All Saints Day
Nov. 1st, 2005 02:20 pmIt sometimes seems like everyone forgets about the days that follow Halloween. This could be because the various protestant churches (which mostly dominate America) aren't all that big on saints. It could also be that the commercial opportunities are practically nonexistent so there's almost no advertising including it.
Still, today is the day (according to Christianity) that we drive the last of the demons away... until next year.
Somehow this segues into an argument with an imaginary person that I had in my head the other day. I was picturing possible response to the fact that I'm not a vegetarian.
... Oh, right. I should have prefaced that with the fact that I'm Buddhist, shouldn't I? (Rogue Buddhist. I'll get into that another time.) Well, in any case, supposedly Buddhists must be vegetarians. My first point is that no, lay Buddhists are not vegetarians, just monks and nuns, because they eschew a hell of a lot of foods altogether. I'm not only lay, I'm weird lay, so I can eat meat if I want to, which is admittedly not all that often.
Them: But! What if they were your parents in a past life? How could you kill them?
I didn't kill them. (Well, alright, technically eating of meat does partake somewhat of the bad karma engendered in the act of killing.) Besides, what if they, in their compassion, decided to sacrifice themselves to sustain me? It's something parents might do, and Sakyamuni did it several times in his previous lives. It's an act that generates good karma, too, but it doesn't work if the gift isn't accepted. Are you saying that I, out of the pure selfish desire to escape the world by myself, should refuse the gift of their sustenance and damn them to a poorer rebirth? That's a terrible act!
Them: ... But what if they're not?
Can I afford to take that chance? This isn't just about attaining nirvana myself, you know. It's about helping everyone to do it. Who am I to deny that to someone else through my own selfish desire?
At this point I can't remember how this connects to today. Oh well.
Still, today is the day (according to Christianity) that we drive the last of the demons away... until next year.
Somehow this segues into an argument with an imaginary person that I had in my head the other day. I was picturing possible response to the fact that I'm not a vegetarian.
... Oh, right. I should have prefaced that with the fact that I'm Buddhist, shouldn't I? (Rogue Buddhist. I'll get into that another time.) Well, in any case, supposedly Buddhists must be vegetarians. My first point is that no, lay Buddhists are not vegetarians, just monks and nuns, because they eschew a hell of a lot of foods altogether. I'm not only lay, I'm weird lay, so I can eat meat if I want to, which is admittedly not all that often.
Them: But! What if they were your parents in a past life? How could you kill them?
I didn't kill them. (Well, alright, technically eating of meat does partake somewhat of the bad karma engendered in the act of killing.) Besides, what if they, in their compassion, decided to sacrifice themselves to sustain me? It's something parents might do, and Sakyamuni did it several times in his previous lives. It's an act that generates good karma, too, but it doesn't work if the gift isn't accepted. Are you saying that I, out of the pure selfish desire to escape the world by myself, should refuse the gift of their sustenance and damn them to a poorer rebirth? That's a terrible act!
Them: ... But what if they're not?
Can I afford to take that chance? This isn't just about attaining nirvana myself, you know. It's about helping everyone to do it. Who am I to deny that to someone else through my own selfish desire?
At this point I can't remember how this connects to today. Oh well.