delivered by Shakyamuni Buddha

Shakyamuni Buddha said in the Surangama Sutra:

If a man can control his body and mind and thereby refrains from eating animal flesh and wearing animal products, I say he will really be liberated.

The reason for practicing dhyana and seeking to attain Samadhi is to escape from the suffering of life, but in seeking to escape from the suffering ourselves why should we inflict it upon others? Unless you can so control your minds that even the thought of brutal unkindness and killing is abhorrent, you will never be able to escape from the bondage of the world’s life…After my Parinirvana in the last kalpa different kinds of ghosts will be encountered everywhere deceiving people and teaching them that they can eat meat and still attain enlightenment… How can a bhikshu, who hopes to become a deliverer of others, himself be living on the flesh of other sentient beings?

Shakyamuni Buddha said in the Surangama Sutra:

For innumerable reasons, Mahamati, the Boddhisattva, whose nature is compassion, is not to eat any meat.

Now, Mahamati, the food I have permitted (my disciples to take) is gratifying to all wise people but is avoided by the unwise; it is productive of many merits, it keeps away many evils; and it has been prescribed by the ancient Rishis. It comprises rice, barley, wheat, kidney beans, beans, lentils, etc., clarified butter, oil, honey, molasses, treacle, sugar cane, coarse sugar, etc.; food prepared with these is proper food.

If, Mahamati, meat is not eaten by anybody for any reason, there will be no destroyer of life. Mahamati, in the majority of cases the slaughtering of innocent living beings is done for pride and very rarely for other causes.

about Pure Land aspirants
delivered by Shakyamuni Buddha

If there are sentient beings who want to be born in my land those of the highest class must use the mind of compassion and not kill living beings; they must cherish and protect all creatures with awareness; they must practice all the precepts; they must read and recite the Great Vehicle scriptures and understand their highest meaning; they must have deep understanding of true principles and support the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha; they must be filial to their parents and respect them; they must be merciful to the poor and suffering; they must teach and transform sentient beings and add to their power with the food of the Dharma; they must make offerings to the spirits; they must refrain from all forms of evil and faithfully practice all forms of virtue. If they recite the Buddha-name while acting like this they are sure to be born in the highest class in the Pure Land, and eventually become Buddhas.
If their strenght is not sufficient for this, then for the time being they should firmly uphold a vegetarian diet and maintain the precepts, and singlemindedly recite the Buddha-name. If they can recite the Buddha-name from moment to moment without a break, they will be born in the Pure Land and not in the lowest class there.

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