Not killing or hurting other creatures is obviously beneficial to animals, but another less obvious fact is that not hurting other creatures is also beneficial to ourselves. How can I put it? This is a law based on causality: "As you sow, you reap." When you kill people to satisfy your appetite, or let others kill people for you, you create a karma for killing people, which will eventually be repaid.
In fact, vegetarianism can be said to be our gift to ourselves. Because vegetarianism reduces the heavy karma we have accumulated and improves our quality of life, we feel more and more relaxed, and we can enter the inner side and experience the subtle and novel paradise; And all this is really worth the small price of being a vegetarian.
The argument against eating meat from a spiritual point of view can convince some people, but there are other strong reasons to support vegetarianism. Every reason comes from basic knowledge, such as personal health and nutrition, ecological environment, ethics, animal persecution and world famine.
Health and nutrition
Research on human evolution shows that our ancestors were all born vegetarians. Human body structure is not suitable for eating meat. Dr. g. s. huntinggen of columbia university proved this point in a paper on comparative anatomy. He pointed out that the small intestine and large intestine of carnivores are very short, and the large intestine is particularly straight and smooth. On the contrary, vegetarian animals have long small intestine and long large intestine. This is because the fiber content of meat is low and the protein content is high, so the intestine does not have to absorb nutrients slowly; So the intestines of carnivores are shorter than those of vegetarians.
Like other natural vegetarian animals, human beings have long large intestine and small intestine. Our intestines are about 28 feet (8.5 meters) long, and the small intestine overlaps back and forth, and the intestinal wall is uneven. Because it is longer than the small intestine of carnivores, the meat we eat will stay in the intestine for a long time, rot and produce toxins. These toxins are related to the occurrence of colon cancer, and they will also increase the load of the liver with detoxification function, leading to cirrhosis and even liver cancer.
Meat contains a lot of urine shock and urea, which will increase the burden on the kidney and destroy the renal function. Each pound of steak contains 14 grams of urinary shock. If living cells are soaked in urinary shock protein, the metabolic function will become worse. In addition, meat lacks cellulose and fiber, and lack of fiber can easily cause constipation; As we all know, constipation can lead to colorectal cancer or hemorrhoids.
Cholesterol and saturated fat in meat can also cause cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death in the United States, and it is also the main cause of death in Formosa today. Cancer is the second leading cause of death. The experimental report pointed out that barbecue will produce a chemical substance (methyl cholanthrene), which is a serious carcinogen. If this chemical is given to mice, they will suffer from cancer, such as bone cancer, hematological tumor disease or gastric cancer.
Studies have shown that mice breast-fed by their mothers with breast cancer may also develop cancer. When human cancer cells are inoculated into animals, animals will also get cancer. Therefore, if the meat we eat every day comes from animals with these diseases and we eat them into our bodies, then we are likely to get sick.
Most people think that there is no problem with the hygiene of meat, and every slaughterhouse will check it. But so many cows, pigs, chickens, ducks and so on are killed and sold every day that it is impossible to check them one by one. It is extremely difficult to check whether a piece of meat has cancer cells, let alone check each animal one by one. Nowadays, meat factories are all beheaded if there is a problem with their heads, and chopped off their feet if they are sick. Only the diseased part was removed and the rest was sold as usual.
Dr. J. H. Kellogg, a famous vegetarian doctor, said: "We don't have to worry about what diseases our food will die of if we are vegetarian. This makes people happy to eat! "
There is another problem: adding antibiotics and other cholesterol and growth hormone to animal feed. Animals are also directly injected with these drugs. It has been reported that people will ingest these antibiotics after eating these animals, which makes the antibiotics used for human medical treatment gradually ineffective.
Some people think that vegetarian food is not nutritious enough. However, an American surgeon, Dr. Miller, has been practicing medicine in Bao Dao for more than 40 years and founded a hospital. All the staff and patients in the hospital are vegetarians. He said: "Rats are both vegetarians and carnivores. If two mice are separated, one eats meat and the other is vegetarian, it is found that the growth and development of the two mice are roughly the same, but the vegetarian mice live longer and have stronger resistance to diseases. In addition, two mice are also vegetarian mice after they get sick. " He added: "Thanks to modern science, medicine has made great progress, but medicine can only cure diseases and food can maintain health. He pointed out that the nutrition of plants is more direct than that of animals. People eat animals, but the nutrition of animals comes from plants. Most animals don't live long, and almost all animals have diseases, so human diseases may be introduced into the human body by eating the meat of sick animals, so why don't people get nutrition directly from plants? Dr. Miller suggested that we only need to eat grains, beans and vegetables to get enough nutrition to stay healthy.
