LESSON 9: BE VEG

UNIVERSAL BUDDHISM 1

SRAMANA=THICH THIEN HOA.

Course I: BUDDHISM OF BUDDHISM

Lesson 9: Be Veg.VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.

 

A. OPENING 

Fasting is a Buddhist practice. 

The issue of eating is an important issue for everyone, every being. If they live without eating, all sentient beings will become saints. Buddha Shakyamuni, when he was a prince, said a meaningful sentence: "Life lives by death". Think again: From the time of birth, until now, to live, how many creatures have we killed? We eat, we drink, we breathe, we lie, we stand, we walk, every move like that, has caused the mourning of the creatures around us! That is not to mention the wicked people, killed to enjoy, money, fame ... If life does not kill anyone, how much life will be beautiful! This desire can be fulfilled in large part, if we apply the vegetarian method that Buddha has devised. 

Thus, vegetarianism for Buddhists is not a curiosity, a filial piety, a way of changing food for a delicious taste, a way of abstaining from the doctor's instructions. Vegetarianism is a very important practice, and Buddhists practice it as much as it produces good results. 

B. BACKGROUND 

I. DEFINITIONS 

Be veg, or eat light, means eat herbs: fruits, vegetables, do not eat animal food such as meat, fish, shrimp, crabs, shellfish, snails of sentient things, greedy fear of death like a human. 

II. REASONS FOR VEGETATION 

1. Because of compassion and equality 

When Buddha was still alive, Ananda asked Buddha one day: 

-White Buddha, why before, Buddha fed the disciples the five pure humiliation (Five pure humiliation is pure meat: a) Meat eating without seeing people kill. b) The meat that has not been heard is killed. c) Meat that we do not suspect people eat for themselves. d) The dead animal's flesh. d) Other animal meat leftovers), but now He absolutely forbids eating fish? 

Buddha answered Ananda: 

-Because the level of you in the preliminary is still low, can not receive Mahayana teachings, practice properly, so when we still say Hinayana dharma, the means for you to temporarily use the five humiliation. Up to now, your qualifications are high, you have received the Mahayana teachings, so I absolutely forbid eating fish. Also eat these things, it is also a violation of killing, if not directly close, then indirectly close, lose seeds of compassion and equality, it is impossible to practice a Buddha. 

The Buddha's teaching is clear: Fasting is essential to cultivating compassion and an equal spirit. 

Indeed, a Buddhist who has been a follower of compassion, there is no reason not to practice the virtue of compassion in his life from thought, words, to eating. 

If we, because we want to eat for pleasure, feel happy, but cruelly look at the scene of beheading, skinned innocent, gentle animals, heartlessly cover the ears with deafness before the dramatic screams of struggling animals. on the cutting board, on the meat table, how come it's called Buddhists. 

Without a pity for such killings, the seed of compassion each day withers, withers, and elaborates on practicing and reciting our Buddha's recitation becomes useless. 

Buddhism is a religion of compassion but also of equality. Buddha taught: "All sentient beings have the same Buddha Nature". So Buddhists, under their eyes, should not see different people and things, but only see the same perceptual perception, hidden in the wrong body. Saying that "animal nutrition" is a very misconception, due to the selfishness and arrogance of the person born. That concept tolerates people to kill animals directly, and create an inequality, then life can never be peaceful and peaceful. 

2. Because want to avoid samsara 

Buddha taught: "All sentient beings from beginningless now, keep creating criminals, killing each other meat, should be evil, is samsara samsara forever in six ways." Sutra Surangama said, "If you kill a life, return it to a life; the mind that kills endlessly except cannot go out of the TB ceiling." So want to avoid unjust reincarnation, avoid the sins of the police, Buddhists must be vegetarian. If you eat salty all the time, it is impossible to owe your life and the debt of flesh and blood. 

3. Because of v ệ s inh 

Not since then, but since ancient times, a philosopher, Mr. Senèque, said: "Every meal, people use meat to poison themselves, so people kill themselves insidently without knowing it, so people suffer premature death. " Indeed, famous medical doctors such as Mr. Soteyko and Varia Kiplami today say: "In meat, there are many poisons that are dangerous to human health." Specific evidence is that the vegetables float into the water, the fish meat sinks; if the vegetables are dry for a long time, they wither, or the cancer is less foul; and fish meat for a long time is bloated, stinking, stinking and unbearable, and when you eat it, you find it very heavy, tired, indigestible. Moreover, the animals, often suffering from this disease or other diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid, schistosomiasis, slugs etc ..., if we eat, it will be entangled, very dangerous. 

