Why is eating plants not regarded as killing in Buddhism? Aren't plants life? You Buddhists keep saying not to kill, isn’t eating plants not killing? People often question how hypocritical you are.
There must be many people who have similar doubts, and it is not surprising to have such questions, because people who do not understand the Buddhist education system can be said to be full of questions about Buddhism, and it is not just about being a vegetarian?
Modern science divides the forms of life into two types: animals and plants. Therefore, people who are educated and influenced by modern science naturally believe that since plants are life, then the Buddhist ahimsa cannot be explained. Some people even think that Don’t Buddhists have no sense of distinction? Why do we have one attitude towards animals and another attitude towards plants? This illustrates the hypocrisy of Buddhists.
This is a great injustice to Buddhists. In the Buddhist education system, life is not divided into animals and plants, because Buddhism believes that life not only exists in these two forms, but also exists in other life forms. Buddhism divides sentient beings into sentient and merciless beings. In Buddhism, the plants we know are classified among the merciless beings, and the grains, vegetables, and fruits we eat are all classified as merciless beings.
Seeing this, I believe many people will ask how to distinguish or define sentimentality and ruthlessness? In Buddhism, sentient beings refer to sentient beings with emotional consciousness (there is also a similar term called mind). Such beings can feel the eight sufferings and have various feelings such as joy, anger, sorrow, and joy. Both humans and animals belong to this type of beings, because they all have this of awareness.
What are the eight sufferings? The Eight Sufferings are the sufferings that all sentient beings can feel as summarized by Prince Siddhartha. They are the suffering of birth, the suffering of old age, the suffering of illness, the suffering of death, the suffering of resentment and hate, the suffering of separation from love, the suffering of not being able to seek what you want, and the suffering of the five aggregates flaring up. In terms of human beings, briefly describe the eight sufferings
and the suffering of life. Everyone has the suffering of life, but they have forgotten it. As far as humans are concerned, being forced by various circumstances during life is suffering. When we are pregnant, the uterus is the smallest prison. The fetus cannot straighten its arms and legs and is curled up into a ball. It is like being in a prison and it is extremely painful. In addition, we have to endure all kinds of impurities in the womb, such as amniotic fluid, blood, etc. It is really painful. When the fetus is born, it has to squeeze out of a small [forbidden word], which is like two mountains pressing on the top. The mother suffers, and the baby also suffers. This is known to every mother, so the baby cries loudly and suffers as soon as it is born. It’s unspeakable. In addition, the baby’s skin is very delicate. When exposed to hot or cold air after birth, the body feels as painful as needle pricks. In addition, the fetus feels relatively safe in the mother's belly. Once it is born, it feels as if it is lost, helpless, suffering to death, and scared to death, so life is a kind of suffering.
, Old Suffering Our body and mind decay and decay, giving rise to all kinds of painful feelings. The body ages, slowly becomes disobedient and useless, and our mind gradually becomes weak and our thinking becomes slower and slower. Everything is not as good as others, so I feel miserable. People are old and useless, their faces are wrinkled, their backs are bent, they are senile, they can't do anything, and they die of misery. Some elderly people have nothing to do at home and are worried about being abandoned by their children. It is difficult to escape loneliness and alienation. It is difficult to find warmth and family affection. When they are young and strong, they are full of friends, high-spirited and high-spirited. No one expects that the situation in their later years will be so lonely. Loneliness and desolation.
, Illness and Suffering The four major imbalances in the body cause all kinds of diseases to arise, so you suffer. There are all kinds of diseases, some are very mild, some are serious, and some are hidden diseases that are difficult to detect and end in sudden illness. The most terrifying thing is a toothache. It hurts so much that you scream, and your family will punish you. To be honest, eating is a disease, and being greedy is also a disease, but these are mental diseases, and we are talking about physical diseases here. Our bodies are like machines, they will eventually deteriorate, and deterioration is disease.
