Both yoga and Buddhist meditation philosophy ask practitioners to refrain from the act of killing – whether directly or indirectly – as much as possible. In the American yoga communities I am part of, vegetarianism is fairly prevalent. In the Buddhist communities, somehow, not as much (though some Buddhist practitioners are certainly vegetarian). Then I came across this eye opening quote from the Angulimala Sutra (discourse). Read the powerful quote, and then share your thoughts on the following question: do mindful and compassionate people eat meat? Do you eat meat? Why or why not?
(Pig Buddha T-shirt from Zazzle.com)
“There is not a single being, wandering in the chain…of endless and beginningless samarsa [cyclical confusion], that has not been your mother or your sister. An individual, born as a dog, may afterward become your father. Each and every being is like an actor playing on the stage of life. One’s own flesh and the flesh of others is the same flesh. Therefore, the enlightened ones eat no meat.”
-Angulimala Sutra
From Food of Bodhisattvas
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