Vegetarian Theory

Currently there are many books on vegetarianism on the market. The most popular theory assumes that human beings are vegetarians by nature on account of the length of their intestines and the structure of their molars. Some people keep to a vegetarianism, at least ten benefits can be gained by eating vegetarian:

1.It increases your health and vitality and can extend your lifespan.

2.It has a beautifying effect.

3.It can help develop your intelligence.

4.It can make you feel happy and at peace with yourself.

5.It is economical and saves your money.

6.It is merciful and virtuous.

7.It helps disperse your karma (your past sins as a present obstacle to enlightenment).

8.It nullifies the law of cause and effect.

9.It counteracts your destined calamity.

10.It prevents war and strife.

The first five are personal and practical benefits, and the latter five are benefits derived from a religious point of view.

We shall commence by explaining the physical structure of human beings so that our readers can thoroughly understand the benefits to be derived from vegertariaism.

When a human body is analyzed in terms of its chemical elements, we can see that it is composed of only two dozen elements, including carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine, calcium, potassium, sodium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, nickle, phosphorus, iodine and several others. However, the simple combination of these elements does not make a human being. This goes to show that in addition to physical elements, human beings are also endowed with souls. This can be compared to making a machine by putting spare parts together, but the value of the machine does not lie in those parts but in the design and structure of the machine itself. The value of a human being lies not in the body, but in the soul. The structure of the human body is, of course, far more complicated and exquistite than that of machines. Human beings have the capacity to work, reproduce and even rehabilitate. So when we eat, we should not only think about nutrition, but also be careful not to ruin the original functions and structure of our bodies in order to retain our full powers of rehabilitation.

Animal flesh is by nature disgusting. We can think of a factory owner who refuses to hire people who, in spite of their strength and talent, are hot-tempered and overly rambunctious due to the beastiality of their nature. They would likely disrupt and undermine the entire functioning and management of the company. Similarly, your body can suffer under-development and malnutrition or even become stricken by cancer. Therefore, only by maintaining a well-balanced diet--without focusing on a single organ or bodily structure-- can you maintain your health. The mysterious and wonderous functioning of the human body lies in its subtle coordination. Only a vegetarian diet unstained by the blood and souls of sentient beings can keep one happy and healthy without destroying the structures and functions of the human body.

Machines can only work when they are powered; cars can only be driven when they contain adequate fuel. Human beings also need fuel; that is, fuel derived from vegetarian and mineral sources. A car requires a driver to control its movements. A car's driver is like the soul of a human body. Under normal circumstances, a car has but a single driver. If there is more than one driver in control, the car will not ride smoothly. Likewise, every human being should be possessed of a single soul. If a human being were to have more than one soul, he would not be capable of acting or speaking normally. An animal's soul will become part of the person who consumed it and this soul will influence this person by taking over control of his life and breaking the rules of normal and healthy functioning so that he will lose his direction in life.

Life depends on energy, i.e., food. As a matter of fact, men eat in order to supplement their energy supply. This energy came originally from the sun, which is the true source of all life on Earth. The vital process by which the Sun's energy is captured for use by plants is called photosynthesis. Plants carry out photosynthesis by transforming energy from light, carbon dioxide from air, and water from soil into a chemical form which is stored inside plants themselves. When carrying out photosynthesis, plants also release oxygen so that they serve not only as a source of energy but also of oxygen. Animals themselves do not produce food. The protein and fat in animals come from the plants or other animals that they ingest. Human beings have to kill animals before they eat meat. However, plants serve as a plentiful source of nourishment and oxygen for humans and other living creatures since they grow in abundance on earth and easily reproduce; at the same time the very carbon dioxide which is exhaled as a waste product by animals serves as a source of energy for plants. Even the excrement and carcass of animals are used as plant fertilizers. The inorganic substances that are produced through the process of photosynthesis are released into the soil. This natural cycle is beneficial to the whole structure of the earth and is the natural function of the earth's metabolism. This is the proper and natural way for humans and other creatures to coexist.