To avoid diseases and improve our health, we should eat lots of vegetables. Scientists, as well as Eastern and Western medical practitioners, all recognize that vegetarian food is gentle, pure, easy to digest and has many very nutritious vitamins. Therefore, in Japan, there is a "Realist organization", in France, Germany, England, and the United States, there is a "real herb meeting". 

There are many people with the wrong prejudice that: eating fish, they have enough strength. In fact, meat-eaters do not have the same toughness and endurance as vegetarians. Professor Irwin Fischer himself at Yale University, after many experiments, solemnly declared that: "Eating meat or eating high-protein things will make people unable to bear hard, just like like a drinker. " 

Mrs. White, a scientist also stated, “Nuts, fruits, beans and vegetables are the food nature has given us. The food is cooked in a simple way, very hygienic and very nutritious. It makes the body robust, mentally lucid and avoids so many diseases. "

III. HOW TO VEGETATE 

1. The vegetarian program 

Although fasting for Buddhists is a necessity, a method of austerities, but in order to gain practical benefits, it is necessary to have methods, and apply them sequentially according to their bases and aspirations. . First of all, not all Buddhists can immediately abandon their salty eating habits to become vegetarian. Therefore, in the religion there are two types: vegetarian and vegan. 

a) Vegetarian fasting . Vegetarian fasting is a definite term food in each month or every year: 

- Second son: Eat 2 vegetarian days in each month on the first day and the full moon of the lunar calendar. 

- Four boys: Eat 4 vegetarian days in a month: the first, the eighth, the full moon and the harp. 

- Luc Trai: Eat six vegetarian days in a month: 1st, 8th, 14th, fifteenth, fifteenth, nine or thirty (depending on whether the month is lacking or sufficient). 

- Ten boys: Eat 10 vegetarian days in the month: the first, the eighth, fourteen, the fifteenth, the eighteenth, the thirteenth, the thirteenth, the thirteenth, the thirteenth and the thirteenth (if the month is short, 27, 28, 29) . 

- Nhat Nguyet Trai: is eating a vegetarian month in January or July. 

- Tam moon: Eat three months of vegetarian: January, July and September (or October); or eat continuously for three months. 

If practicing vegetarianism for a period of time without experiencing any physical, mental and beneficial reactions, you should visit vegetarianism. 

b) Be a vegetarian . Vegetarian or boys are vegetarian every day, without interruption for the rest of their lives. 

If every day, the mind does not eat after 12 noon, then called the pearl. 

2. Methods of practice 

a) Choose to change food . In order to eat long and not tired, we should choose foods that are high in vitamins, such as tomatoes, spinach, soy, mushrooms, cabbage, potatoes, brown rice, etc.and The dishes must also change. 

So at a meal, need to eat what to eat meals full of nutrients and delicious? Here are some sample meals: 

- Fruit served with rice or corn, flour and vegetables, roasted peanuts, vegetables. 

- Fresh milk served with sweet fruit and rice, corn or flour. 

The main dishes mentioned above are necessary, but also need to add spices such as spicy mustard seeds, pepper, chili, vinegar, etc. to help the digestive system work easily. But using too much of it can be harmful, such as causing the digestive system to heat, cause illness, or irritate the body. 

b) Cooking methods . Food is necessary but cooking is also important; let's not have the misconception that being vegetarian is all you can cook, there's no need to care. If the food is nutritious and doesn't know how to cook it, it will make it all nutritious, and may even damage the digestive system. Here are a few things to remember while cooking: 

- Do not fry too much, because vitamins B and C will be destroyed by boiling oil and oily dishes that make the stomach tired. 

- Should eat baked goods, especially baked without oiling. 

- When cooking or boiling, you should cover the lid to avoid losing vitamins and water should be poured to prevent the liquid from diluting. And the broth is very good, should not be poured, because it contains a lot of nutrients and vitamins. 

c) Reduce fish meat gradually during salty days . For vegetarians, when eating salty, they should buy ready-made items, or reduce the amount of meat and fish, eat more vegetables and milk, temporarily use chicken eggs, duck eggs without statues. 

When you are mentally diligent, you should not eat eggs, duck eggs, because eggs are also a creature about to hatch. 

