L mahayana sutras

Chapter 8: Stop Meat Eating

At that time Mahamati the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva asked the Bhagavan in verse and
again made a request, saying: Pray tell me, Bhagavan, Tathagata, Arhat, FullyEnlightened One regarding the merit of not eating meat, and the vice of meat-eating;
thereby I and other Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas of the present and future may teach the
Dharma to make those beings abandon their greed for meat, who, under the
influence of
the habit-energy belonging to the carnivorous existence, strongly crave meat-food.
These
meat-eaters thus abandoning their desire for [its] taste will seek the Dharma for their
food
and enjoyment, and, regarding all beings with love as if they were an only child, will
cherish great compassion towards them. Cherishing [great compassion], they will
discipline themselves at the stages of Bodhisattvahood and will quickly be awakened
in
supreme enlightenment; or staying a while at the stage of Sravakahood and
Pratyekabuddhahood, they will finally reach the highest stage of Tathagatahood.
Bhagavan, even those philosophers who hold erroneous doctrines and are addicted
to the
views of the Lokayata such as the dualism of being and non-being, nihilism, and
eternalism, will prohibit meat-eating and will themselves refrain from eating it. How
much more, O World Leader, he who promotes one taste for mercy and is the FullyEnlightened One; why not prohibit in his teachings the eating of flesh not only by
himself
but by others? Indeed, let the Bhagavan who at heart is filled with pity for the entire
world, who regards all beings as his only child, and who possesses great
compassion in
compliance with his sympathetic feelings, teach us as to the vice of meat-eating and
the
merit of not eating meat, so that I and other Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas may teach the
Dharma.
Said the Bhagavan: Then, Mahamati, listen well and reflect well within yourself; I will
tell you.
Certainly, Bhagavan; said Mahamati the Bodhisattva-Mahasattva and gave ear to the
Bhagavan.

The Bhagavan said this to him: For innumerable reasons, Mahamati, the
Bodhisattva,
whose nature is compassion, is not to eat any meat; I will explain them: Mahamati, in
this
long course of transmigration here, there is not one living being that, having
assumed the
form of a living being, has not been your mother, or father, or brother, or sister, or
son, or
daughter, or the one or the other, in various degrees of kinship; and when acquiring
another form of life may live as a beast, as a domestic animal, as a bird, or as a
wombborn,
or as something standing in some relationship to you; [this being so] how can the
Bodhisattva-Mahasattva who desires to approach all living beings as if they were
himself
and to practise the Buddha-truths, eat the flesh of any living being that is of the same
nature as himself? Even, Mahamati, the Rakshasa, listening to the Tathagata's
discourse
on the highest essence of the Dharma, attained the notion of protecting [Buddhism],
and,
feeling pity, refrains from eating flesh; how much more those who love the Dharma!
Thus, Mahamati, wherever there is the evolution of living beings, let people cherish
the
thought of kinship with them, and, thinking that all beings are [to be loved as if they
were] an only child, let them refrain from eating meat. So with Bodhisattvas whose
nature is compassion, [the eating of] meat is to be avoided by him. Even in
exceptional
cases, it is not [compassionate] of a Bodhisattva of good standing to eat meat. The
flesh
of a dog, an ass, a buffalo, a horse, a bull, or man, or any other [being], Mahamati,
that is
not generally eaten by people, is sold on the roadside as mutton for the sake of
money;
and therefore, Mahamati, the Bodhisattva should not eat meat.
_________