The human body requires vegetarian food; but when meat is consumed, the body needs to change and restructure its tissue before the body can use it to power its own chemical reaction. This can be compared to the huge supply of capital and time required when a factory owner is forced to retrain his staff.

Even though enzymes manufactured in the human body are capable of breaking down fats, proteins, and starches into chemicals that can be absorbed by the human digestive tract, these enzymes can not alter the temper and nature of the soul of the animal that has been ingested. A vast amount of energy is required to dissipate the temper and habits of the animal that are left in one's body. Even worse, it may prove impossible to rid oneself of this beastial nature which in turn can exert a great influence on one's human nature.

Let me use once again the metaphor of a factory as a human body to expound in greater detail the harm that eating meat can have on a human being. A factory requires a labor force to develop its business or manufacture its products, and those who apply to work for the factory mostly need to earn a living salary and perhaps want to broaden their skills and develop their interests and working experience. The hiring process is beneficial to both the management and the worker. However, different workers may have different reasons for applying for a job. Some may want to take over the company or to steal some business secrets or technology so that they can compete against the company in the future. Such workers usually perform well at first and work hard to bring some success to the company in order to gain the trust of the owner. Their ultimate purpose, however, to lead the company into ruin. These workers function in their company as animal food does to the human body. When an animal is killed, its soul does not die. Moreover, the memory of death remains alive in the soul, so that the soul will seek out chances for revenge. Even if an animal allows itself to be devoured due to its limited mental capacity, its soul will attach itself to your body and will interfere with your judgments and decision-making.

The form and the physical structure of animals differs from those of plants. However, the differences are illusory. Actually, the physical structure of both animals and plants is composed of cells that are basically identical. This is especially true of the cells of lower animals and those of the plants. Biological research has revealed that the biggest difference between animals and plants is that animals can move while plants are sessile in nature. Animal cells do not have cell walls or have cell walls that are composed of nitrogen, while those of plants are composed of fiber. Both animals and plants need nourishment to supply the energy that they consume in building up their bodies and live by means of chemical processed. Animal and plant bodies are composed of the same chemical compounds which include water, carbohydrates, inorganic salts, lipids, and proteins, and both animals and plants can directly absorb water and inorganic salts.

Animal cells are capable of absorbing only carbohydrates and proteins which exist in complex forms of organic compounds. This indicates that animal sparasitize on other animals and plants. The physical structure and form of multi-celled animals are different from those of plants. The physical structure and form of multi-celled animals are different from those of plants. However, animals and plants have followed evolutionary paths deriving from the same source. This can be proved from the fact that the physical structure of the more primitive microorganisms (e.g., such protozoa as bacteria) is not significantly different from that of plants.

The above theory is derived from research on plant and animal physiology without consideration of the mental processes of animals. The current level of scientific technology is not yet capable of exploring the nature and characteristics of these processes in flora and fauna. Therefore, all judgments and statements are Mad strictly form observations of their reaction to external stimuli.

In the past few decades, more and more people have begun to suffer from high blood pressure, heart disease, and cancer. Consequently, the medical and scientific communities have been focusing their research on dietary trends. This has in turn given rise to the growing popularity of vegetarianism. Many people who care about their health have become vegetarians because they came to realize that meat contains excessive amounts of fats and other carcinogen. Many women have opted for a vegetarian diet in order to shed weight or maintain a slim figure, or to attain the beautifying effect vegetarian food has on one's complexion. However, vegetarianism still has not reached every household. Some vegetarians have even given up on a no-meat diet and reverted to their old habits due to their unwillingness to cause any inconvenience to their families. Others think that it is too difficult to become accustomed to a completely vegetarian diet.

I would like to share with you my experience of being a vegetarian and m research on vegetarianism of the past few decades in the hope that you will turn to vegetarianism once you understand both the importance and the benefits of a vegetarian diet. When everyone in the world become vegetarians, not only will this put a stop to needless killing and the destructive tendencies that are threatening our endangered earth, but all of us will come to lead happier and healthier lives in a true paradise.