, death is suffering. We have exhausted our lifespan, died of illness, or died of natural or man-made disasters, or forced by various circumstances. When dying, the sight of death is unbearable, and fear arises spontaneously. When some people die, their faces turn blue with fear, and their death is horrific. Some people don't want to die and hold on tightly with their hands. If one day we find that we can't move our hands, it will be extremely painful. When someone is about to die, all parts of the body will slowly become unable to move, and we will feel panic inside. This is the suffering of death. Everyone knows that life, old age, illness, and death are painful. We have even become numb. We have no choice but to accept that we are going to die anyway. What do we want to do with it? But no one talks about getting sick anyway, so why bother with it? When you are sick, you will croak, and when the pain comes, you will not be able to bear it. Before death comes, you are loud-mouthed and talk big words. When death comes, you will be afraid of death. If someone points a knife at you, you will be scared to death. That is because you are afraid of death and suffering before it touches you, let alone when death comes.
. Resentment and hatred will cause suffering. We cannot avoid our enemies and enemies. Every time we meet, this is called resentment and hatred causing suffering. For example, a couple has a happy and loving marriage, but later they quarrel and fall out. However, for the sake of their children, the bond between husband and wife is difficult to break, and they must often meet reluctantly or work together. Although they are not on good terms with the boss, but for the sake of the family. , give up for five buckets of rice, have to meet with a boss you don't like every day, and some colleagues, after quarreling with you once, they won't talk to each other when they meet, because of some karma, you can't leave him, you have to meet with him every day , this is resentment and hatred will lead to suffering.
, Love is suffering from being separated from loved ones. People who love each other are separated and separated, so they are suffering. Due to certain causes and conditions, the person you love is far away from you, and you are reluctant to let go, so you feel bitter. For example, for parents, when their daughter gets married or their son goes to study abroad, their longing always starts after a breakup, and they often worry about it. Some were sad and shed tears, and some couldn't sleep or eat. These are not serious. What is serious is the love between men and women, but the people who love each other are separated. Many lovers jump off buildings and die in love. There are Romeo and Juliet in the West and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai in the East. These touching and great love stories often make those who sympathize with them burst into tears.
. Suffering from not being able to ask for it. We use various methods and means to hope to get what we like or lofty ideals, but the result is still not available. This is called suffering from not being able to ask for it. It is the most common kind of suffering, because people have too many desires, and we cannot realize or obtain such many desires, so it is suffering.
. The suffering of the five aggregates blazing. We become attached to the five aggregates (form, feeling, thought, action, and consciousness) physically and mentally, and are troubled by all kinds of delusions about feelings, thoughts, actions, and consciousness. This is called the five aggregates flaming. The arising and passing away of the five aggregates in the moment of ignition, they keep changing and changing, disturbing the mind, so it is suffering.
Because sentient beings can feel the eight sufferings mentioned above, Prince Siddhartha called these sentient beings into sentient beings. Therefore, we often see words such as sentient beings, sentient beings, and all sentient beings in Buddhism, which refer to these beings who can feel the eight kinds of suffering.
Plants, on the other hand, are emotionless beings. Although plants are alive, they have no consciousness (no input from the mind). Although plants have the phenomenon of growth and nervous responses, they have no conscious mind, cannot perceive the eight kinds of suffering, and have no feelings of happiness, sadness, etc. Therefore, although plants are living things, they do not experience life and death in the six realms of reincarnation.
Any behavior performed by sentient beings is inseparable from awareness. If we are as ignorant as plants and trees, how can we distinguish the value of good and evil? How can we be led by good and bad karma to reincarnate?
What Buddhism calls ahimsa means not harming sentient beings, because Buddhism believes that sentient beings have been our parents since time immemorial. Killing them and eating their flesh is like eating the flesh of our own parents, which is a reversal. The manifestation of awareness is also the main reason for causing confusion and karma, and wandering in the six paths of life and death. Therefore, Buddhism prohibits killing and advocates vegetarianism.
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