불교 불식육계(不食肉戒)의 생태학적 고찰 = An Ecological Study on the Buddhist Precept of the Abstention from Eating Meat

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Compassion in Buddhism can be put into practice through various kinds of methods. The abstention from eating meat to respect animal`s life is one of them. The precept of the abstention from eating meat emphasized in Buddhism is one of the abstinence from taking life (不殺生) which belong to the category of the first of the five precepts (五戒). Human beings, physically characterized by omnivorous animal, sometimes have difficulty in maintaining health only by eating vegetables. To some extent, the sacrifice of animals is inevitable for the survival of human beings. However, the point is that how we should have dietary life to observe the precept of the no-killing. That is the very Buddhist - oriented dietary life of abstention from eating meat precept. If the ecological way of eating can be called the co-existence of human beings and nature, it is necessary for us to have a careful effort for a ecological way of eating. The intake of meats that is killed directly or indirectly by the modern agricultural industry should be restrained. The imported foods through the development of long distance transportation also aggravate ecology. All foods that require much energy through production, storage, transportation, and cooking will be the cause of indirect killing. So it will be also the violation of precept of the abstention from eating meat. The ecological eating is not merely confined to the matter of eating meat or vegetable. The eating that causes less killing is the true way of keeping the precept of the abstention from eating meat. That is the very way of ecological eating. The idealistic eating way that prevents the putting into practice doesn`t helps solving the ecological problem. We should keep the precept of no-killing by practicing one or two no-meat day in a week. That is the very way we can minimize killing animal.