Tantras, Vases, Finances, Meat & Thoughts…..
In the tantras such as Tara, White Tara, Vajrapani, Manjushri, Saraswati, Tsongkapa, Dukkar, Avalokitesvara, Oserchenma, Maitreya, etc, it is highly recommended you do not eat meat/eggs when you engage in their sadhanas, practice, retreats. When you do Tara Pujas (Drolchok), you are suppose to avoid meat or you shouldn’t engage in the pujas. In the Monastery, countless times we have to do Tara puja or engage monks to do for us, they have to avoid meat before coming..it was strict. If you are doing Naga pujas, you have to avoid meat and it is a must. There are many types of beneficial naga pujas such as Lutor, Lusang, etc that you avoid meat totally. There’s a very powerful Naga vase (Lubum), which my guru made and I have one for years now, and it is specifically for generating wealth for dharma activities. If you keep this vase, make proper offerings, then with the motivation of dharma, your financial resources will increase to fund the dharma works. 10 years ago, when I was literally down to a few dollars and struggled financially very badly, I called my Guru for divination, he said to get a Naga vase and then with some time it will be ok. He taught me how to make offerings and what to offer and not offer and one big no-no is meat. He said avoid meat…or in my thinking no wealth…LOL. Well I didn’t offer meat, after that yearly I can see growth in Kechara.So no meat in this case was worth it for growth to benefit others.
It seems eating vegetables and eating animals are both bad, in that case cut one out completely. Why do both. Our karmic ripening makes us take rebirth always in situations that we cannot avoid all situational karma as a natural by product. But we have a choice to make it less. No matter what we do or how we exist at our ordinary levels, we will accummulate negative karma. So we have to choose conscioiusly to lessen them. His Holiness Dalai Lama, many Tulkus/Geshes/monks in Gaden tells us go vegetarian. The beautiful Master Thich Nhat Hanh and the sacred Nun Rev Chen Yen of Taiwan (https://www.tzuchi.org.tw/en/ ) with hundreds of centres around the world and the whole accomplished Mahayana Buddhism of China forbids meat.The current Karmapa banned all meats in the Monasteries. Before it was meat and vegetables/rice. Now no more meat. The trend is no meat.
Make it simple, if you have to eat vegetables/grains/fruits, grow it yourself. And that follows the same for meat, if u savour flesh so much, then raise and kill the animal yourself. Don’t indirectly let other ppl collect the karma for you so you can eat or don’t eat at all…join the formless realms or go to the god realms…That’s difficult to do also huh?
I may have people object, but that is ok, as a Buddhist teacher for the rest of my life I will advocate a no meat diet, produce books, blog posts, works and inspirational examples toward Vegetarianism. If that lifestyle offends/angers others or they feel their spirituality is being put down because of that, I do apologize. But that is not my intent, but it is their perceptions speaking or their perceptions of my motivation for speaking about no meat..If it really upsets them, then they don’t have to visit my posts, my writings and my ideas…LOL…simple as that… In this day and age, when you say things ppl like, then they praise you as a great person, great Rinpoche, great teacher, if you say something slightly off, no matter how they ‘liked’ you in the past, it changes. It’s reflective of the times and dynamics of this day and age. As my guru says, if you practice/teach dharma these days, you become a white crow. LOL..
Tsem Rinpoche
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
When we eatthe vegetables/grains/fruits that grow by ourselves, there are happiness and fulfillment. But if that follows the same for meat, it’s something very painful and I’m not able to do that.
Rinpoche words woke up in my dreams, he said don’t indirectly let other ppl collect the karma for you so you can eat or don’t eat at all… When we eat meat, although we dont kill it by ourselves, we thought we did not do something bad, but we actually cause others do bad things indirectly. Somehow we are the cause they collect bad karma. When I thought of this, I feel bad. This will be the reason for me to be more mindful when I choose what to eat. Thank you Rinpoche.
A good reminder for us and explaining the benefits of being a vegetarian to us and about doing Naga pujas, we have to avoid meat and it is a must.Many of the people turned vegetarian after they saw the reality of where and how the meat being harvested and processed.
Through not eating meat, we are practicing the basic compassion. Not only compassion towards the animals also compassion to our body.Thank you very much for keep on guiding us.
Can I please ask what’s your advice about toddlers/ kids and their meat free nutrition? Can it be risky? I’m trying to avoid cooking meat, but I also have young kids and I’m very confused..?thank you!