Reasons for Turning to Vegetarianism

We should try to understand the differences in the natures of animals, plants, and minerals before we can truly know why humans should not eat animals.

The human being is the most highly developed being in this world and is thus the wisest of all creatures. This is because humans are more intelligent than all other animals or plants. Theologians insist that only human beings are endowed with spirit, soul, and vitality. Plants have merely vitality, and minerals have only form. "Spirit, soul, and vitality" are given to humans at birth and are not obtained from the exterior world. By this point, you have probably realized that animals killed for purposes of consumption do not die a natural death. Their souls are consumed by humans with their flesh.

Let us consider the nature of spirit, soul, and vitality. The human spirit includes the mind, creativity, and reasoning. The human soul governs memory, genes, and sensation, which is one of the senses. Human vitality controls the natural desires of life and living, growth and reproduction. When a person suffers serious blows, his spirit and soul leave his body and he becomes surrounded by an evil spirit. He turns into a vegetable bereft of the capacity to think. He loses his powers of reasoning and his sensibility because he is soulless. By this time he is merely a non-sentient being since only his vitality remains to keep him alive. Therefore, whenever you eat meat, you not only consume their flesh, but you also ingest their spirit and soul. When you eat plants, you partake of only the plant's vitality and its physical aspect (stem, leaves, and fruits). When you ingest minerals (such as salt and other minerals), you consume only their form.

From the above, we know that human intelligence stems from the working of the mind. Humans have memory because they have spirit. They have feeling because they are born with soul. Humans grow, reproduce and live because of their vitality. Humans eat not only because they want to be intelligent or to feel, but primarily because they want to keep the existence of their bodies so that their mind and intelligence may continue to function. All that a body needs are what makes it grow, reproduce, and become revitalized so that its motor system, digestive system, circulatory system, and reproductive system can all function normally. You can obtain all the nutrients you need from plants and minerals to maintain in good-working condition all of the above functions. A baby who is born into this world by a vegetarian mother enjoy a vegetarian mother enjoy a vegetarian diet for a whole life-time and lead a happy and healthy life.

When I first became a vegetarian, I encountered many problems and inconveniences. Friends would poke fun at me, and it was troublesome for me at various social gatherings. I also missed the limited myself to vegetables that were not overly delicious. Some of my vegetarian friends faced even more serious problems. Not only did their families disapprove of their diet, several of their spouses went so far as to threaten them with a divorce because they could not accept the idea of vegetarianism. Some friends became ill when they switched to a vegetarian diet. But most of us still kept to our vegetarian diet through mutual encouragement and through thoughtful explanations to our families.

Many people who keep to a vegetarian diet, such as monks, nuns, and priests, do so out of their religious beliefs. They turned to vegetarianism simply because they do not which to promote the killing of animals or because their religion requires such discipline. Others become vegetarians because on the beautifying effect it has, or because of health reasons, or because they want to lose weight. Some of these people may not be able to attain their personal goals through vegetarianism, and if they can not reach their goals, they will certainly give up vegetarianism.

According to religious doctrines as well as the theory of evolution, it is believed that plants appeared on earth before both animals and humans did. That is, the world has evolved from the simple to the complex. From a human point of view, plants and animals are lower forms of life that humans.

Therefore, humans justify their consumption and use of plants and animals. Now, when we consider turning to vegetarianism, we should ask ourselves why it is that we can allow ourselves to eat and use plants while avoiding eating the flesh of animals.

The following answers have been derived from my research on this question over the past decades.

The Earth is a planet in the solar system. From the evolution of nature, the atoms found on Earth evolved into molecules which than evolved into cells that led to the development of primitive plants and animals. From plants to sea creatures, the Earth witnessed the gradual evolution of more complex beings until apes evolved into humans. This is the so-called theory of evolution. But in the process of evolution, there must be some great power that guides, selects, and governs this evolution of life on Earth and had made the Earth what it is today. As a matter of fact, evolution proceeded along two lines of development. Scientists only examine the exterior aspect, and they believe that everything has come into existence through evolution and assert that humans have evolved from apes. However, they ignore the invisible line of development which was designed by some Superior Being(s).

