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If I recall correctly (and this depends somewhat on the school of Buddhism), all sentient beings are thought to have the potential to attain enlightenment by vi
by _sword 12y ago
If I recall correctly (and this depends somewhat on the school of Buddhism), all sentient beings are thought to have the potential to attain enlightenment by virtue of possessing Buddha nature. People can be reborn as animals and animals can be reborn as people. As I recall there isn't really the concept of animals being "containers." Instead, they're sentient beings that could be people from past lives or could be animals progressing through the cycles of death and rebirth.
- ekianjo 12y agoSo why are not all Buddhists vegetarian then ?
- _sword 12y agoIt depends on the school of Buddhism. What I wrote about mostly comes from my readings of Mahayana Buddhist texts. As I recall, Mahayana Buddhism generally requires a vegetarian diet. I don't remember Theravada thought as well, but a quick search online is telling me that it allows meat eating but with a number of rules (and differing interpretations of those rules). "In three cases meat may not be eaten by a monk if he has : (1) seen (2) heard, or (3) suspected that the meat has been especially acquired for him by killing an animal (i.e. the animal has been killed specifically for the monk). This rule is called the Rule of Tikotiparisuddha (Pure in Three Ways). However, the meat of the following ten beings is forbidden to be eaten by the monks : human, elephant, horse, dog, snake, lion, tiger, leopard, bear, and hyena. (Vinaya, Mahavagga, Book 4)" http://www.dhammasara.webs.com/JivakaSutta.html http://www.dhammasara.webs.com/JivakaSutta.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_vegetarianism#Views_of_different_schools http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_vegetarianism#Views_of...