Quotations on:
Meat Eating in Buddhism, Vegetarianism

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Call Us By Our True Names

The last time you ordered me for dinner,
you forgot my true name.

I am not a wonton.
Call me by my true name.
I am a pig.
I was killed unhappily,
even if you eat me happily.

I am not a nugget.
Call me by my true name.
I am a chicken.
I was killed unhappily,
even if you eat me happily.

I am not a burger.
Call me by my true name.
I am a cow.
I was killed unhappily,
even if you eat me happily.

I am not a fillet.
Call me by my true name.
I am a fish.
I was killed unhappily,
even if you eat me happily.

I am not foie gras.
Call me by my true name.
I am a goose.
I was killed unhappily,
even if you eat me happily.

The next time you order me for dinner,
please call me by my true name... if you can...
which I hope you will not... anymore.
Shen Shi'an from moonpointer.com

Yogis should at all times avoid fish, meat, and so forth, should eat with moderation, and avoid foods that are not conducive to health.
Kamalashila

Meditators need to be physically healthy. Therefore, proper diet is essential. On the other hand, their minds should be clear and strong and this will also contribute to physical health. For these reasons, it is recommended that they give up eating fish, meat, garlic, onions, etc. Appropriate food should be eaten in moderation, for indigestion can cause havoc with meditation. What's more, those who overeat can hardly stay awake.
...If a vegetarian diet does not result in protein deficiency, it is a wholesome way of living. Even if you cannot be a strict vegetarian, at least moderating the amount of meat you eat is beneficial. Within the southern schools of Buddhism eating meat is not strictly prohibited, but the meat of certain animals, such as those that are not cloven-hoofed or those that have been slaughtered specifically for your consumption, is forbidden. This means that meat bought casually in the market is acceptable.... However, certain scriptures...strictly prohibit eating meat at all times, whereas other scriptures...seem to permit it.
Stages of Meditation by the Dalai Lama, root text by Kamalashila

Probably, in previous lives, many millions of these turkeys were humans who killed turkeys for Thanksgiving. This means that
unless they change their mind, the people who killed this year’s turkeys will be reborn as turkeys in future and killed under similar circumstances. Perhaps as soon as next Thanksgiving, some of them will be eaten.
Turkeys are so powerless. If they could, I’m certain they’d demonstrate strongly against the humans who kill them. But if they did they’d probably get killed for that as well.
This is not the news from CNN or the BBC; this is the news from Kachoe Dechen Ling.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche

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