Many people have an idea that "animal protein is superior to plant protein"; Because the former is complete protein, and the latter is incomplete protein. In fact, some plants are completely protein, and several protein incomplete foods can be properly matched to produce complete protein.
1In March, 988, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) announced: "From the point of view of ADA, vegetarian food is healthy and nutritious if properly matched."
People often mistakenly think that meat eaters are stronger than vegetarians, but an experiment by Professor irving fisher of Yale University shows that among 32 vegetarians and 15 meat eaters, vegetarians have more endurance than meat eaters. He asked the participants to raise their arms as horizontally as possible, and the experimental results were very obvious. Only two out of fifteen meat eaters can raise their arms for fifteen to thirty minutes; However, among the 32 vegetarians, 22 can raise their arms for 15 to 30 minutes, 15 for more than half an hour, 9 for more than an hour, 4 for more than two hours, and 1 person for more than three hours.
Many long-distance runners must be vegetarian for a period of time before the race. Dr Barbara Moore, a vegetarian therapist, walked 1 10 miles in 27 hours and 30 minutes. She is a 56-year-old woman who has broken all the records of young people. She said: I want to set an example to prove that vegetarians will have a strong, sober and clean life.
Can vegetarians get enough protein from their diet? The World Health Organization suggests that 4.5% of our daily calories come from protein; Wheat contains 17% protein, broccoli 45% and rice 8%. Therefore, it is extremely easy to enrich the diet with protein. A vegetarian diet without meat has an additional benefit, that is, it can avoid many diseases caused by high fat, such as heart disease and various cancers; Therefore, vegetarianism is undoubtedly the best choice.
Eating too much meat and other animal foods with high saturated fat content has been proved to be closely related to heart disease, breast cancer, colon cancer and stroke. Other diseases that can be suppressed or even cured by low-fat vegetarian diet include: kidney calculi's disease, prostate cancer, diabetes, peptic ulcer, gallstones, intestinal dryness, arthritis, gum disease, acne, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, hypoglycemia, constipation, large intestine diverticulum, hypertension, osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, hemorrhoids, obesity, asthma and so on. Therefore, apart from smoking, there is probably nothing more harmful to human health than eating meat.
Ecology and environment
Raising animals to eat meat will bring some consequences: the destruction of rainforests, rising global temperatures, water pollution, water depletion, land desertification, energy abuse and worldwide famine. Using land, water, energy and manpower to produce meat is definitely not an effective way to use the earth's resources.
Since 1960, 25% of the rainforests in Central America have been burned to make pasture for cattle. It is estimated that using beef from this rainforest to make hamburgers requires 55 square feet of rainforest destruction for every 4 ounces of hamburgers. In addition, raising cattle will also produce three kinds of waste gas, which will raise the temperature of the earth and is also the main cause of water pollution. It takes an astonishing 2646 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef, 29 gallons of water to produce a pound of tomatoes and 139 gallons of water to produce a pound of whole wheat toast. Nearly half of the water in the United States is used to grow feed to feed cattle and other livestock.
If the resources of raising cattle are used to produce food and supply the world, more people will have food. If oats are for human consumption instead of feeding animals, planting oats on an acre of land can generate 8 times the protein and 25 times the heat of meat production. If an acre of land is used to grow broccoli, it can produce ten times as much protein, calories and nicotinic acid as beef, and so on. If the land where animals are raised can be turned into crops for human consumption, the resources of the world will be used more effectively.
Being a vegetarian can make you "debt-free" on this planet. Because you only use what you need, you can reduce over-killing, and you will feel much more at ease when you think that no animal will die because you want to eat.