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. I am surprised to know that so many practices forbid eating not only meat but eggs as well. But the best we can do is to go vegetarian. If not, then go meatless first and then slowly proceed to be vegetarian and later a vegan.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Thank you Rinpoche for the advice and teachings from this article. A good reminder for us and explaining the benefits of being a vegetarian to us.And about doing Naga pujas, we have to avoid meat and it is a must. Yesterday i came across a article explaining more on being a vegetarian .A diet low in meat is associated with greater longevity and that the longer a person to a meat-free diet, the greater the benefit. Rinpoche said this…….But we have a choice to make it less. No matter what we do or how we exist at our ordinary levels, we will accumulate negative karma. So we have to choose consciously to lessen them.Thank you Rinpoche again i will remember your advice.
I know that before doing naga pujas especially, people are not encouraged to eat meat because it will offend the nagas. A few months back, we had the honour to have the 7th Panglung Kuten here in Kechara Forest Retreat t perform a few pujas and one of them was Lutor. Both attendees of the puja and especially the people who do the puja were not encouraged to consume meat or any food that leaves a heavy smell that lingers. Even Chojilah himself was very careful with his diet, it shows that it is very potent to follow the ‘rules’.
I really like what Rinpoche said in the 3rd paragraph, if we want vegetables or fruits, we grown our own. Seemingly, if we crave for meat, we should raise our own animal and eat them later on, we should not let others (ie the butcher) to collect the negative karma just because we want to eat meat. This reminds me of an article about Mark Zuckerberg who’s the founder of Facebook, he once made a statement saying that he only eats what he kills. Although I don’t encourage eating meat but the method he’s using is quite good in a sense, I hope more people will follow his footsteps and eventually give up on eating meat because it’s very painful to eat what we raise…
Lets stop the animal holocaust by beginning with ourselves.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for reminding us he benefits of being a vegetarianm. In the article, you spoke about letting those who consume meat to raise and kill the animals is a brilliant idea. Many of the people turned vegetarian after they saw the reality of where and how the meat being harvested and processed. There are some of those people who still chose to consume meat after they know the brutal truth of meat farms. Either they are attached to meat or being ignorant on the whole issue. I believe that if one can go through the process of killing the animal, he/she will definitely rethink his/her choices once more.
Being vegetarian is not being hip, being in front of the trend. It is about compassion towards the animals, environment and the people who are doing the nasty deeds for you to have a steak on the plate.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.
I feel glad that i am already a vegetarian since 2 years ago. And one of the factor that make me want to be vegetarian is Kechara. I was volunteering at Kechara that time and i think i should go vegetarian.
Recently, some of my friends also reduce the intake of meat after i share the dharma with them.
Thank you
Thank you Rinpoche for endlessly remind us how important to be vegetarian, is very true what Rinpoche said why collect more negative karma since we ourselves already have countless negative karma why collect more , I guess that reason is already good enough for us to give up meat if we are truly practice the Buddha teaching.
I am not very virtuous nor religious, but coming from a secular point of view, one should consider a lot of article written about reducing or cutting meat out of our diet.
For examples, this article in 2013, http://science.time.com/2013/12/16/the-triple-whopper-environmental-impact-of-global-meat-production/
This reinforces what I have been experiencing this month of haze in the country. The very air that we breathe to live is so very polluted. Do we do something while we can? Do we wish for the burning to stop? If so why don’t we wish the farming of animals for the dining table be lessened, if not stopped?
From a religious point of view, I guess, if one is following the Buddha’s path, then there is even more reason to be vegetarian.
With folded hand, thank you Rinpoche for reminding us yet again.
I’d rather be a white crow than a black one that eats meat and full of darkness. It is never easy walking the virtuous path as it is a path that requires one to abandon all things that are normal in the world of samsara.
Thank you for this post and being a constant source of inspiration, Rinpoche.
Dear Rinpoche,
Thanks for always encourage us do be kind, by the starting the basic daily thing- be a vegetarian. Through not eating meat, we are practicing the basic compassion. Not only compassion towards the animals also compassion to our body, our human body through many research done, is not suitable to consumed much meat, by consuming meat, we are actually going for another forms of commit suicide, cause meat is one of the agent for carcinoma (cancer)
Thank you Rinpoche for the guidance always
With folded hand
It is all +++ when you stop being a cause of animal suffering. Since virtuous actions give rise to happiness, no need to think or reason too much, let the positive nature of virtuous actions ripen naturally. However, to receive best results, one should be vegetarian for live. In the beginning, it is ok to observe certain non meating days but the sooner one switch over the faster we will get the benefits, health wise and spiritually.3 years ago, Rinpoche told me to stop meat eating. After 3 months, I made decision to become vegetarian for life after eating meat for 56 years and have never felt better and happier.Switch over now and start enjoying all round improvements to your life.
You mentioned about naga vase, I want to know how to make an offering to the naga vase, do u have to make an offering everyday? Do you have to light an incense or candle? And if you had a salt water fish tank in the house does the naga get mad? And how will you know what kind of naga is in your naga vase?
