Buddhist heritage and animal slaughter

The Buddha cannot say, "Do not eat flesh", as, if the flesh is from a carcass already dead, there is no bar to cooking and eating it, as there is no Karmic consequences whatever by that deed. The Buddha speaks as it is. The three conditions of the Buddha where flesh cannot be eaten is, if you know the animal was killed for you, if you hear so and if you suspect so. It is obvious that the slaughter kills to sell the flesh. If we do not stand in the queue, clutching our silli-silli bag agape ready to receive the gory remains, would he kill?
***************************
by Prema Ranawaka

(April 18, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Numerous letters, some apoplectic, have been exchanged in the papers on the above mentioned subject. The Buddha taught that volition is Kamma and the fruit of Kamma - Vipaka - is feeling. Having willed, one acts by body, speech and thought and the result of what we have thus generated returns to us, either in this life, in the next life or any other future life (until attainment of Nibbana) as feeling that we ourselves feel.

This cause and effect rises in our life flux, all constituents of which are changing. If you hurt somebody, you can bet that you will get hurt in return. This is no fate/divine decree. This is simply because we are our own judge and executioner. Buddhist Kamma is only one of five "niyamas" or orders - utu: physical inorganic order; bija; order of germs/seeds; Kamma: order of act and result; Chamma: order of the norm, laws of nature, the reason for being good, etc.; Citta: order of mind/psychic law. We can ourselves mould our own Kamma from good to better up to the best.

According to Buddhism, violation of the first precept, abstaining from killing arises when there is a living being, knowledge that it is a living being, intention of killing, effort to kill and consequent death of the being. The evil effect of killing is short life, ill-health, constant grief due to separation from the loved and constant fear.

The Buddha cannot say, "Do not eat flesh", as, if the flesh is from a carcass already dead, there is no bar to cooking and eating it, as there is no Karmic consequences whatever by that deed. The Buddha speaks as it is. The three conditions of the Buddha where flesh cannot be eaten is, if you know the animal was killed for you, if you hear so and if you suspect so. It is obvious that the slaughter kills to sell the flesh. If we do not stand in the queue, clutching our silli-silli bag agape ready to receive the gory remains, would he kill? Being our own judge and executioner, it behoves us to answer this right. The pay-off Vipaka is always deadly accurate!

Into this samsaric condition of killing governed by desire, hate and delution, it is only the Buddha who has thrown in his spanner of Right Understanding laced with boundless compassion, to halt the horrendous process!

You can take it or leave it, but leaving it will be at your own peril! "As the mighty ocean has but one taste, the taste of salt, the Buddha-Dhamma has only one taste, the taste of deliverance from suffering.
- Sri Lanka Guardian