Out of Love and For Protection

“Wait, do you not eat meat?”

“Yes, I do.”

 

Stereotypes always arise as people learn that I am a Buddhist. Questions and curiosities sometimes sound silly but need to be clarified. Just like what I mentioned in the previous blog, controversies even existed among different branches of Buddhism. In this blog, I am going to start from a personal view to answer the questions we are facing as Buddhists.

The most common question is whether Buddhist eat meat or not. Typically, the believers are not restricted from eating any kind of meat. However, Buddhists believe in the idea of reincarnation and most believers choose to become vegetarians. Reincarnation is a religious concept that introduces how a living being would start a new life in a different form after each biological death. There are six paths of the reincarnation. First, the Deva Domain is the domain of bliss. It is similar to the idea of Heaven in Christianity. However, the only difference is that the Deva Domain is not eternal.

Then, it is the Asura Domain. It is also known as the domain of the demigods, a place full of jealousy, envy, insincerity, and combat. Next, we come to the Manussa Domain or the human domain. Other of the six domains also include the domain for the ghosts and the domain of the hell. After all, we come to the domain of the animals. The domain of the animals is based on strong mental states of stupidity and prejudice cultivated in a previous life. According to the idea of reincarnation, we all equally share the chance to become animals we eat. Moreover, the meat we eat might be our relatives in previous lives. By eating meat, we continue the case of harming and the result of being harmed. This life circle repeats endlessly. To end this life cycle, Buddhists try to minimize harm to other living things. Therefore, most of the Buddhists are vegetarians.

Another interesting topic usually comes up when talking about Buddhists is marriage. Similarly, there is no restriction for the believers to get married. However, premarital sex is discouraged with the teachings of Buddhism. Usually, the believers will get a chance to learn the Five Precepts after they become a Buddhist. The Five Precepts includes the prohibition of kill, steal, improper sex, lie, and alcohol. The believer can freely choose to obey either one of the Five Precepts or all of them. Therefore, Buddhists can get married and have freedom in their relationships.

Guru has once asked me, “What is the reason to keep the commandments? Why does Buddha put the Five Precepts in his teachings?”

I answered, “It is for protection and from a great compassion.” From my point of view, the idea of the reincarnation and the Five Precepts alerts us what is right and wrong to protect us from harm. These rules only benefit the ones that follow them. It first teaches the believers how to love and respect oneself. Then, we learn to love and respect our surroundings.

 

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