[不是可不可，而是该不该]
[Not Can Or Cannot, But Should Or Should Not]
大爱偈
Verses On Great Love
于食众生肉，非是可不可，
而是该不该，是否顺大爱。
Of eating sentient beings’ flesh, it is not a matter of can or cannot, but a matter of should or should not, whether it accords with great love or not.
[Note 1: On committing to observing the Precepts, including the Bodhisattva Precept (菩萨戒) of not eating meat, we should reflect on its rationale, to understand why it should not be done well. We should not just reluctantly or blindly follow (or not follow) rules of what ‘can’ and ‘cannot’ be done. Of course, meat-eating does not accord with practising great love, which is for all sentient beings.]
佛已经中说，众生皆父母，
食之断慈悲，亦得无量罪。
The Buddha already within the Brahma Net Sūtra said, that sentient beings are all our fathers and mothers, with the eating of whom, severs our loving-kindness and compassion, also attaining immeasurable transgressions.
[Note 2: As taught in the Sūtra《梵网经》by Śākyamuni Buddha (释迦牟尼佛), in the Third Light Precept (第三轻戒), ’All meat must not be eaten. Those who eat meat, sever the great loving-kindness and compassion of their Buddha-nature’s seed… with eating meat attaining immeasurable transgressions.’ (一切肉不得食。夫食肉者，断大慈悲佛性种子… 食肉得无量罪。)]
[Note 3: In the Twentieth Light Precept (第二十轻戒), ‘The six paths’ sentient beings are all my fathers and mothers. Those then killing, then eating them, are then killing my fathers and mothers, also killing my past bodies.’ (六道众生皆是我父母。而杀而食者，即杀我父母，亦杀我故身。)]
孝名戒制止，佛子不再待，
欲养亲还在，应还不负债。
With Filiality named as Precepts and Restraint, Buddhas’ disciples should no longer wait. With the desire to support our parents still here, we should repay and not incur more karmic debts.
[Note 4: As taught in the same Sūtra, ‘With filial piety to fathers, mothers, monastic teachers and the Triple Gem, filial piety is the Dharma teaching of the ultimate path. Filiality is named as Precepts, likewise named as Restraint.’ (孝顺父母、师僧、三宝，孝顺至道之法。孝名为戒，亦名制止。) The Precepts guide us to be filial, by giving support, and to have restraint from giving suffering.]
[Note 5: As uttered by Qiū Wúzi (丘吾子) and recorded in the Analects《论语》, ‘The tree desires silence, yet the wind does not cease. The child desires to support, yet the parents do not wait.’ (树欲静而风不止，子欲养而亲不待。) This is a lamentation on how peace of mind yearned for is not attained due to regrets of not being able to be filial to one’s parents in time, before they depart from one’s life.
However, even if our birth parents have already departed, many other sentient beings, including animals, who are also our past lives’ parents, are still here around us. Thus, we should not wait (or procrastinate) to be filial to them, at least by resolving to not eat them — immediately. Eating them not only does not repay our past parents’ heavy kindness (重恩), it incurs more new heavy karmic debts too.]
悲不胜贪心，痴暗过明心，
未生孝顺心，何生菩萨心？
With the compassionate not superior to the greedy mind, and delusion’s darkness surpassing the clear mind, if yet to give rise to filial piety’s mind, how do we give rise to Bodhisattvas’ mind?
[Note 6: If with compassion for animals overwhelming greed for the taste of their flesh, and with delusion so strong that this is not recognised clearly, the mind of universal filial piety will yet to arise, thus making it challenging to give rise to the Bodhi Mind (菩提心) for the welfare of all sentient beings.]
不食吾不苦，食而亲必苦，
孝子应救度，不餐餐入肚。
Not eating meat, we will not suffer, with eating then will our parents definitely suffer, filial children should save and deliver them, not with every meal put into their bellies.
[Note 7: We will not have any actual suffering by refraining from eating meat; by consuming compassionately and wisely instead. In fact, we will have less suffering from sicknesses and evil karmas (恶业). However, many animals will surely suffer from our ongoing demand for the supply of their flesh.]
[Note 8: As filial disciples of the Buddhas and filial children of all our parents, we should ideally guide them towards Pure Land (净土) and Buddhahood (佛果), instead of continually stuffing them into our stomachs, which harms and does not help them at all. Even if not able to guide all, we should at least not devour any of them.]
Related Article:
上求佛道者应当如何饮食？
How Should All Aspiring For Buddhahood Eat And Drink?
https://TheDailyEnlightenment.com/veg
《梵网经菩萨戒本》
Brahma Net Sūtra’s Bodhisattv Precepts’ Text
https://purelanders.com/pusa