atha khalu mahmatirbodhisattvo mahsattvo bhagavanta gthbhi paripcchatya

punarapyadhyeate sma |

mahAmati
;, (1) n. of a Bodhisattva who plays a leading role in LaGk, 1,10 etc.; (the same, or
another Bodhisattva?) Mmk 40.16; 63.4; 68.20; (2) n. of a yakSa: Mvy 3370; (3) n. of
a lay-disciple: Gv 51.11; (4) n. of a king: Gv 360.22; (5) in LaGk 365.2 (vs)
apparently a different person from (1), a pupil of the Buddha Viraja, called Mati; (4),
q.v., in 365.3 (vs).
bhagavant
; (= Skt. id.), as in Pali standard designation of the Buddha, passim: Tib., e. g. Mvy
2, bcom ldan Hdas, victorious(-ly) passed beyond.
atha
<>ind. 1.a particle used at the beginning (of works) mostly as a sign of
auspiciousness, and translated by 'here', 'now'; 2.then; 3.if; 4.and; 5.used in asking
or introducing questions; 6.totality; 7.doubt

khalu
1[ kh'alu ] ind. ( as a particle of asseveration ) indeed , verily , certainly , truly cf. R.
cf. ak. &c. ( as a continuative particle ) now , now then , now further cf. RV. x , 34 ,
14 cf. TS. &c. ; ( as a particle in syllogistic speech ) but now , = Lat. [ atqui ] cf. TBr.
cf. Br. &c. [ [ khalu ] is only exceptionally found at the beginning of a phrase it is
frequently combined with other particles , thus [ 'atha kh ] , [ u kh ] , [ va'i kh ] , [ kh
va'i ] , = now then , now further cf. TS. cf. TBr. cf. Br. &c. in later Sanskt [ khalu ]
frequently does little more than lay stress on the word by which it is preceded , and is
sometimes merely expletive it is also a particle of prohibition ( in which case it may
be joined with the ind. p. [ [ khalu kRtvA ] , desist from doing that ' ] cf. Nir. i , 5
[ also [ tam ] ] cf. P. 3-4 , 18 cf. i. ii , 70 ) or of endearment , conciliation , and
inquiry cf. L. [ na khalu ] , by no means , not at all , indeed not cf. R. &c. ]

deayatu me bhagavn tathgato rhansamyaksabuddho msabhakae

guadoa yenha cnye ca bodhisatv mahsattv angatapratyutpannakle
sattvn kravydasattvagativsanvsitn msabhojagdhr rasat?
prahya dharmam deayma |
diz
<2>v.#caus. 6.U; dezayati-te #1.to show; 2.to teach; 3.to direct; 4.to confer
samyaksaMbuddha

, m. (= Pali sammA-saM~), a perfectly enlightened one, a Buddha: passim, e. g. Mvy

5; Mv i.80.4; 96.9, 12; Senart, i note 404, alleges that this stem is used for
samyaksaMbodhi; most of his instances are dubious or false (e. g. his two SP
citations are read ~buddhatvaM, not ~buddhaM, in KN); but in Mv ii.311.8 the mss.
are cited as reading ~buddhAye (dat., = ~bodhaye; prose).
pratyutpanna
1[ praty-ut-panna ] mfn. ( [ pad ] ) existing at the present moment , present ,
prompt , ready MBh. Kv. &c. reproduced , regenerated W. ( in arithm. )
produced by multiplication , multiplied Col. n. multiplication or the product of a
sum in multiplication ib.
kravyAda
3[ kravy^ada ] mf ( [ A ] ) n. ( P. 3-2 , 69 K. ) consuming flesh or corpses ( as Agni )
MBh. i , 932 Ghys. i , 11 Tithyd m. a carnivorous animal , beast of prey MBh. i ,
115 , 24 a lion L. a hawk L. a goblin , Rkshasa W. the fire of the funeral
pile W. N. of a metallic substance Bhpr. iv , 30 ( [ A ] ) , f. N. of one of the nine
Samidhs Ghys. i , 27 ( [ As ] ) , m. pl. , N. of a class of Manes VP. of a people
VarBS. xiv , 18 ( v. l. [ vy^akhya ] )
vAsanA
2[ vAsanA ] f. the impression of anything remaining unconsciously in the mind , the
present consciousness of past perceptions , knowledge derived from memory ak. Kv.
Kaths fancy , imagination , idea , notion , false notion , mistake ( ifc. , e. g.
[ bheda-v ] , the mistake that there is a difference ) ib. Rjat. Sarvad. &c. thinking of
, longing for , expectation , desire , inclination Kaths liking , respectful regard Bhm.
trust , confidence W. ( in math. ) proof , demonstration ( = [ upapatti ] ) Gol. a
kind of metre Col. N. of Durg BhP. of the wife of Arka ib. of a Comm. on the
Siddh^anta-iromai
prahANa
<>n.{a-stem} 1.abandoning; 2.abstraction; 3.exertion
mahAmaitra
3[ mah'A-maitra ] m. N. of a Buddha cf. L. ( [ I ] ) , f. great friendship , great
attachment , great compassion cf. Buddh. ( cf. cf. Dharmas. 131 ) [ trI-samAdhi ]
m. N. of a partic. Samdhi cf. Buddh.

