Kill life to get long life?

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"杀生求生，去生远矣。"

sha sheng qiu sheng, qu sheng yuan yi.

"Kill lives get lives, near life far off."

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If we kill animals and eat them to nourish our own bodies, then we are actually further away from the righteous concept of  'life', and thus our health deteriorates and life gets shortened.

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In the preface of SUN Si Miao's book 《备急千金要方》 (Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies), he said:

"Many great ancient physicians used animals to treat acute and dangerous illnesses of emergency. Even though it's said that animals are inferior and human beings are superior; when it comes to appreciating lives, humans and animals are the same. Hurting others and benefiting oneself is commonly disgusted by all animals; let alone human beings. When we save ourselves by killing animals, we're really departing away from the definition of 'life'. This is the reason why I don't use animal products as herbs/medicine in my prescriptions."

In short,

eating animals to nourish our bodies will simply make our health worse and shorten our lives... 

PS:

-- 孙思邈, SUN Si Miao, SUN SiMiao, 581-682, Tang dynasty, China. Renowned physician and Taoist. A great medical physician and herbalist. Well regarded as “药王” (Yao Wang, The king of medicines). Main achievement: Author of 《备急千金要方》 and 《千金翼方》.

-- The book 备急千金要方, Bei ji qian jin yao fang, Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold for Emergencies.

-- The book 千金翼方, Qian jin yi fang, Supplement to the Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold.

-- By the way, he spent 10 years on 《千金要方》, from age 60-70 years old. And he spent another 30 years finishing 《千金翼方》, at the age of about 100 years old...

-- Original explanation: (simplifled characters): “自古名贤治病，多用生命以济危急，虽曰贱畜贵人，至于爱命,人畜一也。损彼益己，物情同患，况于人呼!夫杀生求生，去生更远。吾今此方所以不用生命为药者，良由此也。”(《备急千金要方》)

-- Original explanation: (original characters): "自古名賢治病，多用生命以濟危急，雖曰賤畜貴人，至於愛命，人畜一也。損彼益己，物情同患，況於人乎！夫殺生求生，去生更遠。吾今此方所以不用生命為藥者，良由此也。"(《备急千金要方》)

Cows and dogs are friends

Among the six domestic animals (pig, ox, goat, horse, fowl and dog), cows and dogs are the most useful and harmless animals for human beings.

In the ancient times, Oxen and cows were around to help us transport goods, plowing for farming, their milk as our drinks and their flesh as our foods too. Dogs were around for protection of premises, helping in hunting other animals, as well as our dishes on dining table. They've always been loyal to human beings. They're obedient and hardly complain. To these days, we benefit from their company pretty much the same.

A small change though; dogs have since escalated her status as pet too. Many different breeds of dogs are human beings' favorite pets and some are as close as family members. The same probably can't be said for cows, pigs, goats, deers, chicken; they've all become human's favorite foods.

In order to make them foods for our mouth and stomach we need to make them dead. To make them dead we need to slaughter and kill them. Who would wanna be slaughtered to death? What kind of pains involved in slitting one's throat to death? Do we believe animals have no sensory perceptions? So they don't see, hear, taste, smell, touch and therefore don't feel any pains?

Do we want such pain and torture in slitting our throats and bleeding to death?

Please spare them the pains... especially the ones that have helped us so much.

Let's start by not eating beef... cows... dog meat...

and then pork... pigs...

and then deers, lambs, horses...

and then chicken...

and then all living animals...

and then all living beings...

Note: Comic drawn by 牧谷(Mu Gu). Original wordings translated to English: [Among the domestic animals, those that benefit mankind the most and least harmful to us, are cows and dogs; must not be eaten.]

Wild geese fly like family

Don't kill or eat wild geese. Wild geese fly like brothers/sisters/family.

Many ancient civilizations in the past respect animals with behaviors like human beings. One of those animals displaying human traits is wild geese.

Wild geese live together and fly in flock like brothers and sisters and family members. The formation they take is called V or Vic formation and it reduces aerodynamic drags from wind and helps them to fly farther with less efforts. Also, when the leading goose at front gets tired facing the wind, the trailing goose at the very back of the team will move forward and take over the role; former leader will then become the second goose in the formation, taking some rest. And the process takes turn alternating between left and right wing. This way everybody gets a chance to face the front wind and rest well long enough before taking the lead again.