World famine
Nearly 10 billion people on the earth suffer from hunger and malnutrition, and 40 million people die of famine every year, most of whom are children. Nevertheless, more than one third of the world's grain is not used for human consumption, but for raising livestock. In the United States, livestock eat 70% of the grain production. If we give people food instead of livestock, no one will go hungry again.
The pain of animals
Have you noticed one thing? More than100000 cattle are slaughtered every day in the United States!
In western countries, most animals are kept in "factory pasture", which aims to produce the most animals to be slaughtered at the lowest cost. There, the animals crowded together and the situation was very embarrassing. They are considered as machines that can produce meat by filling feed. Most of us will never witness the truth. Some people say, "A trip to the slaughterhouse will make you a vegetarian for life."
Tolstoy once said: "As long as there is a slaughterhouse, there will be a battlefield. Vegetarianism is a severe test for humanitarians. " Although most of us don't take the initiative to kill animals, we have developed the habit of eating meat often through social identity, and we don't really understand what we do to the animals we eat.
Saints and like-minded people
Many Taoist disciples were vegetarians, as were early Christians and Jews. This is clearly recorded in the Bible. The Lord said, "Look! I gave you the seeds of every grass and scattered them on the ground. All the fruits on the trees are your food! " (Genesis 1: 29) Moreover, the Bible also forbids eating meat: "You shall not eat only the flesh and blood of living creatures!" (The fourth quarter of Chapter 9 of Genesis of the Old Testament)
There is also a passage in the Bible that says, "Don't ask me, don't pray to me, because your hands are covered with innocent blood. You kill cattle and sheep to feed me. I didn't ask you to kill cattle and sheep to support me. You should repent, otherwise I won't listen to your prayers and forgive your karma. " St Paul, one of the great disciples of Jesus Christ, said in a letter to the Romans, "It is best not to eat meat or drink wine."
Recently, historians have discovered many ancient books, such as the New Testament, which describe the life of Jesus Christ and his speeches. Jesus said in a chapter, "He who eats the flesh of wild animals will become his own grave. I tell you the truth, whoever kills will kill himself, and whoever kills meat will eat the flesh of the dead. " Hinduism also forbids eating meat. "People can't get meat without hurting creatures. A person who hurts conscious creatures will never get God's blessing. So avoid meat! " (Canon of India)
The Islamic Bible and Koran also prohibit eating "dead animals, blood and meat"
From the earliest recorded history, it can be seen that vegetarianism is regarded as the natural diet of human beings. Early Greek, Egyptian and Hebrew myths all described that humans used to eat fruits, while wise monks in ancient Egypt never ate meat. Many great Greek wise men, Plato, Diogenes and Socrates, strongly advocated vegetarianism. In India, the Buddha emphasized the importance of Ahimsa (not killing creatures) and never harmed creatures, and repeatedly warned his disciples not to eat meat, so as not to arouse the fear of creatures.
The Buddha made the following comment: "Eating meat is just an acquired habit. We didn't want to eat meat when we were born. " "If people eat meat, there must be compassion." "People who eat meat kill each other and devour each other. I will eat you in this life, and I will not stop eating you in the next life. How can such a person transcend the three realms? " (Original: A passage in the Shurangama Sutra continues. The Buddha said, "If you are equal, you should start by killing greed. If you eat sheep, they will die. Even if it is ten, it will be born and died, and it will be poor in the future. " Another cloud said, "You know, as open-minded as Samadhi, they all eat meat, and they are all big in Rochari. If they were not disciples of the Buddha, they would kill each other and devour each other. How can people reach the three realms? " )
Han Shanzi, a great Zen master in China, wrote a poem strongly opposed to eating meat: "Buy fish vigorously and take good care of your poor wife. Why kill him and live for yourself in the future? This is not heaven, but hell. "
Many famous writers, artists, scientists, philosophers and celebrities are vegetarians, and the importance of vegetarianism is strongly recommended. Here are some examples: Sakyamuni Buddha, Jesus Christ, Virgil, Chris, Plato, Ovid, Petrarch, Pythagoras, Socrates, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, Darwin, Franklin, Emerson, Thoreau, Zola, Russell, Wagner, Shelley, Wells, Einstein, Tagore, Tolstoy.
