Reasons for abstaining from killing: Three things one cannot bear, three things one dares not do

     Killing is the first of the Five Precepts in Buddhism, and the most important thing for practitioners to begin with. There are now some people who say that all living things in the world should be eaten by humans; they also say that if humans didn't eat them, then pigs, sheep, chickens, and ducks wouldn't be able to survive in the world. (If people didn't eat cats, why aren't there many cats in the world?) Such fallacies truly mislead the world. I will now explain the reasons why people should abstain from killing. The reasons for abstaining from killing are three things one cannot bear and three things one dares not do.

    First, what are the three things one cannot bear?

    They all have physical forms, all have consciousness, and all suffer. To sacrifice their infinite suffering to satisfy one's immediate appetite is the most cruel and unreasonable thing in the world. Consider other creatures; when captured, they either flee in terror, cry out, or even climb rooftops and jump over walls, unable to escape death; how is this different from the terror and panic of humans suddenly encountering hardship?

    Furthermore, observing other beings on the verge of execution, some with their internal organs ripped out yet still able to see, others with their throats severed yet still able to stretch out their legs, eels swimming even after their bellies are ripped open, fish leaping even after being placed in the pot: how is this different from the various agonizing tortures inflicted upon humans?

    Furthermore, observing other beings, killing one sheep terrifies the flock, capturing one bird causes them to flee in panic; how is this different from humans during raids and massacres, witnessing their parents' bloodied flesh, or their wives and children being dismembered? If one were in their shoes, the sight would be heartbreaking. This is the first reason for my unbearable suffering.

    In the Three Realms, in the Six Paths of Reincarnation, most of one's relatives from countless lifetimes are reborn as animals. How can I know that the beings I kill and eat today are not my relatives from past lives? Parents and elders cry out in the cauldron; brothers and wives writhe under the knife; pitifully, my eyes cannot see or know. Thinking of this, how can I put down my chopsticks? This is the second reason for my unbearable suffering.

    All sentient beings possess Buddha-nature; though their physical forms differ, their spiritual nature is the same. When the time is ripe, they will all awaken their aspiration and attain Buddhahood. Therefore, all sentient beings are future Buddhas; killing one life is like killing a Buddha; eating one piece of flesh is like eating the flesh of a Buddha. This is the third reason why I cannot bear to do this.

    Secondly, what are the three things I dare not do?

    As the scriptures say: humans are reborn as sheep, and sheep as humans (specifically referring to sheep, this includes all animals). They prey on each other, life after life, in a cycle of karmic retribution without end. In this life, I am fortunate to be human and eat the flesh of birds and beasts; in another life, I will be reborn as a bird or beast, and humans will eat my flesh. Cause and effect are without error, and retribution is inevitable; slaughter, cooking, and roasting are inescapable. If one wishes to escape this predicament, one must vow: from this day forward, in every life, I will never again eat the flesh of another. This is the first reason why I dare not do this.

    All the killing in the world is caused by the karmic deeds of sentient beings; accumulated day by day, the karmic deeds of killing are like a mountain. Therefore, every few decades or even a century, heaven and earth will inevitably unleash a great calamity to settle this score. Thus, those who suffer the ravages of war are those who ate meat in their past lives; if you wish for others not to kill you, you must first refrain from killing others. The ancients said, "To know the calamities of war in the world, just listen to the sounds of slaughterhouses at midnight." They also said, "To have a world without war, all living beings must abstain from meat." This is absolutely true.

    Those who kill, indulging in the small pleasures of their mouths, sow the deep seeds of hell; it is truly terrifying. The Song Dynasty repentant master Ciyun wrote a verse: "

    Listen, you who kill, you will fall into hell after death; the iron city is 80,000 yojanas high, 40,000 yojanas in length and width;

    filled with raging flames, inside and out, it is completely red. Wild dogs guard the four gates, the jailers' voices are like thunder, their eyes like lightning;

    they drive you, you who kill, into the city to suffer." A strongman wields an iron spear, ten feet long, with a blade eight inches wide,

    thrusting it into the chest of a sinner; the spear pierces the chest and exits through the back, the pain unbearable; for countless eons, they suffer this immense torment.

    Listen, those who eat meat, upon death they will fall into Avici Hell; the iron chamber is high and wide, eighty thousand ten-thousand-year-long. Fierce flames blaze at the four gates,

    torment piercing from north to south; iron walls, iron nets, iron shackles, iron chains; each is burned until it is pierced red. Those who eat

    meat suffer this torment for hundreds of millions of years.

    When ordinary people eat meat, thinking of the various torments of this hell, how dare they eat it again? This is the third reason why they dare not.

    With these three things they cannot bear, these three things they dare not do, everyone in the world should abstain from killing; not only practitioners, but practitioners should especially abstain from killing. Killing every day, eating meat every day, what Buddha are they reciting, what scriptures are they chanting?

    The Surangama Sutra says, "If the intention to kill is not eliminated, one cannot escape the dust of the world." Some say: I don't specifically kill, I don't kill myself, I buy and eat cooked meat, so I am without sin. If everyone acted this way, the number of cooked meat shops would surely increase, and the karmic burden of killing would become even heavier. For example, those who kill are robbers, and those who eat meat are their accomplices; can we say the accomplices are without sin? Moreover, the intention to "enjoy one's meal while others bear the consequences of killing" is utterly questionable.

    Those who now aspire to spiritual practice often cannot immediately adopt a full-time vegetarian diet, opting instead for a more selective vegetarian diet, which is not inherently wrong; however, it is always felt that they haven't fully developed compassion. Without the great Bodhicitta, how can one attain the great Bodhi path? There is a story in Mencius that I will tell you.

    There was a chicken thief who stole one chicken from his neighbor every day. A friend told him, "Stealing chickens is not the work of a gentleman." The chicken thief said, "I would like to reduce my actions, stealing one chicken per month, and then stopping next year, is that alright?" Mencius said, "If you want to stop stealing, stop now. Why wait until next year? This is exactly the proportion of someone who takes a selective vegetarian diet."

    I urge you all, since you are practicing, you must be thoroughly serious; everyone, be courageous and diligent, and quickly generate the great Bodhicitta! Reposting this is a joyful act, for it brings immeasurable merit!