I hesitate somewhat to bring up the subject of vegetarianism again but am re-reading the Shobogenzo Zuimonki (Thomas Cleary translation, 'Record of Things Heard') and this passage by Dogen (book one, second teaching) struck me in the light of recent debate:
"Just because disciplined behaviour and vegetarian diet is to be maintained [in a monastic setting], yet if you therefore insist upon these as fundamental, establishing them as practice, and think that you hereby can attain the Way, this is also wrong...
For the purpose of true attainment of the Way, effort in seated meditation alone is the tradition of the Buddhas and Patriarchs. For this reason a fellow student of mine, Gogenbo, who was a disciple of the Zen Master Eisai, taught me to abandon rigid adherence to vegetarianism."
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