Einstein said: "I think the change and purification of the temperament produced by vegetarians is quite good for human beings, so vegetarianism is very auspicious for human beings." It can be seen that vegetarianism is the common religion of many sages and celebrities in ancient and modern times.
Supreme master, answer the question.
Q: Eating animals is killing, but isn't eating plants killing?
A: Of course, eating plants is also fatal, and there will be retribution, but the retribution is relatively small. If you can practice the best method for two and a half hours every day, you can clear this karma. Because you want to eat, you should choose the creature with the lowest consciousness and the least pain to eat. Plants are more than 90% water, and there are few conscious components, so little that they can hardly feel pain. More importantly, when we eat plants, we don't break their lifeblood. On the contrary, cutting off their branches and leaves promotes their asexual reproduction, which is actually better for plants. Therefore, in gardening, we are taught to prune flowers and trees to make them grow bigger and more beautiful.
As for fruit, when it is ripe, it will give off fragrance and attract us to eat it with bright colors and sweet taste; Fruit trees spread seeds everywhere in this way. If we don't pick them and eat them, they will fall to the ground and rot, and the seeds will be blocked by the trees above, leading to death. Therefore, eating plants and vegetables is a natural trend and there is no pain for them.
Q: There is a general view that vegetarians are thinner and people who eat meat are taller, right?
A: Vegetarians are not necessarily thin, but they can grow tall and strong as long as their nutrition is evenly distributed. You see all the big animals, such as elephants, cows, giraffes, hippos, horses and so on. Eat only vegetables and fruits. They are stronger, kinder and beneficial to human beings than carnivores. But animals that eat meat are vicious and useless. If people eat too many animals, they will also be affected by the animality of animals. People who eat meat may not be tall, but their average life expectancy is short. Eskimos specialize in eating meat. Are they tall and live long? You should know this very well.
Q: Can vegetarians eat eggs?
A: No! If we eat eggs, we will also kill people. Some people say that all the eggs sold in the world now are unfertilized eggs, and eating them is not killing. This is a specious theory. An unfertilized egg cannot develop into a chicken because of insufficient karma, but it is still alive. If not, why can't other cells be fertilized except egg cells? If eggs contain protein and phosphorus, which are indispensable for human nutrition, then we eat tofu, which is available in protein. Some vegetables also contain phosphorus (potatoes contain phosphorus).
Let's take a look at how many monks in ancient and modern times, without eating meat or eggs, enjoy a long life. For example, Yin Guang, a master who only used a bowl of vegetables for meals, also enjoyed his 80th birthday. Moreover, egg yolk contains very high cholesterol, which is easy to cause cardiovascular diseases. This disease has become the number one killer in Formosa and the United States, so most patients in hospitals eat eggs.
Q: We have pigs, cows, chickens, ducks and other creatures. Why can't we eat them?
A: That man is also raised by his parents. Do parents have the right to eat their children? All living things have the right to live, and no one can deprive them of their right to live. According to the laws of Hong Kong, suicide is also a crime, not to mention murder.
Q: Animals are born to be eaten by humans. If they don't eat, is the whole world an animal?
A: This is an absurd theory. When we killed pigs and cows, did we ask him if he would give it to us? All living things are afraid of death. We don't want to be eaten by tigers. Why should animals be eaten by us? It took only tens of thousands of years for humans to appear on the earth. Many animals appeared before humans appeared. Have they pushed the earth to the edge? All living things have their natural ecological balance. When their number is too large and limited by food and space, their number will be greatly reduced and maintained at a certain number.
Q: Why should I be a vegetarian?
A: I am a vegetarian because my inner God wants me to do so. You got it? Eating meat violates the law of good life in the universe. We don't want to be killed or stolen. If we treat others like this, we are doing something that goes against our original intention, and we will certainly make ourselves suffer. Everything you do to hurt others will make you suffer. Don't bite yourself or stab yourself! Similarly, you shouldn't kill, because it violates the law of life, understand? It will make us miserable, so we won't do it. This does not mean that we try to limit ourselves, but that we extend our lives to other beings. Our life will no longer be confined to this body, but will extend to the lives of animals and all sentient beings. This will make us nobler, greater, happier and more infinite. Isn't it?