MYSTICAL ILLUMINATING NECTAR'S DIVINE COMPASSION OF ENLIGHTENMENT UNITY AND REVELATION

On eating fish

Shakyamuni’s adherents followed a strict vegetarian diet, while Jesus’s disciples were allowed to eat fish. Some people say that fish is not meat. What is it, then? Dolphins and whales are mammals. It means that females feed their young with glands that produce milk. The extreme pacifist approach that Jesus took while expounding on the law was different from others. In the Buddhist religion’s sutras, there are documented cases in which Shakyamuni killed certain well-known spiritual teachers using supernatural powers, although they were a considerable distance away. Original Christianity did not have anything of this sort. Of course, at the time of Jesus’s teaching, it was not called Christianity. This was a later addition, due to the fact that Jesus was nailed to the cross. The New Testament is incorrect in its description of the actual events. Yet the overall teachings are excellent. Enlightened beings know this, yet many of them cannot clearly explain why it is different from other spiritual teachings. One of the main reasons for this is that they come from a spiritual background that usually glorifies war and fighting with others. Buddhism describes Shakyamuni’s expoundation on the core principles of reality, consciousness, and nirvana as a spiritual battle. Jesus never talked about his teaching being in the realm of battles, fighting, or wars. Some may say that Christians eventually developed an ethics for warrealms. These people identified themselves as Christians but were in fact in a desperate position due to the karmic consequences of their violent actions. They couldn’t cultivate Christian mysticism, of course, and so they sought to find refuge and salvation in faith. This is the main difference between Buddhism and Christianity concerning their sacred scriptures of divine law.

A true cultivator will, of course, not eat meat or fish. Lay followers are free to decide, based on their understanding, position, and stages of spiritual development, what foods to include and what to reject from their diet. Buddhism advises against eating meat, while Christianity encourages people to occasionally drink light wine instead of water and to eat fish. Christian recluse monks do not eat meat, but they can ask for a bottle of beer to help with digestion. There are certain monks that do smoke, and we will not talk much about this, for they are usually in close daily contact with ordinary human society. This environment is full of distractions and passions. Many accomplished Christian saints did eat fish; they disregarded the human body entirely and cultivated only their minds and the divine side of their souls.

In today’s modern world, only about two percent of the human population follows a vegetarian diet. Some people do have questions. Could eating fish hurt my practice? That depends on your level of understanding and your angle of approach. How many people can succeed in cultivation practice? What would be left of humanity if divine beings did not teach people the means of liberation? It seems that religious ideas are everywhere, yet many people do not even read, and when it comes to cultivation, they always go with Satan and demons instead of stepping into the light. For those who can make it through the darkness, the future will be bright. For those who believe in the divine, at least a little bit, there is hope. The path forward is narrow. Do not leave the way! Do not get lost on the Divine Way [Shen Dao].

Yaouyue Ri
27. 2. 2024