From the Mahayana Buddhist perspective, all sentient beings have buddha nature and can become bodhisattvas or buddhas. With this idea in mind, how can we find it in our hearts to kill and eat a fellow sentient being? Furthermore, we also believe that each and every sentient being was—at one stage or another throughout our past lives—a member of our family. From this perspective, doesn’t eating meat imply we are eating “one of our own?” How can we ever be so ruthless? The Confucian sage, Mencius (孟子; 372-289 B.C.E.),133 also taught, “Having seen animals alive, we cannot bear to see them die. Having heard their sounds, we cannot bear to eat their flesh.” Therefore, to eat vegetarian is to cultivate compassion, a manifestation of our compassionate heart. This act of compassion both increases our merits and makes us healthier. It might even save our lives.
In 1946, the Yingde Bridge along the Guangzhou–Hankou railway in China suddenly collapsed. At that very moment, a train from Guangzhou to Hunan was passing through and plunged into the river. Only one passenger, a vegetarian, survived. The rest were all killed.
This passenger’s survival was truly miraculous. Just before the train was due to cross the bridge, it made a stop at the Shaoguan station, so passengers could get off and stretch their legs. The surviving passenger went in search for a vegetarian restaurant, which ended up being a bit of a trek. After finishing his meal, he hastily returned. But unfortunately, the train had already let by the time he got back. Initially, he was upset about missing the train, all for the sake of a vegetarian meal. However, hearing news of the train accident half an hour later, he was stunned by the realization that the vegetarian meal turned out to have saved his life.
Some of us have the mistaken belief that plants and animals—both classified as living things—are essentially the same. So, they think there is not a big difference between a vegetarian and non-vegetarian diet. In fact, there’s quite a significant difference. According to Buddhism, plants grow but they are not sentient beings, whereas animals are sentient beings. If plants were also sentient beings, then it would be possible to reincarnate as a plant. It is exactly because plants are not sentient, that they are not included in the six realms of mundane beings. Moreover, there is no record of the Buddha ever claiming plants or stones could become enlightened. Only beings with sentience or consciousness can become buddhas.
In addition to questioning the merit of a vegetarian diet, some also worry about its supposed risks and downsides, such as nutrient de!ciency. But since most vitamins are derived from plants, how can a vegetarian diet be lacking in nutrition? Also, some people avoid vegetarian cuisine because it is supposedly bland. Nevertheless, it’s worth bearing in mind that any meal eaten with a heart of compassion is sure to be delicious. If we can practice vegetarianism with this mindset for three to five years, we will naturally be repulsed by strong odor of meat and fish, and no longer desire to consume them. Therefore, the taste of food—either good or bad—is determined not by the food itself, but by our minds.
Our diet is a kind of custom and habit, and can be gradually changed over time. So, if we want to practice vegetarianism, one starting point is to eat only meat according to the threefold requirement (三淨肉 san-jing-rou): meat coming from animals we have (1) neither seen (2) nor heard being killed, and (3) that were not killed especially for us. Furthermore, we can also go vegetarian on the six Buddhist fasting days (六齋日 liu-zhai-ri): the 8th, 14th, 15th, 23rd, and the last two days of every lunar month. Beginning with these practices, we can continue on our path until we become fully vegetarian. In this way, we start cultivating a heart of great compassion, and avoid creating bad karmic connections with other sentient beings. This is truly a great merit.