Even when there were no humans in this world, the idea of making a living creature like a human being was present; however, suitable materials and tools were lacking. Imagine an engineer stranded on a desert island who wants to make a bicycle. He knows how to design and produce things, but he does not have at hand the proper materials and tools to accomplish his task. Perhaps he can only begin by making a unicycle. The designer(s) of human beings also had to start from scratch. He (they) had to wait for the proper time and environmental condition, and, in the meanwhile, experimented in breeding new species. Finally, after undergoing various changes, the Earth, instead of being composed of only basic elements, witnessed the development of countless compounds, including water and air (oxygen); there, together with the energy source of sunlight, made it possible for the basic unit of life--the cell-- to appear. Since the appearance of the cell, evolution went through a long process before plants appeared. This process has been thoroughly studied and accurately recorded by scientists.

However, the process of evolution from the appearance of plants to the appearance of animals has never been clearly explained or sufficiently proved since the original designer(s) has been ignored. The assumption that humans have evolved from apes seems ridiculous, since there is no indication that plants evolved into animals or animals evolved into humans. So, why are there animals in the world? Where did the first humans come from? Probably many people are interested in such questions. In order to attempt to answer these questions, I must reassert my primary point, i.e., that life in this world evolved from the simple to the complex. When a plant with a simple structure gradually becomes a plant with a more complicated structure due to the processes of evolution, its cells became more complex and serve more functions, and its structure became more complex and serve more functions, and its structure became more sophisticated. When the designer(s) believed that it was time for him (them) to make an even more complicated mechanism, that is, an animals, he (they) actually made an animal out of a plant, just like we would make an engine out of steel or iron.

When animals evolved to the point that could serve as material to make humans, human beings appeared on Earth. After explaining the function of materials and tools, I would now like to proceed with a discussion of the invisible aspect. When a complex plant evolved into an animal, the structure of its cells or organs would retain many of the features of those of the plant. However, the brain center of the animal was endowed with a spirit, a soul, and vitality, so the animal differed from the plant in that it could move, feel, and think. The differences between animals and humans are analogous. Judging from the head bones and various structures of the skeletons of apes and anthropoids, scientists and archeologists believe them to be the ancestors of humans. However, they can not explain the source of human intelligence and wisdom.

From the above, we know that the cells and other structures of plants are not significantly different from those of animals; likewise, cells and other structures of animals are similar to those of humans. Even their chemical structures are similar to each other. But humans are far superior to animals and plants in that they have intelligence and wisdom.The Buddha Nature consists of two parts. One can be realized by awakening to it, and is called “Awakening Buddha Nature”. The other part can only be acquired through practice, and is called “Acquired Buddha Nature”. The Buddha Nature that all sentient beings can awake to is referred to Awakening Buddha Nature, the first part of Buddha Nature. The Awakening Buddha Nature has no birth and death, and all sentient beings possess it. Therefore, every one of us has the Awakening Buddha Nature. This part of Buddha Nature refers to the common rational judgment or standard. We all have the experience of being agreeable or disagreeable with other’s opinions or comments. It means that we have a standard within ourselves and we can make a judgment based on that. (To be continued)

Vegetarianism & Environmental Protection

Research has shown that all animals, plants, and minerals that exist in this world have specific values and functions. In short, every thing exists for a good reason. Therefore, countless people and organizations have dedicated themselves to protecting endangered animal species. Once when I was in China, I heard a horrible story. Chairman Mao had ordered sparrows to be killed because he thought they consumed too much grain. But it turned out that grain production actually decreased when all the sparrows were dilled. This was due to the fact that the worms and bugs that would have been eaten by the sparrows all survived and ate up the grain. From this story, we know that every living thing plays an important role in nature. They function in an invisible circle of life, fulfilling their functions on the one hand, and maintaining their existence on the other. The food chain that consists of animals eating plants, plants ingesting minerals and animals and plants turning into minerals again after they die, is a drama that unfolds forever.