There are plenty of stories from grain farmers who tell of how geese would come back to look for lost goose in between flying in flock. They seem not easily abandon their flying members, and in doing so, unfortunately fall into victims of goose hunting. Goose hunters know this well enough and that's why techniques like goose decoys and goose calling work well to attract geese for hunting.



We don't kill our brothers/sisters/father/mother; why do we then kill others' brothers/sisters/ father/mother? Just that they look so different than human beings doesn't make them less living beings. Unfortunately, again, human beings don't get this well.


Don't hunt geese, or any other animals.


Animals are just like us; albeit bearing different skins and looks.


PS:
(1) I read about wild geese flying formation long ago and if the info given isn't accurate or wrong please do correct me so. Thanks!
(2) Comic drawn by 牧谷(Mu Gu). All photoes of geese flying from internet. Do let me know if any of them are copyrighted.

Don't shoot the birds

谁道群生性命微？
一般骨肉一般皮；
劝君莫打枝头鸟，
子在巢中望母归。

shui dao qun sheng xing ming wei?
yi ban gu rou yi ban pi;
quan jun mo da zhi tou niao,
zi zai chao zhong wang mu gui.

Who says bunch creatures life forms worthless?
Same type bones flesh same type skins;
Advice you don't hit branch-tip birds,
Chicks at nest-in waiting mother home.

PS:
1. Poem by 白居易（BAI Ju Yi, year 772～846, 唐朝, Tang dynasty）. The name of the poem is 《护生诗》 ("Hu Sheng Shi", or "Protecting Life Poem"). Comic drawn by 牧谷(Mu Gu); Translation by John Lew.
2. Thought of explaining further on the poem but it seems pretty self-explanatory.

The world is full of smart people who shoot the birds (or something similar to that nature) for fun, for pleasure, for killing time, for revenge, for money and etc; we just need more wise people who know what's more important in life...

Happy Mid Autumn Festival!
(Lunar August 15th; Sept 22, 2010)

It's a time of
family reunion!

Proper food for human beings

Proper food for human beings

There are many perspectives and doctrines about suitable or proper foods for consumption of human beings. Some look at it from nutritional (Calories, Carbohydrate, Protein, Sugar, Fat, Fiber...) point of view. Some from mineral (Calcium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Sodium, Chloride, Magnesium...) perspective. Some are about chemical contents (Amino acids...). Some from the angle of traditional medicine (such as Cold, Cool, Neutral, Warm or Hot; or which organs the food works on; or whether the food nourishes Yin, Yang, Energy or Blood and etc.). Some are from biological needs of human body. Some from physiological structure of human bodies...

All these perspectives are mostly independent of each other. Experts usually talk about foods from their relative fields of studies. It almost always is impossible to blend all different perspectives into one and come up with perfect or ideal food for human beings. After all, every individual body is unique and has different needs.

However, wouldn't it be interesting to look at the view of bible in terms of proper food for human beings? from God's words Himself?

Let's look at Genesis 1:29. It says of:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. (Ref 01)

Then God said, "Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. (Ref 02)

And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. (Ref 03)


God said, "I have given you every plant with seeds on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds. This will be your food. (Ref 04)

And God said, See, I have given you every plant producing seed, on the face of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit producing seed: they will be for your food; (Ref 05)

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb producing seed that is on the whole earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree producing seed: it shall be food for you; (Ref 06)

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food. (Ref 07)


God said, "Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food. (Ref 08)

And God saith, 'Lo, I have given to you every herb sowing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree sowing seed, to you it is for food; (Ref 09)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The keywords are:
plants (vegetables, legumes...),
seeds (and nuts...),
fruits,
herbs (leaves, flowers, roots...).

It seems quite likely that the proper food dictated by God for human beings is: vegetarian foods.

Vegetarian foods?
Yes, vegetarian foods. Very very likely.

