佛当初住世，是主张人吃斋的，但并没有勉强人吃斋，为什么？因为有些人很欢喜好味，若坚持要他吃斋，他就不敢出家了。所以当时佛有些馋徒弟欢喜吃肉，他也没有说什么。出家人是循方乞食，不馋的人会说：“人家供养什么，我就吃什么。”馋的人就想有选择。

When the Buddha was in the world, he encouraged people to be vegetarian, but he didn’t force them. Why? Because some people were very fond of good flavors. If the Buddha had insisted that his disciples be vegetarian, those people wouldn’t have dared to leave the home life. Therefore, some of the Buddha’s gluttonous disciples ate meat, and he didn’t say anything. Left-home people are supposed to make their almsrounds to get food. Those who aren’t gluttonous say, “I eat whatever people offer.” The gluttons are more selective.

究竟吃肉和不吃肉，有什么不同的地方？吃肉，欲念多、妄想多，不容易得定。不吃肉，则少欲知足，没有那么多的妄想，因为气血清而不混浊的缘故。肉里头含有一种浊气，因为它是由一种很污浊的东西生出来的，所以人吃了不容易持戒、不容易开智慧、不容易证得三昧，想持戒却妄想纷飞，总是不守规矩，得不到定力，行住坐卧都不安。既然不能得定，就没有真正的智慧；有真正的智慧，那任何问题都不会发生。吃肉是往愚痴的路上走，不吃肉则往智慧的路上走，不同之处就在这里。

What’s the difference between eating and not eating meat anyway? People who eat meat have more desires and random thougths. It’s not easy for them to attain samadhi. People who don’t eat meat, however, are content and have fewer desires and random thoughts. Vegetarians have purer blood and energy. Meat contains a turbid energy because it comes from something filthy and turbid. Therefore, people who eat meat find it difficult to uphold precepts, develop wisdom, and attain samadhi. You want to uphold precepts, but your mind is filled with false thoughts, so you cannot follow the rules and attain samadhi, and are restless whether walking, standing, sitting, or lying down. Since you cannot attain samadhi, you have no real wisdom. If you have true wisdom, nothing presents a problem. Eating meat takes you down the path of ignorance, and not eating meat takes you along the path of wisdom. That’s the difference.

谁想要有真正的智慧，就得少欲知足，不要吃那么多肉，把自己的肉和猪的肉合成有限公司，将来不变成猪才怪呢！吃那么多的牛肉，和牛合成一个有限公司，里边牛因牛缘都存在，那么将来做牛是很有可能的。乃至于吃狗肉变狗，吃老鼠肉变老鼠，你吃什么肉，身体就有那些肉的因缘而生存，久而久之，就变成那种东西了。就因为你体内的那股气都变成猪气、牛气了，血也变成那个血，气也变成那个气了，所以肉也变成那个肉了。有智者应深思之！

If you want to have true wisdom, you should be content and reduce your desires. Don’t eat so much meat. If you eat too much pork, your own flesh combines with that of pigs and you form a corporation with them. It would really be surprising if you didn’t become a pig yourself one day! If you eat too much beef, you form a corporation with cows and develop affinities with them, and you’ll very likely be reborn as a cow. Eating dog meat, you will become a dog. Eating rat meat, you will turn into a rat. Your body retains affinities with whatever kind of meat you eat, and eventually you’ll become that kind of animal. Your physical energy turns into the energy of pigs, cows, or whatever animal you eat. Your blood becomes that kind of blood; your energy becomes that kind of energy; and your flesh becomes that kind of flesh Wise people should give this deep thought!

一九八四年一月廿二日开示