It has been said that ancient Eskimos died easily in winter time because of they could not get enough food. They developed a custom to avoid this unfortunate but sometimes inevitable situation; that is, elders were left in the snow to become food for bears so that the young Eskimos could survive during food shortages. This seems truly shocking and inhuman to us. But in order to maintain the species, they were forced to accept this custom. If we had been there on the scene and condemned the Eskimo youth as guilty of murder, then the whole thing would have been meaningless. Certainly, this is a reasonable custom only under such extreme circumstances, and we can understand why it came into being, as human beings, we have to know ourselves and the roles we play. We are the wisest of creatures, but we function as the audience and not as directors or actors because we do not have any script to follow. The actors leave behind their roles when they are through acting and forget the feelings that they had while they were engaged in acting. When you interfere in their acting and ask them to show their personal feelings without following the script, they will never forget and they will hold a grudge. Moreover, once you take part in the acting, you will not be able to turn back to be an audience again; you will be forced to be a guest actor forever.

Evolution and biology shows that humans are not much different from other living creatures, except that their structure is more complicated and they are more advanced along the path of evolution. But this is true only for human's physical nature since it was originally created from that of the plant by the designer(s) anyway. Actually, there is a master of our souls possessed of an intelligence and mind that lives inside our bodies. He is like an advisor that has been sent to you by a major company. He can either solve your problems or ask someone in the company to solve your problems; that is the source of the inspiration you receive from from time to time. Since humans have a soul that is lacking in other animals. When we look at the history of civilization, we can see that all great architectural monuments, languages, artistic and musical works were created by human beings. No other animals are as capable as humans. Therefore, even though the physical structure of humans is not much different from that of animals (especially apes), humans have souls that other animals do not have. Humans are not of the same species as other animals. Thus, even though the law of the jungle stipulates that the strong prey upon the weak, we humans with our advanced civilization and sophisticated technology should not kill and eat animals. We can no longer use the excuse that it is permissible to kill tigers because tigers kill goats, or bulls because they destroy the grass.

Let me explain this by examining the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment. All living things have to ingest substances as food in order to grow and reproduce. Plants obtain food and energy by carrying out photosynthesis by which they synthesize carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water with sunlight serving as an energy source and oxygen released as a byproduct. The formula is as follows: 6CO2 + 12H2O + light---> C6H12O + 6O2 +6H2O. That is plants produce organic substances such as glucose in order to supply themselves with energy and nutrients by using inorganic substances, such as sunlight, air and water. As for animals, they obtain the energy and nutrition they need from plants or other animals. In short, humans and animals that eat other animals acquire nutrition indirectly from plants.

The study of heredity shows that the reproduction of both plants and animals is determined by genes. No matter what changes the environment go through, cats still bear kittens, and dogs still bear puppies, even though they might differ somewhat in appearance. But this is not true of plants. A change in surroundings could significantly alter the appearance of a plant. For example, a pine tree can grow to a height of hundreds of feet, but another species, the dwarf bonsai, can be placed on a living room table.

Research has revealed that once the cells of animals have become differentiated, they cant not reproduce new cells, but the cells of plants can still reproduce them even when they are differentiated. Thus we can grow trees by planting branches in soil, while animal limbs will only rot away once they are severed from their torsos.

From the above, it is clear that animals exist as units, while plants exist as cells. There is certain proportion maintained between the quantity of plants that can flourish on a given area of land. The amount of food produced by plants limits the quantity of animals they can nourish. Animals suffer extinction of their species on Earth before plants do.

The bodies of animals and humans have evolved form those of plants, but their souls evolved gradually from outside forces. As stated in Genesis, every creature was produced in abundance after their kind. They have individual selves and feeling. They have senses and the instinct of survival so they do not want to be eaten. Their souls were not produced by the Earth, so they do not feel for the Earth and think only about their own advantages or, at most, the advantages of their species. No animals allow themselves to be eaten unless they are forced to.

