When We Eat Meat

By Bokar Rinpoche

Eating meat from a killed animal is a negative deed. It is better not to eat any meat at all.

If, however, because of circumstances, we cannot abstain from eating meat, at least we must avoid causing an animal to be killed for our consumption. We must not order a live animal to be killed for ourselves.

Meat bought at the butcher comes from animals killed for general consumption and not directly from an order we have given. Eating this meat is also a negative deed but it is less serious.

When we eat meat, we must direct our compassion toward the animal that was killed, recite the Names of the Buddhas, Chenrizig mantra, or other mantras, and blow on the meat. We wish at the same time that the animal be delivered from inferior realms and be born into the Land of Bliss.

Doing this not only brings help to the animal but also diminishes the strength of negative karma accumulated through eating meat.

From: The Day of a Buddhist Practitioner

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
For  a more thorough teaching on abstaing from meat in Buddhism and Dzogchen, see:
 

Food of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on Abstaining from Meat 
 
By Shabkar
 
 
 
 
Also of related intrest: 

Shabkar.org is a non-sectarian website dedicated to vegetarianism as a way of life for Buddhists of all schools