Chapter 48 Conclusion-1

Viewpoint is at the heart of any religion.In interfaith conferences, we may have to diplomatically agree that all religions are basically the same.But in fact, they have very different views, and no one but yourself can judge which view is better.Only you, as an individual, with your mental abilities, preferences, feelings and background, can choose the view that is best for you.Like a sumptuous buffet, a variety of different dishes provide what everyone needs.In Jain, for example, the message of non-violence (ahimsa) is so good, it's puzzling why this great religion doesn't flourish like others.The love and redemption of Christianity have brought peace and harmony to millions of souls.

Outsiders may find these religious appearances strange and illogical.Many people are understandably apprehensive about ancient religions and superstitions that lack apparent rationality.For example, many people can't understand the saffron robes and bald heads of Buddhist monks because it has nothing to do with science, economics or modern life.I can't help but wonder what people with this view would think if they were sent to a Tibetan monastery to face a mural of an angry statue embracing a naked woman.Maybe they thought they were seeing sex scenes in the Karma Sutta, or worse, evidence of depravity and demon worship.

Outsiders may be shocked to see a Shana practitioner walking naked, or a Hindus worship a deity that resembles a bull or a monkey.It is difficult for some to understand why Muslims use the esoteric philosophy of prohibiting idolatry as a justification for destroying the holy objects of other religions, while the Ka'aba in Mecca, Islam's holiest site, is destroyed every year. Millions of pilgrims flock to visit the sacred Black Stone (Hajael Asward).For those who do not know Christianity, it may be difficult to understand why Christians do not choose the story of Jesus in the glory days, but the darkest and sentimental chapters of the crucifixion.It may be difficult for them to understand that the central icon, the cross, make the messiah look so helpless.However, these are only appearances.Evaluating or judging a path or religion by its appearance is not only unwise, it may lead to prejudice.

Nor can we define a religion by strict codes of conduct.Obedience to the rules does not make a good person.Hitler was said to have been a vegetarian and took his appearance very seriously.Yet discipline and good looks are not in themselves sacred.Some of the most grisly murders were carried out by some strictly disciplined and well-dressed Gestapo officers.And at the end of the day, who decides what is "good"?What is good in one religion may be evil or irrelevant in another.For example, carelessness, Sikh men never cut their hair or shave their beards, but traditional monks in the East and West usually shave their heads, and Puritans can dispose of their hair at will.Each religion has profound explanations for their symbols and practices—why pork is not eaten, shrimp is not eaten, why one must or cannot shave his head.However, amidst these endless dos and don'ts, every religion must have a basic view: and the view is the most important.

Like all other religions, Buddhism also has some codes of conduct, but for Buddhists, this is not the most important.If the French government suddenly decided to ban Buddhists from wearing saffron robes on the Champs-Elysees, Buddhists should have no objection.In fact, if not wearing saffron robes in public promotes peace and tranquility, Buddhists should be happy to obey, since peace and tranquility are close to the heart of Buddhism. The ultimate point of reference in deciding whether an action is appropriate or not is the view.Evaluate your behavior to see if it matches your own perspective.If you live in Venice Beach, California, and you have the insight that being thin is good, your motivation is to lose weight, and you've been meditating on the beach how good it would be, your behavior might be to avoid rice and donuts, Eat green salads, plus exercise five days a week.But if you're a sumo wrestler living in Tokyo, your idea is that it's good to be super fat, your motivation is to gain weight, and you brood over and over not to be a skinny sumo wrestler.Your behavior would be to eat as much rice and donuts as possible.Whether eating donuts here is good or bad depends entirely on your perspective.Similarly, we may mistakenly think that some people do not eat meat because they are compassionate, but in fact they may just think that meat is bad and increases cholesterol.

Ultimately, one cannot judge another's behavior without fully understanding their perspective, * ** * All methods of Buddhism can be explained by the four seals - all phenomena are impermanent, all emotions are suffering, all things have no self-nature, and Nirvana transcends the concept.Every word and action advocated by the Buddhist scriptures is based on the four views or truths discussed earlier. In the Mahayana scriptures, the Buddha exhorted his disciples not to eat meat.Not only is it unwholesome to cause direct harm to another being, but the act of eating meat is not in accordance with the Four Seals.When you eat meat, in a way you are doing it for survival - to keep yourself alive.This person's desire to exist is related to your wanting permanence, consuming the life of another being in order to live long.If putting an animal in your mouth prolongs your life, then, from a selfish point of view, there may be reasons to do so.But the truth is, no matter how many dead bodies are stuffed in your mouth, you will still die, maybe even sooner.

Perhaps some people eat meat for a bona fide reason - to taste caviar.Because it is luxurious; eating tiger penis, in order to increase sexual performance; taking bird's nest, in order to maintain youthful skin.There is no more selfish act than these -- another life ended for the sake of one's own vanity.In the opposite situation, we humans can't even bear to be bitten by a mosquito, let alone imagine ourselves in a crowded cage with a beak cut off, waiting to be slaughtered or fattened with our family or friends As a human burger. This clinging to the ego is ignorance; and as we have said, ignorance brings suffering.In the case of eating meat, others suffer as a result.For this reason, there is a practice in the Mahayana scriptures of putting ourselves in the shoes of these animals and abstaining from meat consumption out of compassion.When the Buddha forbade meat-eating, he put himself in the shoes of these animals and abstained from meat-eating out of compassion.When Buddha forbade meat, he meant all meat. He didn't mean beef because of emotional reasons, or pork because it was unclean, and he didn't say that it's okay to eat fish because fish don't have a soul.