The brain is the most sophisticated organ of the human body, but brain cells are formed from birth. Human intelligence does not grow from consuming certain kinds of food. As a matter of fact, humans can decrease inner interference and keep their mind open to inspiration by avoiding certain kinds of food.

Let us look at some simple examples and determine the relationship between animal and the plants.

Let us imagine the Earth to be one vast prairie, and on that prairie we find cows, sheep, rabbits, tigers, and other animal species. When the weather and conditions allow and there is enough food, cows, sheep, and rabbits have enough grass to eat, and tigers can easily capture whatever food they want. However, in the absence of any major calamity, the quantity of cows, sheep, rabbits (all herbivores), and tigers (carnivores) will greatly increase, while at the same time land area remains the same. Soon the grass will be all eaten up, and the supply of oxygen in the air will be exhausted. The animals will then die of hunger and weakness; first the herbivores, then the carnivores. Gradually, every living creature on Earth will become extinct. Fortunately, the food chain itself can be adjusted in order to maintain a balance. Whenever there is a shortage of plants for the animals to eat, the quantity of herbivores will decrease naturally; thus the quantity of carnivores will also decrease. The remains of these dead animals serve to fertilize the land so that the plants can flourish once again. This is how nature maintains a balance in the life cycles of plants and animals.

However, human beings do not realize that on nature's stage they function merely as an audience and do not themselves direct or write out the script. They interfere in the production by writing, directing, and even acting. Men keep increasing the quantity of certain animals (such as tigers, lions, pigs, or chickens) and thus ruin the balance of the food chain and reduce the availability of vegetation for all animals. Moreover, many tropical forests have been destroyed because the over development of civilization has increased our demand for wood. Members of local tribes cut down trees for export to maintain a livelihood. The world's population keeps on growing, but many people are victims of famine since they do not possess basic agricultural skills. The supply of oxygen on the earth is not longer sufficient, and the temperature of the earth has became abnormal. All these natural phenomena have come about because because human beings interfered with nature and ruined the natural environment. Thus today so many people advocate environmental protection and call for the prevention of environmental pollution. But as the wisest creatures on earth, what kind of attitude should we take in our relationship with other living beings?

From the above, we know that humans are different from animals since humans derive from some other system and are merely guests of the Earth. Thus we should be friendly to the creatures (animals) of this planet. We should not invade them or interfere with their life, and we should not take up their rule that the stronger prey on the weaker. As regards plants and minerals, we should think of them as substances that we can utilize in a reasonable manner as long as we do not waste or needlessly ruin them; after all, their quantities are all limited. Many people have adopted this attitude in relation to minerals ,but the same cannot be said of their treatment of plants.

Now we can understand that plants and minerals on Earth are closely related to each other, and animals and humans appeared only after the existence of minerals and plants. Scientific theory assumes that animals have evolved from plants, and humans have evolved from animals. However, the human soul and intelligence has not evolved from that of animals. Thus we should not conclude that humans have evolved from monkeys, even though we can say that the human body has evolved from that of the monkey. Likewise, the animal soul did not evolve from its plant counterpart. This does not mean that animals, plants, and minerals have no soul. It only means that their souls do not stay inside their bodies; they may exist in some other planet and continue to guide them in some mysterious way.From the above discussions, we know that all people have the first kind of Buddha Nature, but only some people possess the second kind of Buddha Nature. However, through evolution over many life times, every being still has the opportunity to have both. For example a blind person lacks the vision consciousness in this life, and if he/she cultivates himself/herself properly, in next life he/she can become a normal person who has all eight consciousnesses. If this person can keep on the right track for many lives, eventually this person can develop the four wisdoms from 8 consciousnesses. To encourage people, Buddhist literature therefore says that all sentient beings possess Buddha Nature and can become Buddha. (To be continued)