In these two classes we covered a topic that we should've done in the Level One class but ran out of time.
Please reflect on the following:
- No Killing
- No Stealing
- No Sexual Misconduct
- No Lying (or Verbal Offense)
- No Intoxicants
Questions:
- Is killing a human as bad as killing a chicken? Why or why not?
- Is killing a puppy as bad as eating veal? Why or why not?
- Why is the livestock industry responsible for more greenhouse pollution than the air, land, and water traffic?
- What's wrong with alcohol, if I don't get drunk? (Think of the purpose of meditation).
- What are the correct intentions or mental attitudes in observing the Five Precepts? For example, in observing the "No Killing" precept, the underlying attitude is "not to harm anyone". What about the other four precepts?
- Are there exceptions to these Five Precepts? For example, is it ok to say something you know is not true, under some special conditions?
- Then, is it ever justified to kill a person?
- How about stealing and taking intoxicants?
Posts
Comments by Doug, member of Level 2 Zen Class
ReplyDeleteI have a comment on Questions 1 and 2.
The questions can not really be answered as presented. The described actions do not exist outside of the context of myriad causes and effects. A more manageable question we might ask ourselves is, “What actions will produce the least suffering in the largest context?”
We can still discuss these questions, considering some possible normal scenarios if you like.
ReplyDelete2. Veal is from baby cows, and puppy is a baby dog, so it's about as bad to kill a puppy as eating veal.
ReplyDelete