yath ca te kravydabhojina sattv vindya rasat dharmarashrakky

sarvasattvaikaputrakapremnugat paraspara mahmaitr pratilabheran (opt
pl//obtain/partake |
AkAGkSya
2[ A-kAGkSya ] mfn. ifc. desirable. ' [ dRz^akAGkSya ]
pratilabh
1[ prati- labh ] . [ -labhate ] , to receive back , recover MBh. Kv. &c. to obtain ,
gain , partake of ( acc. ) MBh. BhP. to get back i. e. get punished MBh. to
learn , understand MBh. R. to expect R. : Pass. [ -labhyate ] , to be obtained or
met with , appear ak. : Caus. [ -lambhayati ] , to provide or present with ( instr. ) ,
HParit

pratilabhya sarvabodhisattvabhmiu ktayogy kipramanuttar

samyaksabodhimabhisabudhyeran |
rvakapratyekabuddhabhmy v viramynittar tthgat
bhmimupasarpayeyu |

durkhytadharmairapi tvadbhagavannanyatrthikairlokyatadyabhiniviai
sadasatpakocchedavatavdibhirmsa nivryate bhakyama svaya ca
na bhakate |
durAkhyAta
;, adj. (= Pali durakkhAta), ill-pro- claimed, ill-stated, incorrect: LaGk 244.12
durAkhyAta-dharmair api ... anyatIrthikair (Suzuki who hold erroneous doctrines).
tIrthika
<>m.{a-stem} 1.a pilgrim (visiting holy places); 2.an adherent or head of any other
than one's own creed

prgeva lpekarase samyaksabuddhe prate lokantha tava sane msa

svaya ca bhakante bhakyamam ca na nivryate |

tatsdhu bhagavnsarvaloknukampaka sarvasattvaikaputrakasamadar

mahkruikonukampmupdya msabhakae guadondeayau me

yathha cnye ca bodhisattvstayatvya sattvebhyo dharmam deayema |
bhagavnha | tena hi mahmate u sdhu ca suhu ca manasikuru | bhipye
ha te | sadhu bhagavanniti mahmatibodhisatvo mahsattvo bhagavata
pratyaraut ||
bhagavsasyaitadavocat | aparimitairmahmate kraairmsa
sarvambhakya kptmano bodhisattvasya tebhyastpadeamtra vakymi | iha
mahmate anena drghadhvan sasarat prin nstyasau kacitsattva
sulabharpo yo na mtbhtpit v bhrt v bhagin v putro v duhit
vnyatarnyataro v svajanabandhubandhbhto v
tasynyajanmaparivttrayasya mgapaupakayonyantarbhasya
bandhorbandhbhtasya v sarvabhttmabhtnpganukmena
sarvajantupribhtasabhta msa kathamiva bhakya
sydbuddhadharmakmena bodhisatvena mahsattvena rkasasypi mahmate
tathgatnmim dharmasudharmatmuprutyopagataakabhv kplav
bhavanti msabhakavinivtt kimuta dharmakm jan |