Compassion for Life

Chung Byung-jo | Professor Emeritus, Dongguk University

Almost 35 years ago, I was a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Graduate School of International Studies in India. The World Conference on Religion and Peace was held in Delhi, and Korea sent three religious delegates to the conference. They were: Ven. Chou, President of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism; Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan of the Roman Catholic Church; and Reverend Kang Won-ryong of the Protestant Church.

Back then, what was most tormenting for me to endure in India was the heat and food. Indian food uses generous amounts of exotic and pungent spices, so that people like me who don’t have a strong stomach have difficulty with it. I went to the conference hall to meet the three Korean delegates and invited all of them to dinner at my place; it would’ve been rude to invite only the Buddhist monk. Because Buddhist monks and nuns frequented my place, my family was comfortable with only vegetarian food, but I felt it may not be proper to serve the two Christians only veggies. I also thought that a half meat, half vegetarian menu would also be improper. After giving it a lot of thought, I ended up setting a vegetarian dinner table.

Having been deprived of Korean food for several days, the three guests looked happy upon seeing kimchi and bean paste stew. However, the two Christians looked dubious about why the table had only vegetables. Then the Cardinal remarked:

“Professor Chung is a Buddhist and does not eat meat, I guess.”

“No, I sometimes eat meat, but not frequently.”

Our conversation naturally moved to the reasons why Buddhist monastics do not eat meat. The act of eating meat is part of ordinary life, so why then did Buddhism place a taboo on it, one asked. They were trying to justify eating meat, beginning with the health benefits to the concept of survival of the fittest. I asked them in return:

“Why do you have to eat meat? You mentioned health issues, but what you say is not congruent with statistical fact. Among India’s 1.2 billion people, about half of them are vegetarian. However, they don’t suffer from age-related diseases. Actually, they live far longer and healthier than meat eaters. I think the reason for eating meat is very simple. Because it tastes good.”

All living beings hate to die. Lingering regret remains even after one lives a long life and dies naturally. There should be much more regret if some beings must die because they are weaker or have less knowledge than humans.

Buddhism emphasizes this compassionate heart with its first precept of “abstaining from killing,” one of the five precepts lay Buddhists should observe. It teaches that one must not harm animals, let alone humans. Buddhist practitioners moderate themselves to practice this precept. The issue of eating meat is an extension of this moderation.

I believe the purpose of religion lies in cultivating endless compassion for all beings, as reflected in the Buddhist expression “to save sentient beings,” and in the Christian expression “to love our neighbors.” That’s why Buddhist monastics offer tasty meat dishes to other sentient beings and survive on coarse veggie food for themselves. They want to offer silk clothes to their neighbors but dress themselves in rags. When this spirit was alive, Buddhism was healthier and the country was more sound. However, when this spirit declined, both Buddhism and the country went into decline.

There is a Buddhist teaching called the Brahma Net Sutra. It discusses the ten major precepts and 48 minor precepts. The ten major precepts are taught to counter the “ten grave sins” identified by Buddha, which can lead to expulsion from the religious order. The 48 minor precepts refer to light offenses, which some are prone to commit often in life; its retributions are not that serious. Still, one must be prudent to not commit negative deeds repeatedly. The second article of the 48 minor precepts is about alcohol, and the third is about eating meat.

The Hwarang, also known as the “Flowering Knights,” was an elite group of young male Silla warriors who kept the five precepts taught by Ven. Wongwang. Of these, he especially emphasized the precept to use discretion in killing. He taught that warriors should be mindful of two factors when they had to kill. First, one must be prudent of the time of year and kill neither in the period of May through June when animals breed nor on any of Buddhism’s six ritual days. Second, one must be prudent in choosing what to kill. Kill animals only when they harm humans and not those who don’t inflict harm. In addition, one must not kill domestic animals such as dogs, cows and pigs.

Killing a living being entails serious retribution. It degrades any wholesome roots within oneself. Therefore, we should be moderate in our consumption of meat. Eating less meat is good for one’s health. It can prevent the onset of diabetes and vascular disease. It helps Buddhists to enhance their love of nature and preserve the natural order. The first step to becoming a Buddhist is to choose the practice of compassion as the principal agent of their actions.

Chung Byung-jo received his Ph.D. from Dongguk University’s Graduate School. He served as a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University in India and at Dongguk University, and as president of Geumgang University. He hosted the radio program on Buddhist Broadcasting System titled “Illuminating Nescience” for a long time. Currently he is professor emeritus at Dongguk University. His Korean publications include: “History of Indian Philosophy and Thought,” “The World of the Heart Sutra,” and “Buddhism for Our Time.”