Description
Buddhism has long held that all life forms are sacred and considers kindness and compassion to be the highest virtues. Moreover, Buddhism explicitly includes animals in its moral universe. The Great Compassion studies the different strains of Buddhism and the sutras that command respect for all life. Norm Phelps, a long-time student of Buddhism and acquaintance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, answers the central questions of whether Buddhism demands vegetarianism or whether the Buddha ate meat. He is not afraid to examine anti-animal statements in Buddhist law – particularly the issues of whether Buddhists in non-historically Buddhist countries need to keep or to jettison the practices of their historical homelands.
