釋氏要覽 2.133

2.133

The Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra says: 'Bodhisattva Mahāmati addressed the Buddha, saying: "I pray that you explain the faults and evils of eating meat." The Buddha said: "There are immeasurable reasons why one should not eat meat; I will now briefly explain them to you. All sentient beings, from the beginningless past, through the revolving links of conditions, have constantly been one's six kinds of kin; because it is generated from impure elements; because sentient beings smell its foul stench and all become terrified; because it prevents practitioners from giving rise to compassion; because it is relished by ordinary worldlings and lacks good repute; and because it is abandoned by all devas."' ○ The Vinaya says: 'Those who eat meat sever the seed of great compassion; beings with life that move on water, land, or through the air resent them.' ○ The Fayuan asks: 'Alcohol is a medicine that harmonizes the spirit; meat is food that satisfies hunger. They have possessed the same flavor from antiquity to the present; why are they uniquely despised? Suppose a ruler bestows such food—how could it be the monk's fault?' Answer: 'Meat stems from killing life; alcohol can disorder the spirit. Even if subjected to coercion, one must strictly cut them off. Though one violates a ruler's command, one still complies with the mind of the Buddha.'