[KS] Re: dog-eating, Blyth and Yi Kyubo

[Ross King]

Ed Baker [snip] wrote:

>I can respect, though not accept, the view of real vegetarians ...

Obviously, great minds think alike. Here is what Yi Kyubo (1168-1241) had
to say on this subject (cited from Blyth's _Oriental Humour_, pp. 166-167,
which in turn appears to be cited from his _Zen in English Literature_):

"A friend of mine came and said, "Yesterday evening I saw some rascal beat
to death a dog which was wandering about there. It was such a pitiful
sight, and I was so upset by it, I resolved never to touch dog's flesh
again." I said to him, "Last night I saw a man sitting by the fire cracking
lice and burning them. I was so upset I made up my mind never to kill
another louse."


[This is probably the appropriate place to cut off this citation, given the
context of the Hundefleisch Diskussion, but here is the rest anyway - RK]

My friend said indignantly, "A louse is a very small thing; what I saw was
a big animal done to death, and because I felt so grieved, I told you about
it. Why do you answer me so facetiously?" I replied, "All things with life
and breath, from common men to oxen, horses, pigs, sheeps, down to insects,
mole-crickets, and ants -- all, without exception, love life and hate
death. Do you imagine for a moment that big animals only dislike to die and
the little ones don't mind it? Thus the death of a louse is no different
from that of a dog. This is quite clear; why should you suppose I was
talking flippantly? Bite your own ten fingers and see. The thumb hurts; but
how about the rest of the fingers? In one body there is no distinction
between large and small members. All that has blood and flesh feels the
same pain. So it is with all things that have received left and breath; how
can you think that one hates death and another finds it pleasant? Now you
go home and quietly meditate on this, and when you see that the horns of a
snail are the same as those of a bull, the wren of equal value with the
might Rukh, then come, and we'll talk of religion again."

Ross King





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