From Tibetan Buddhism

Here are some points of consideration arising out of the Tibetan Buddhist world, from eminent leaders.

An excellent piece: https://kagyu.org/vegetarianism_animal_sanctuary/

FROM HH the Gyalwang Karmapa:

"Our current level of meat consumption has many detrimental effects on the planet. But if we are thinking in terms of ending world hunger, what should interest us greatly is how many more people we could feed with existing resources if we made a significant shift from meat eating to vegetarianism.”

"Because I was eating meat, therefore I also influenced other people to eat meat. If I like meat, then people around me are influenced by me, because I give meat. I said, 'I would like some momos; let's go and get some meat momos.' And then other people eat meat momos."

FROM the Venerable Abhinyana:

An advocate of Vegetarianism, he has written the very thought provoking article, "Taking a Stand," from which another quotation appeared earlier.  

"To use scripture to justify the disgusting and cruel habit of eating meat is both dishonest and unworthy. I’ve never been able to reconcile the preaching of Metta-Karuna (Loving-Kindness & Compassion) with the practice of meat-eating; they contradict each other. And as to seeing, hearing or suspecting that the animal was killed especially for someone, well, for whom is the animal killed if not for those who eat its flesh? No amount of twisting, juggling and verbal gymnastics can get around that. If nobody ate meat, the butcher would not kill the animals. This is not only obvious to everyone except those who refuse to see, but is in line with the Buddha’s teachings about the Law of Dependent Origination, or Cause-and-Effect in the moral realm, whereby it is shown how one thing leads to another in a chain-like sequence."



FROM Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche:
 
The following are his comments concerning the recitation of the six syllable mantra OM MA NI PAD ME HUNG (the Heart Mantra of Chenrezig) and the need to practice non-harm to sentient beings.
 
"As a Buddhist, we practice so as to benefit self and others hence we do the six-syllable mantra practice. However, when we eat meat be it chicken, pork, fish or eggs in our daily lives, we are creating immense negative karma. If on the one hand, we chant the mantra and on the other hand, we eat the meat of mother sentient beings, then our words and actions do not tally with one another. We are not doing as we preach. Can this be considered as loving kindness and compassion towards sentient beings?"

 

May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.