3. Things to avoid 

a) Do not be arrogant. People who are predestined to be vegetarians can easily, should not be arrogant, self-centered, and disdainful. Doing so gave birth to aversion to someone who also harmed his virtue. 

b)  Do not be eager. Someone just stepped into the path and ate the boys' school immediately, in order for others to praise. Fasting like that is due to the eagerness that came out; This action is not conducive to spiritual practice but is also harmful: when there is no more praise, it is no longer interesting to continue to be vegetarian. 

c) Do not force corpse . Some people mistakenly believe that vegetarianism is to torture the body, so try to eat it in a miserable way, like only eating vegetable paste, salt lemongrass ... from year to year. If you eat like that, you will wear out your body and die prematurely before becoming enlightened. 

d) Do not fake salt . There are many housewives who want to show their skills by cooking vegetarian dishes, then naming salty dishes, or making forms similar to salty foods. For example: tubers tubers tubers, tubers tubers tubers that called fish stock warehouse; boiled banana mixed with vinegar and laksa leaves, again named after the chicken; thinly sliced ​​squash and grilled pork pie served with banh mi and named after it is beef and so on ... 

Thus, it has inadvertently instigated vegetarians to think of salty food, mouth to eat watermelon vegetables, but the memory of fish meat, making jokes for the world. 

d) Not to forget the vegetarian day . One should not despise the vegetarian days in which one has made a vow, even when it comes to unusual circumstances such as missing a road, working too hard, being too hungry and not having vegetarian food available. 

e) Do not use the five sensei . The five new tastes are: onions, chives, garlic, compress, manic should not be used, because these things have foul, there are many stimulants. 

IV. BENEFITS OF VEGETATION 

1. Personal aspect 

The benefits of fasting to individuals are immense. Vegetarians not only reap the benefits in the present but also in the future. 

a) At the moment , vegans enjoy the following benefits: 

- Save money, because vegetarian food is much cheaper than salty food. 

- Save time and effort in cooking, because melon, melon, cucurbits, potatoes ... cut quickly and use less water; and when cooked, boiled, cooked again quickly, less fuelwood. 

- The body is healthy; The spirit is gentle, clean; wisdom is lucid, easy to practice meditation. 

b) In the next life , refusing karmic retribution, therefore, there is no need to pay the debt of flesh and blood, not to die. If you come back to be a human, you will have a long life. 

2. Social aspect, humanity, sentient beings 

Fasting not only benefits individuals, but also society, humanity, sentient beings as well. If everyone is vegetarian, then this Ta-she world does not have the groaning of the unjust death of animals and the laments and pain of people because of the incompetence and close relationship. 

A scientist has said: "To make the world peaceful, starting with a meal, people must have no blood or a piece of fish meat at all". 

This moral saying also has the same meaning as that of the ancients: 

"Most beings have no karma, 

Sad melancholy world war. " 

(If all sentient beings do not kill each other, then there is no fear in the world that there will be wars.) 

Vegetarians are a soldier of peace. Indeed, a vegetarian, with an infinite compassion, considers all beings to be himself, he is all beings, does not kill creatures to satisfy lust, never attempts to slaughter his fellow humans to achieve the goal of gain. name. 

If everyone is a vegetarian in society, then there is no fighting and fighting, as we often see everyday. 

If in a country, everyone is vegetarian, there is no story of strong rape, ignorance, killing each other to satisfy lust. 

If everyone is vegetarian in the world, then this world is the ecstasy of the world. 

C. CONCLUSION 

Everyone, Buddhist or not, should be vegetarian. 

As we have seen in the previous paragraphs, from a scientific or a Buddhist perspective, from an individual or a corporate perspective, to the present or the future, vegetarianism has many benefits. 

Therefore, those who are not Buddhists, if they want their bodies to be healthy, the spirit of contempt, the intellect to be lucid to study; If you want to save money, labor and time, if you want the family to be in peace and peace, then quickly get used to vegetarian foods. 

And those who are Buddhists, who have volunteered to follow in the footsteps of the Father, must practice the vegetarian diet, so that compassion can be extended, the spirit of equality will be spread, the wisdom will be enlightened, the fruit of the path be quickly members. 

Still know, easy said that difficult; but a person who is progressive and well-intentioned, when he has clearly seen the benefits, is able to practice it no matter how hard. This practice does not have to be done right away, but it must be done step by step.  

If we know how to apply the vegetarian diet in the ways mentioned above, then it is not very difficult to think of it. The most important thing is whether we are in good faith or not. . END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).WORLD VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST ORDER=GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.3/1/2020.