Let Go of Eating Meat
An important part of Ashin Sarana’s path is avoiding all meat and fish in his diet, and he goes into detail on why he believes this in the interview from earlier this year. Although he is a monastic living in a largely meat-eating country, he has stayed true to his ideals and only accepts vegetarian fare. Following is an excerpt from our talk in which he highlights his reasons for doing so.
“Being a vegetarian is a kind of letting go, it’s part of letting go.”
“So, being a vegetarian is a kind of letting go, it's part of letting go. So letting go of meat or fish is really helpful. I don't say that it's essential, but it is certainly helpful on the path. We need to let go of a lot of things. Because it is possible to let go of it without dying! And the more we can let go, the better. So of course we can let go of everything, and then just live on water and bread.
But we gradually learn to let go more and more, and letting go of meat and fish is helpful, because there is a kind of lightness-- that is my feeling, that letting go of meat and fish is a little bit lighter! Also, because we know those who don't eat meat or fish certainly have that understanding that the less people who eat meat and fish, the less animals and fish will be killed. So with that addition to this lightness, and to this letting go, and to this health, which I gained through being vegetarian... it is really helpful.
I would like to note here that the greatest top master in Myanmar, in the monastic education field, who has memorized 20 books of the Tipitika. The Tipitika has 40, and he has memorized 20. And that's itself known like as if he memorized all, because that's the most important part. And he also is a vegetarian! And when people ask him, 'why are you a vegetarian?' he says, 'for health.'
Yaw Sayadaw. He has become a vegetarian and when people ask him 'so why did you become a vegetarian?' And he says, 'No, this is not because of vinaya or because of the Buddha's teachings, it is because of health!' And I heard that many of the health problems that Yaw Sayadaw had, when he ate meat and fish disappeared shortly after he became a vegetarian.”