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AHIMSA
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or his disciple have ever taken Hesh or fish or any other creature. While the above passages of the Pali book express doubt about Hesh eating, old Sanskrit Buddhist literature expressly prohibits flesh-eating, by any follower of Buddhism.
There is one Lankavatara Sutra--published in Sanskrit by Bunyin-Nangio, M.A. (Oxon) D. Litt., Otam University--Kyoto (Japan) in 1922. It is also a very old Sutra. Its first translation in the Chinese language was done by one Gunabhadra of Central India in 443 A.D. Its second translation in the Chinese was done by Bodha ruchi of India in 513 A. D. Its third translation in the Chinese was done by Siksanand of India in 700 A.D.
The eighth chapter of the book deals specially about flesh-eating.
This is called Mansa bhakșana pari varto. From this chapter, it is fully proved that any follower of Buddhism, whether he may be a monk, or a layman, should never eat any kind of flesh either of fish or of any other animal. We give below some Sanskrit passages with the translation :
___“देशयत् मे भगवांस्तथागतोऽर्हन् सम्यक् संबुद्धो मांसभक्षणे गुणदोषं येनाहं चान्ये च बोधिसत्वामहासत्वा अनागत प्रत्युत्पन्न काले सत्वानां कुव्याद् सत्वगति वासना वासितानां मांसभोजन गृद्धाणां रसतृष्णा प्रहाणाय धर्मदेशयाम."
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