Thich Nhat Hanh: Why everyone should be Vegan (quote)
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A little background: Thich Nhat Hanh is a Zen Buddhist monk from Viet Nam. He is a peace activist.
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Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist, revered around the world for his pioneering teachings on mindfulness, global ethics and peace.
Ordained as monk aged 16 in Vietnam, Thich Nhat Hanh soon envisioned a kind of engaged Buddhism that could respond directly to the needs of society.
He was a prominent teacher and social activist in his home country before finding himself exiled for calling for peace.
In the West he played a key role in introducing mindfulness and created mindful communities (sanghas) around the world. His teachings have impacted politicians, business leaders, activists, teachers and countless others.
Each Buddhist must find his own path. Thich Nhat Hanh has his own path. You may have your own path. Those paths, however, do not define Buddhism.
You should be aware that Thich Nhat Hanh has also been quoted as saying that a 50% reduction by individuals is significant in reducing suffering. (Which is what I have done for many years now).
Each Buddhist must find his own path. Thich Nhat Hanh has his own path. You may have your own path. Those paths, however, do not define Buddhism.
You should be aware that Thich Nhat Hanh has also been quoted as saying that a 50% reduction by individuals is significant in reducing suffering. (Which is what I have done for many years now).
But it's not about you. Always a reflection of your needs, habits, and no mention of suffering. Do you not see that? That's the problem.
It's also insulting that you comment that I "should be aware" of something. Do you really think I'm not aware of that! Thich is making a concession for the sake of animals. And then you give yourself props for reducing suffering, like it's a big sacrifice for which you deserve credit.
How about eliminating suffering by not eating animals at all?
Your response is such an excellent example of male privilege and male entitlement. Veganism is a feminist issue. See, for example:
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The feminist–vegetarian connection is a concept indicating that the oppression of animals in the form of being slaughtered and consumed is parallel to the oppression of women in a patriarchal society, which establishes a connection between feminism and vegetarianism.
But it's not about you. Always a reflection of your needs, habits, and no mention of suffering. Do you not see that? That's the problem.
It's also insulting that you comment that I "should be aware" of something. Do you really think I'm not aware of that! Thich is making a concession for the sake of animals. And then you give yourself props for reducing suffering, like it's a big sacrifice for which you deserve credit.
How about eliminating suffering by not eating animals at all?
Are you blind? Part of my statement said, "You should be aware that Thich Nhat Hanh has also been quoted as saying that a 50% reduction by individuals is significant in reducing suffering. (Which is what I have done for many years now)). Reading accurately is fundamental to having a discussion.
Every time you don't like someone's post your retort is that you're being insulted or attacked. You need to get over that. A debate or discussion about a topic has as its basis the presumption that there is a disagreement to begin with.
Additionally, I have not asked for any credit. I simply told you what I have been doing for the last decade. But to you, someone is damned if they do and damned if they don't. Either do exactly what Kara does or you're a monster.
I'm going to repeat what I said earlier. Each individual's path is their own. Buddha did not dictate a particular path. Buddha himself ate meat. And, Buddha allowed his monks to eat meat. And frankly, since you want to bring up Thich Nhat Hanh as your justification for people not eating meat, Buddha himself and his immediate followers trump Thich Nhat Hanh. What this really proves -- again -- is that decisions like diet are part of an individual's path. But you don't respect the individual. Instead, you want to have a tantrum every time someone disagrees with you. Millions of Buddhsts around the world -- most Theravadists and every Mahayan Buddhist I have known have meat as a regular part of their diet. That's their/our choice...their/our path. Your choices and your path are up to you, and you don't get to dictate to everyone else.
Once again, you don't "get" what Buddhism is about. It isn't about Kara handing down stone tablets with her commandments. It's about the individual and the choices the individual makes.
I apologize if I hurt your feelings. I felt badly about that.
We've established that we disagree on this, so why don't we let each other express our views without attacking each other. It wasn't necessary. I'm going to express the views in the OP, but don't take it as an attack on you personally.
How would it have turned out if you saw my post and didn't feel compelled to argue about it and attack me personally? My posts are not about you.
I apologize if I hurt your feelings. I felt badly about that.
We've established that we disagree on this, so why don't we let each other express our views without attacking each other. It wasn't necessary. I'm going to express the views in the OP, but don't take it as an attack on you personally.
How would it have turned out if you saw my post and didn't feel compelled to argue about it and attack me personally? My posts are not about you.
Every time you bring this topic up, I'm probably going to respond about the role of Buddhism in finding one's personal path, and the importance of not trying to place baggage on the basic concept of Buddhism.
To be honest, for a Buddhist, you are awfully trying to press a point of view. Buddha Himself would have just smiled and agreed to any statement tossed at Him.
And be right at that.
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