Manjushri declared, "It is because of the tathagatagarbha * that the Buddhas refrain from eating meat."

And the Lord added:

"So it is, Manjushri. There is not a single being, wandering in the chain of lives in endless and beginning less samsara, that has not been your mother or your sister. An individual, born as a dog, may afterward become your father. Each and every being is like an actor playing on the stage of life. One’s flesh and the flesh of others is the same flesh. Therefore the Enlightened Ones eat no meat. Moreover, Mahjushri, the dharmadhatu ** is the common nature of all beings, therefore Buddhas refrain from eating meat."

Manjushri also said, "There are, Lord, other, quite ordinary beings who also abstain from meat."

"Whatever worldly people do," the Lord replied, "that is in harmony with the Buddha's word should be considered as the teachings of the Buddha himself."

* Tathagatagarbha (Skt.) is the 'embryonic Buddha', referring to the potential of all beings to become a Buddha.
** Dharmadhatu (Skt.) is that from which all dharma (phenomena) arise.

(Source: FB, p. 64-65)

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