Right livelihood, vegetarianism, and fish

[FreeTheStig]

1

Edited February 19, 2015 by FreeTheStig

[Silent Answers]

There's two main sides of the debate about eating meat... Those that recognise killing animals is not ideal but see it more as a borrowing of energy. Others prefer to cut all ties with meat out of compassion or because they see it as unnatural.

 

If you've made your peace with it as a profession, then at least it's not heckling your conscious...that's not to say it's right or wrong though. Fortunately, I can't make that decision

Edited September 3, 2014 by Silent Answers

[C T]

Thats why in Buddhism there is a sort of default understanding that whatever we do in this life, under circumstances that were brought about in previous lives, is less crucial than the wisdom of realization accumulated in this life that will be carried forth to the next life.

 

This means that some of the situations we are bound by in this life are a result of previous karma, which needs to be exhausted in some way or other, or else, we will simply go on from life to life carrying the same tendencies which will repeatedly resurface, in different degrees, on different levels.

 

When there is a kind of realization that some of our present actions and conditions are unsatisfactory and unwholesome, this is called 'realization', which means a seed of wisdom have germinated. Then it is up to us how we want to nurture this realization. Some use the realization to beat themselves up and fill their minds with guilt and remorse, while others might use it to practice setting the stage for a swifter exhaustion of whatever unwholesome karma there is left from before. There is a choice how we would like to direct our inner focus, regardless of external circumstances that binds us.

[GrandmasterP]

Edited below...

Edited September 3, 2014 by GrandmasterP

[GrandmasterP]

Nobody's defined by diet, or at least they shouldn't be.

It's what comes out of peoples mouths that matters to others not what goes in as food, nobody really cares about what someone else chooses to eat or doesn't.

Hence 'diet' threads tend to degenerate into " I eat this aren't I clever?" Or " I don't eat 'that' aren't I so much better than anyone who does eat 'that'?"

It's all BS.

Eat whatever you choose in good health and as a general bit of advice and NOT directed to the OP or anyone here thus far...

For goodness sake don't bore anyone else with opinions as to what they should or shouldn't eat.

[Stosh]

The world is a finite place, things die so others may live, and its all tied into a big web.

If you leave them salmon swimming , well they eat the food that some other struggling creature wouldve eaten, maybe its one of them sea otters, a whale, or a thousand crabs.

They use oxygen , take up space , carry pathogens, replace consumption of mammals etc, theres no way around all these connections ,, nor is there any reason to feel bad about having to make a living fishing.

Sure , theyre beautiful creatures, and wanton destruction, overharvesting etc is undesirable, but theyre healthy eating , almost an ideal food for humans... and youre beating yourself up for no good reason whatsoever IMO.

 

Obey the fishing laws , understand that they are there to protect the resource , protect the resource! admire them for that which they are , dump the silly stigma .

 

That there is right livlihood.

 

( oh , and if you like this post feel free to send me a nice big Sockeye) .

Edited September 3, 2014 by Stosh

[GrandmasterP]

I'd sooner have wild salmon than the farmed ones.

The taste of the wild salmon is far better IMO.

 

 

[mike 134]

I don't see a problem with eating animals as long as it is environmentally sustainable and not wasteful.

 

So you are from Alaska..... what do you think about crab legs? There's this really nice buffet close to me that offers all you can eat crab legs. Unfortunately, whenever I go there at least 75% of the patrons are fat slobs who load their plates with 5 pounds of crab and eat only the large leg segment (the part that's the easiest to extract the meat from). They throw away the rest of the leg, the claws, and the body meat away.

 

I swear every time I see this kind of behavior I wish they choke on the meat and drop dead. I eat several pounds every time but I at least respect the animal and carefully extract every single fiber of meat from the shell.

[Dainin]

Some parts of the fishing industry are appallingly wasteful in that they kill probably five or more undesirable and unwanted fish (as well as other types of marine life) for each of the desired species caught. At least aquaculture might reduce this some, although it has plenty of it's own problems.