_______________________________________

References:

Ref 01: New International Version (©1984) http://biblica.com
Ref 02: New Living Translation (©2007) http://www.newlivingtranslation.com
Ref 03: English Standard Version (©2001) http://www.crossway.org
Ref 04: GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995) http://gwt.scripturetext.com/genesis/1.htm
Ref 05: Bible in Basic English http://basicenglishbible.com/genesis/1.htm
Ref 06: Darby Bible Translation http://darbybible.com/genesis/1.htm
Ref 07: Webster's Bible Translation http://websterbible.com/genesis/1.htm
Ref 08: World English Bible http://worldebible.com/genesis/1.htm
Ref 09: Young's Literal Translation http://yltbible.com/genesis/1.htm

Useful Links:


List of plants with edible leaves (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_plants_with_edible_leaves)
List of culinary vegetables (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_culinary_vegetables)
List of culinary fruits (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_culinary_fruits)
List of edible seeds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_edible_seeds)
List of culinary herbs and spices (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_culinary_herbs_and_spices)

Health Minister LIOW wins PETA award

Health Minister LIOW wins PETA award for promoting veg diet

Malaysian Health Minister Datuk Seri LIOW Tiong Lai, a vegetarian himself, has won People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia-Pacific’s Proggy Award for promoting a vegetarian diet. Congrats! “Proggy” stands for “progress” and PETA’s annual award recognises animal-friendly achievements in commerce and culture.

“I would emphasise more on prevention and healthy living instead of curing patient and health,” said Liow in a statement. “I’m concerned about the health of the people in the country, especially with regard to the healthy lifestyle,” he added.

Meat consumption has been conclusively linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, obesity and several kinds of cancer. Adopting vegetarian is the key in preventing a variety of diseases, including today’s leading killers, he said.

Vegetarianism is certainly good for the environment and for your health.
A recent UN report (2006) determined that raising animals for food generates more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars, trucks, ships and planes in the world combined. The report stated that the meat industry is ‘one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global’.

“Liow is promoting healthy living and we commend him for leading by example,” said PETA director Jason Baker, adding that going vegetarian “is the best thing we can do for health, animals and the Earth”.

Vegetarian diet was also one of the best ways to fight against the abuse of animals raised and killed for food, he said.

PS: Story compiled from writings of Maybritt (www.klue.com.my) and WONG Wei Hwang (www.thestar.com.my), early April 2009.

Link: http://www.petaasiapacific.com/feature_proggy_malaysian_moh.asp

Eating meat is eating human beings?

Eating meat is eating human beings?

Chinese characters are combinations of symbols (pictographic: drawing), sounds (phono-semantic: shape and sound) and meanings (ideographic: ideology and concept). Of the three, what makes the characters stand out most visually interesting is the symbolic and artistic nature.

Take the word 肉(“rou”, meat / flesh) for example, the special thing about this word is how it's constructed from. There seems to be two 人(“ren”, man / human being) inside the character 门(“men”, door). Two men inside a door is meat? What does that mean?

The way I would interpret the character 肉(“rou”, meat) is quite similar but with a simple twist. My idea was inspired by the concept of universal love. You shall see why below:

人(“ren”, man / human being): The character looks like a man walking with two legs.
门(“men”, door): The character itself resembles a door with hinge.
內(“nei”, inside): A man inside a door means 'inside', quite graphical too.
肉(“rou”, meat / flesh): There is actually a 'human being' (the lower character 人) hidden 'inside' meat.

This is the conclusion: There is a human being inside meat. If you eat meat, you eat human beings. How do we come to comprehend this? This simple conclusion is in line with the concept of reincarnation, that all living beings keep incarnating to other living forms depending on how well (or how bad) they've contributed during their life time.

What we are really eating? This piece of chicken could have been a grandmother of your friends in previous lives. That piece of red meat (cow) could have been your own grandfather who passed away many years ago. Killing and eating each others have created deep hatred and curses. No wonder the world is full of vengeance wars of all kinds.


PS:
1. This is one perspective to look at why eating meat is wrong. If you find the idea comfortable and useful, you can help to spread the message or even translate it to your own language for a good cause.
2. The concept of 肉(“rou”, meat / flesh; 'Human beings' are 'inside' meat) includes beef, chicken, turkeys, pork, pigs, chicken eggs, cows, fish, lobsters, crabs, horses, sheep, dogs, cats, cattle, goats, swines, mules, birds, donkeys, rabbits, leopards, giant pandas, owls, pigeons, crayfish, octopus, deers, eagles, hawks, ostriches, penguins, gooses, salmon, tuna, eels, snakes, snails, frogs, turtles, ducks, calves, steaks, puppies, kittens, ponies and so on.