever I am presented a choice, I will choose vegetables. When there are occasions where people present me with vegetables with meat I will eat the vegetables and leave the meat for others. I make no fuss in this as long as people don’t force me to swallow down the things that I don’t want to swallow. Finally I have been vegetarian for more than ten years and haven’t had any vitamin deficiencies. This also applies to my children.

I know in the Tipitaka, there are some texts regarding with what meat the Buhikku should eat. Here is one of them: Majjhima Nikaya 55.5 The passage reads as follows: "I say that there are three instances in which meat should not be eaten: when it is seen, heard, or suspected that the living being has been slaughtered for the bhikkhu. I say that meat should not be eaten in these three instances. I say that there are three instances in which meat may be eaten: when it is not seen, not heard, and not suspected, that the living being has been slaughtered for the bhikkhu."

We can argue at Buddha’s time, Buddha didn’t say lay/monk/nun couldn’t consume meat. We can say I am not guilty as I do not kill but you are killing the animal indirectly. Why? The reason is because if there is a demand then someone must supply. If we consume meat then there is a demand for meat on the shelf for us to buy. Okay we can say I didn’t ask you to slaughter the animal for me; I didn’t hear when you slaughter the animal and I didn’t see you slaughter the animal. But because we buy it, so someone has needed to slaughter. Someone has to do this dirty job for us because we consume meat.

Why can’t we see this instead of pestering about being vegetarian and the meat issue? If we want to eat meat then accept it and EAT. We don’t need to find excuses and have a go at others. I never have a go on people who eat meat or who are meat lovers. So what if a person’s eating habits is different from us. Being a vegetarian is my personal choice and I don’t need to tell people why I want to be a vegetarian for DOG’s sake. (You may ask why I wrote this article even though I don't want to tell people why I am a vegetarian. The nature of this article is quite contradictory but long over due.)

02/11/2011