As our guru said,”Our Karmic ripening makes us take rebirth always in situations that we cannot avoid all situational karma as a natural by product. BUT WE HAVE A CHOICE TO MAKE IT LESS.” It is also for this reason why all of us are here at KECHARA HOUSE, similar to what Rinpoche did 10 years ago when he was in a very desperately bad situation, to seek a Divination from his Guru for a remedy. He obediently and devotionally did exactly what his Guru taught him to do to make Kechara to grow and expand to what it is today to benefit so many. What Rinpoche tells us to do, is also what H.H.The Dalai Lama, many Tulkus/Geshes/Monks in Gaden, including the universally reputed Master Thich Nhat Hanh, The sacred nun Rev.Chen Yen of Taiwan, including hundreds of centres around the world, including the Mahayana Buddhism of China, are all doing, i.e. ALL OF WHOM FORBID MEAT. To us all you are indeed, a truly a great compssionate Teacher, Rinpoche, there is no doubt about it. Whatever you do, you did for the benefit of all of us, not only at KECHARA, but all in equanimity. Thank you Rinpoche from the bottom of our hearts.
In everything we do, there is positive and negative effects due to the nature of our existence. It is 100% correct you don’t eat meat. HH the Dalai Lama, the highest authority within Tibetan Buddhism recommends we do not eat meat, so that is all we need to remember. Buddha said, we should not lie, or get attached to drinking, singing, dancing, intimacies,entertainments and that we should spend our energies to become enlightened. Are we doing all die and not just the meat part?? People tend to pick what is convenient from the Buddha’s teachings to suit themselves. If we are going to follow Buddha’s teachings or quote, we may ask are you following everything Buddha says? If you are not, then rejoice when others follow the best they can and as much as they can. Since it is the right path for 21st century Buddhists to follow the no meat path, let’s do it. We have so much variety of food. Let’s eat the no meat diet and get on with our practice and basically compassionately go passed the criticisms. It is very simple, do not kill. So hence animals will not die in front of you to eat them…There is no good karma in eating meat..full stop, but definitely there is good karma refraining from eat. Many of the tantras when engaged in the practice prohibit meat as taught by Vajradhara. Many rituals we do in the great Monasteries prohibit meat so the rituals are more effective…..Many who are not monks or not living in the monasteries would never understand that. Reading from books, net or from dharma centres would never be the same as in the monastery. Again, eating meat does not gather good merits for our spiritual practice, avoiding does. Listen to some of wonderful Tenzin Palmo’s views on not eating meat. She is the great yogini who meditated for the longest time in the mountains.TR
Why bother asking who eats meat and who doesn’t?
Why bother pretending to be a Compassionate Dharma Police when one is still craving to eat meat at the very chance they get?
Why ask so many questions because it only looks like one is trying to justify that eating meat is ok so that one can continue to do so without guilt?
Well, if we want to ignore the blood splattered all over the walls and grounds – turn a deaf ear to the screams and cries of the animals being butchered – pretend meat is all packaged neatly and nicely in supermarkets and no animal suffered or died to serve that food chain to you – well, if we can do all that and still feel totally great about ourselves – then, there is no need for any justification.
May as well just scribble the word: “KILLER” on our foreheads and continue as we are.
Yes, what I have written here is very harsh for the eyes to read but it has been so painful and harsh to see how all the animals have been suffering and will continue to suffer. It is this reality that bites the hardest of all.
Its better to not sit on the fence if you have to choose one. To eat vegetarian or to eat meat. Either one has its pros and cons. So better to choose eating vegetarian. It would be easier to eat vegetarian in our modern day living environment as compared to the old days. Omitting meat in you diet serves two purposes. One for health and one for Spiritual practice. In the old days you have to cook your food at home even if you are busy. But in these days you still can be busy but you can buy delicious food in many places. If you have the thought of meat you still can have mock meat which taste exactly like real meat.
Rinp i understand that since Holiness Dalai Lama had issued a ban eating of meat in Gelugpa monasteries in 2005, so has the Gyalwa Karmapa. Why are the monks allowed to buy and eat mean outside of the monastery?
Dear Grace, your going to have to ask some of them who do that? I am not the monk-police…hehe. TR
Dear Tsem Rinpoche
100% agree with you,the most difficult tasks or goal is to help another ppl,they dont appreciate those who help them sometimes even back stab them but then we should forgive them eventhough we waste alot time & resources to help them
Thankyou
We are making a book of this soon. But you can see some of the wonderful recipes here from my private doctor: http://blog.tsemtulku.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/2011/01/dr-jiangs-delicious-healthy-recipesvideos.html/comment-page-1#comment-15203