Post 33 (Bodhi)
Although I agree with most of what Bhishma has said, I would never (willingly, consciously) eat an animal were it even part of a sacred and auspicious Hindu sacrifice. But that's me, and I'm not denouncing ancient Hindu practises for that.
Post 36:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Why insist on who influenced whom. What is important is the common roots.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->This is true where Jainism and the rest of Hinduism is concerned. But Hindus and Jains already knew vegetarianism and the value of all life well before Buddhism. Buddhism's roots in these matters lie wholly in Sanatana Dharma.
So it's not wrong to point out to western people or to communists and pseculars, for instance, that Buddhism did not introduce vegetarianism to India.
Changing topic slightly, when I was much younger I watched a documentary about an African community still following the Ancient Ways that was completely vegetarian too, also for similar reasons as Dharmic Indians were.
But they were living in a much lusher area (more greenery) than many other African communities are living in today, so that might explain why their vegetarian diet provided them with the required nutrients. One can't expect vegetarianism from all Old African communities, since man can only eat what is available and only do what is humanly possible.
Bodhi, concerning post 33 again, Bhishma speaks out against meat and honey. There was a time, a few years back, when I suddenly felt guilty for eating honey because I thought that the bees had put so much effort into gathering it for themselves and humans just stole their hard-earned 'bread' as it were. Is this why ancient Hindu principles (which Bhishma revisits here for the Pandavas) placed a ban on honey - because it is gathered by bees to support their own hive?
In any case, giving up honey would be a hard thing to do for me. Not that I've had it in a long time, but I've not consciously been avoiding it.
Do you know the reason why ancient Hindus believed it was to be avoided?
Although I agree with most of what Bhishma has said, I would never (willingly, consciously) eat an animal were it even part of a sacred and auspicious Hindu sacrifice. But that's me, and I'm not denouncing ancient Hindu practises for that.
Post 36:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Why insist on who influenced whom. What is important is the common roots.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->This is true where Jainism and the rest of Hinduism is concerned. But Hindus and Jains already knew vegetarianism and the value of all life well before Buddhism. Buddhism's roots in these matters lie wholly in Sanatana Dharma.
So it's not wrong to point out to western people or to communists and pseculars, for instance, that Buddhism did not introduce vegetarianism to India.
Changing topic slightly, when I was much younger I watched a documentary about an African community still following the Ancient Ways that was completely vegetarian too, also for similar reasons as Dharmic Indians were.
But they were living in a much lusher area (more greenery) than many other African communities are living in today, so that might explain why their vegetarian diet provided them with the required nutrients. One can't expect vegetarianism from all Old African communities, since man can only eat what is available and only do what is humanly possible.
Bodhi, concerning post 33 again, Bhishma speaks out against meat and honey. There was a time, a few years back, when I suddenly felt guilty for eating honey because I thought that the bees had put so much effort into gathering it for themselves and humans just stole their hard-earned 'bread' as it were. Is this why ancient Hindu principles (which Bhishma revisits here for the Pandavas) placed a ban on honey - because it is gathered by bees to support their own hive?
In any case, giving up honey would be a hard thing to do for me. Not that I've had it in a long time, but I've not consciously been avoiding it.
Do you know the reason why ancient Hindus believed it was to be avoided?