Golden Steps To Salvation

Author(s): Padmasagarsuri
Publisher: Arunoday Foundation

Page 79

*1991
H
Angulimal was so deeply impressed by the sublime words of the Buddha that he put an end to his career of violence and became a disciple of the Buddha. The next day King Prasenajit came to see Muni Angulimal and saluted him with respect and devotion. Angulimal had come to deserve respect and devotion because of his acceptance of the creed of ahimsā.
A man who is a lover of ahimsã and who is consequently benevolent bestows his love and kindness not only on human beings but also on animals. He eschews meateating and eats only vegetarian food.
The world-famous dramatist, Bernard Shaw was a vegetarian; and he always staunchly advocated vegetarrianism; and vehemently condemned non-vegetarianism. One day, he was invited to a dinner, and he went to participate in it. The food served at the dinner was non-vegetarian; and was not to his taste. Being an cutcaste there, he got up from his seat at the dinner-table and sat elsewhere. One said to him: "Sometimes when, at dinners, vegetarian food has not been arranged to be served, it does not matter if you take non-vegetarian food. You may eat any food in your house; but at a dinner party, where no vegetarian food is being ser and where non-vegetarian food is served, you must compromise your principles a little. That is a necessary social etiquette.” Shaw, who despised non-vegetarian food and who loved vegetarian food gave this firm reply: "My stomach is only a stomach; not a grave to fill with dead bodies.”
On that day, Shaw returned home hungry but by his remark he had impelled his listeners to think deeply about the subject.
One day, some cows that stood by the side of a road, kept staring at the great Emperor Akbar who happened to be there. Akbar asked Birbal, “What are those Cows saying, looking at me?”
Birbal who was highly resourceful and witty, said, “Your Highness! They are ing, 'We eat only grass and live. We do not hann vliters. We do not utter lies. G.S.-5