A History of Indian Literature v2.c19.s6.t4.178

v2.c19.s6.t4.178

In Chapter VIII,⁶ (Mahāmati begs of the Lord to explain to him what is good or bad in the practice of eating meat, "so that we, I and the other Bodhisattvas, the Great Beings, may in the future and in the present so preach the doctrine that the beings who are still affected by the impressions surviving from a previous existence as a beast of prey, and who for that reason are greedy for meat, may renounce their greed for (the) taste (of meat), and in order that the meat-eaters may cast from them the greed for (the) taste (of meat), and that, as a result of a longing for the taste of the doctrine, they may treat all beings with a love as strong as that felt towards an only son, and thus gain the great Love (mahāmaitrī).” The eating of flesh is forbidden even by the adherents of false doctrines, and they themselves eat no meat, whilst under the Completely Enlightened One, who is all pity, people eat meat, and the eating of meat is not forbidden. Buddha’s reply to this, is that the eating of meat should be avoided for innumerable reasons, first and foremost being the fact that every being is at some time or other connected with all other beings by rebirth as a father, brother, son, and so on. Legends are told, as evidence of the evil consequences of eating meat. In the Gāthās which follow the prose, not only meat, but also intoxicating drinks, onions and garlic are prohibited. Buddha admits that, in the future, there will be meat-eaters who will declare that the eating of meat is allowed by Buddha.¹ The Buddha however, forbids any kind of meat-eating, whether it be as a medicine or as a food, and he accounts it tantamount to eating the flesh of a son.