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They might give disparate reasons for such decisions. But IMHO the underlying motivation, in any Western Society, is selfishness/greed, not altruism/compassion. Or I suppose they could be purely ignorant of the interdependent consequences of their actions. You state that one can eat meat yet...

Hi Pseudo, fun thread! To change the pace a bit from your contemplative poem, here is one I wrote during a backpacking trip in the Rockies: Summer Snow Iowa Guy Snowfall on my tent, this midsummer's eve So late into June, who would believe? Winter, so stubborn, with her heavy hand As...

Hi Nick, I am not a Buddhist, and so use the terms bodhi and nirvana differently than most Buddhists probably do (feel free to scold me accordingly :)). I do tend to use them interchangeably, although I know that is not the official Buddhist view. I don't believe in a "literal state" of samsara...

BB - do you think there is one correct understanding of the bible, or do you think there are multiple correct understandings of the bible? i.e. if you & another person read the same biblical passage, and have very different interpretations of the meaning and significance of the passage, can...

Many = enough to constitute a majority in some school boards. Kansas State Board votes to teach intelligent design Atlanta school board votes to allow creationism in class PN school board OK's teaching of creationism Yes, American fundamentalists :(

Agreed, I wasn't trying to criticize, just trying to motivate :) I disagree. Waiting "until the next lifetime" to deal with an addiction doesn't help the present moment at all. In fact, I think belief in reincarnation can be a crutch; one can put off dealing with personal issues until their...

Nick - do you agree with the statement "we should be the change we wish to see in the world"? If not you, who? If not now, when? There are many negative things/habits in life that are very difficult to "give up", but breaking these attachments in the long-term makes us more spiritual and...

Etu, buddy, please go a little lighter on the newcomers. At least start with a "Welcome to Interfaith" before your Luciferian critique :)

If Snoopy is mostly vegetarian then he's almost there :) But my comments aren't meant as a personal attack towards Snoopy, just general commentary towards our pervasive meat-eating world culture. (Sorry Snoop if they come across too personal, I enjoy a good debate) I pondered these same...

Perhaps you and I have different understandings of Nibbana, or different understandings of morality. I personally understand the "living experience" of Nibbana to be a journey towards happiness, moral perfection, realization, and freedom (to quote the aforementioned Nibbana article). I don't...

OK, then why do you think "eating meat" is consistent with Buddhist principles as you implied in post # 23 ? From the Access to Insight article on Nibbana as Living Experience: An arahant is such a perfect being that it is simply impossible for him to commit an immoral act. He is incapable...

Can you give me three examples of something you can't do, and which you attribute to God's divine intervention? Yes, when I read your reply it becomes a product of my mind, subject to my "rose colored glasses" and all my biases and assumptions. When someone else reads your reply it becomes...

How do you know if/when you've achieved Nibbana? Is Nibbana an actual, end state; all-or-nothing? Or is it the journey towards happiness, moral perfection, realization, and freedom?

So, there are multiple correct interpretations of the bible? Are there any "wrong" interpretations of the bible? (assuming one doesn't harm another due to that interpretation)

Hi Snoopy, I focus on the present as well. But surely you consider the cause & effect of your actions? What do you think is the cause and effect, of your eating meat vs. not eating meat, on the rest of the earth? Does eating meat cause more suffering to other sentient beings and to the...

Vaj - when you say Nibbana is available in the here & now, do you mean that it is attainable in one single liftime, without any rebirths? That one shouldn't count on rebirths in order to achieve Nibbana? My (limited) understanding is that the Buddha taught we could achieve it via subsequent...

Yes, he did occasionally eat meat. And refused to make his monastaries vegetarian. But he also taught against not eating meat, among his other contradictory teachings. My understanding is that he was against "killing" for meat; that one could eat "leftovers" but shouldn't kill an animal for its...

This is an interesting analogy, the bible and a black box. Do you think the bible contains "absolute truths" or "subjective truths"? Do you think there is one "true" interpretation of the bible?

Hi Nick, thanks for the analogy, that is helpful. But using your same logic, would you be OK with not eating a steak again? Especially since it goes against Buddhist principles by eating another sentient being? If you're OK with never eating steak again, then why eat it at all? This is where...

ACOT - imagine that all of your family believed the Bible was the ultimate source of "facts". And that they want to convert you to Christianity, based on this "evidence". And have been trying to do so for 20 years :) I must admit, it is a good teacher of patience to deal with folks that fall...