Taoist View on Vegetarianism

Ultra Supreme Emptiness Emperor the Heavenly Lord's Scripture of Forty-nine Chapters ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0018 ) says:
    The Heavenly Lord said:

    The precept of being vegetarian is the fundamental of Tao, and is a bridge of truth, which crosses the ocean of births and deaths, between the ferry and the other shore of liberation.

    If you wish to learn Tao, you should be a vegetarian and keep the precepts, and your every single thought should be righteous and Real, then the evils and delusions will vanish of themselves.

    Most living beings had abandoned the pure realm and are indulging in meat-eating, this defiles both their bodies and minds. They are like the hungry ghosts who eat dead bodies but cannot extinguish the fire that are burning their hungry intestines so that they can never eat their fill; they are also like the flies and worms who scramble for putrid and stinky things and stay still on them as if those are sandalwood.

    In a meat eater's body, the three palaces are turbid, and the six viscera are defiled, the dark souls (PUG) of the dead bodies (that he ate) are exciting and thriving, and are always willing to guide him to the place of death.

    Therefore, you should cut off the root of desires, enter into the pure and tranquil state, do not put any living being into suffering, do not commit anything evil, do not produce any delusions, and do not arouse any evil from your heart.

    You should regard the precepts as the laws of the world, when you want to violate any of them, you should be aware of the punishment with fear. You should uphold the teachings of the precepts sincerely and respectfully, keep the precepts solemnly as if they are in front of you, and as if you are facing something that you fear. You should keep your heart righteous and solemn, eliminate all thoughts, and listen attentively to the non-dual, then you will be able to experience the Correct Truth, and become my disciple.

    [The Original Chinese Text]

Ultra Subtleness Immortal Lord's Tabulation of Merits and Sins ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0185 ) says:
    (Regarding normal eating frequency and quantity) An insipid vegetarian meal produces one merit; an averagely tasted vegetarian meal produces half a merit; a very delicious vegetarian meal produces no merit.

    [The Original Chinese Text]

Ultra Subtleness Immortal Lord's Tabulation of Merits and Sins ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0185 ) says:
    Regarding meat-eating: Eating meat by intentional killing produces six sins. Eating meat by buying produces three sins. Intentional eating of forbidden meats produces six sins, while accidental eating of these meats produces three sins. Eating meat at an abstinent day produces ten sins. Chanting in an altar right after eating meat produces ten sins.

    [The Original Chinese Text]

Emptiness Emperor the Heavenly Lord's Ten Precept Tractate for the Junior Cultivators ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0179 ) says:
    The third precept: Do not kill any animal for food, instead, we should be benevolent and beneficial to all, including insects and worms.

    [The Original Chinese Text]

Emptiness Emperor the Heavenly Lord's Ten Precept Tractate for the Junior Cultivators ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0179 ) says:
    The seventh precept: Do not drink alcohol or eat meat, and do not violate the other precepts. One should regulate and harmonize his energies and temperament, and cultivate dedicatedly for the Pure Emptiness.

    [The Original Chinese Text]

Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0809 ) says:
    All living beings, including all kinds of animals, and those as small as insects, worms, and so forth, are containers of the uncreated energy, thus one should not kill any of them.

    [The Original Chinese Text]

Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scripture of Precepts ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0809 ) says:
    They will kill other living beings for food or commodities.

    Such people will suffer in their present lifetimes because of their bad deeds, and later they will fall into the destinies of afflictions for long.

    [The Original Chinese Text]

The Scripture of Dhoe and Virtue ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0691 ) says:
    There exists a master executioner that kills
    If we substitute for the master executioner to kill
    It is like substituting for the great carpenter to cut
    Those who substitute for the great carpenter to cut
    It is rare that they do not hurt their own hands

    [The Original Chinese Text]

Ultra Utmost Real Person Spoken Twenty-four Gates Precept Scripture ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0182 ) says:
    The first precept: Do not kill any animal, or slaughter any animal for food. Do not kill by yourself, or ask anyone to kill, or rejoice at killing, or eat any animals. A violator of this precept will be cooked in a cauldron in hell.

    [The Original Chinese Text]


Ultra Supreme Elder Lord's Scriptural Laws ( Orthodox Taoist Canon 0811 ) says:
The Original Chinese Texts:


《太上虛皇天尊四十九章經》（正統道藏 0018）云：
天尊曰：齋戒者，道之根本，法之津梁。子欲學道，清齋奉戒，念念正真，邪妄自泯。一切眾生，捨清淨域，耽嗜葷羶，而以觸法，譬如餓鬼，啗食死屍，火燒飢腸，無有飽滿。又如蠅蟲，爭奪臭腐，妄為羶香，而以觸法。三宮溷濁，六腑不淨，屍魄欣昌，樂於死地。子當割嗜欲根，入清淨境，無作諸苦，無造諸惡，無生諸見，無起諸邪。子觀戒文如世法律，欲有所犯，懼金木刑。子於戒文，精意奉持，凜然在前，如對所畏，秉心正嚴，滅一切想，諦聽不二，可會正真，是吾弟子。


《太微仙君功過格》（正統道藏 0185）云：
素食下味為一功，素食中味為半功，素食上味為無功。
 

《太微仙君功過格》（正統道藏 0185）云：
食肉：故殺性命食之為六過，買肉食之為三過，違禁肉故食為六過，誤食為三過。遇齋日食之為十過，食後入壇念善為十過。


《虛皇天尊初真十戒文》（正統道藏 0179）云：
第三戒者，不得殺害含生以充滋味，當行慈惠以及昆蟲。


《虛皇天尊初真十戒文》(正統道藏 0179)云：
第七戒者，不得飲酒食肉，犯律違禁。當調和氣性，專務清虛。


《太上老君戒經》（正統道藏 0809）云：
一切眾生，含氣以上，翔飛蠕動之類，皆不得殺。


《太上老君戒經》（正統道藏 0809）云：
殺害眾生利養身口（殺生治病為養身, 宰害供廚為利口也），如此等輩見（現）生受業，永墜諸苦。


《道德經》（正統道藏 0692）云：
常有司殺者殺，而代司殺者殺，是代大匠斲，夫代大匠斲者，稀不 自傷其手矣。


《太極真人說二十四門戒經》（正統道藏 0182）云：
第一誡者，不得殺生、割斷他命，煎煮美味，以饒一身。或自殺、教他殺、見殺隨喜，噉食眾生。犯者過去，受鑊湯地獄罪。


《太上老君經律》（正統道藏 0811）云：
第二十四戒者，不得飲酒食肉。

 
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