Worse karma if eating animal alive?

[DS Star]

I wonder if the karma will be worse for eating animal that is still alive as compared to eating the meat after it is killed?

So, what do you think in term of karma, same or worse?

1st Scenario: Eating animal that is still alive:

http://youtu.be/ZwviinaA7co
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http://youtu.be/jwkccvsj6fc
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2nd Scenario: Killed it first before eat it (cooked or uncooked):

http://youtu.be/xgN6ju10muw
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http://youtu.be/VepUk2ggrZ0
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http://youtu.be/yeMJt9tpk_A
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and;
3rd Scenario: Animal still alive while its body (meat) is being eaten:

http://youtu.be/NMIK6ZgMXwk
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[Tenzin K]

If we are eating an animal that is live (alive), that means we are killing it - wholeheartedly, intentionally, purposely. This means that we will have to pay for our karma. The animal being killed most likely is not wholeheartedly dying of its own choice, therefore we have created negative karma and will have to repay it in some way, shape or form as yet to be seen.

However, it is different if the animal is already dead by another person's intention and hand. Then, when the food gets to you, it is no longer a live animal, but rather a leftover carcass. This is a different issue.

This applies not only to Buddhists, but to all life forms - human, animal, birds, insects...Everyone values their life, EVERYONE and no one wants to be forcibly deprived of life. Therefore, when someone does deprive us of the chance to live, we will be vengeful and seek retribution. That is the karma that we must repay. Nothing in life is free.

[lotus1]

Although eating meat/animal is not specifically forbidden in Buddhism in Buddha time, eating meat/animal definitely creating negative karma and is the cause for bad health or illness in the future.
Buddha's three-fold rules of meat eating “Do not eat meat knowing that it has been killed specially for (your) used; I allow the use of fish and meat 'uncontaminated'/'blameless' (pari?uddha) in three way, unseen, unheard and unsuspected”
Therefore, eating animal alive definitely has broken the three-fold rules above that it is done 'seen', 'heard' and intentionally. From this angle, I would think it will create a lot more negative karma than eating the normal meat from the market. 

[dondrup]

Eating the animal while it is still alive definitely creates greater negative karma than eating the animal after it is killed.  The pain inflicted on the animal being eaten alive is continuously whereas the pain for the animal that was killed before being eaten is non-continuous.  However, the method used to kill the animal before it was eaten also determines the severity of negative karma of killing.  The more pain or suffering inflicted on the animal when it was killed, the more severe the negative karma is generated.

All forms of animal killing for their meat create heavy negative karma for the consumers directly or indirectly.   The consumers are involved in the cause of the death of the animal and hence will be subject to the karma of killing.  Unless the animal died of natural death, the consumption of the animal’s meat creates negative karma.

[Midakpa]

Everything boils down to our motivation. In this case, eating animals alive creates heavy negative karma due to the intention (whether conscious or unconscious) to kill another living being. Here, the killing is motivated by greed or craving for food. Some people think the flesh of a live animal is fresh and thus more delicious. The karma is worse than eating meat bought from the market because here we are either directly involved in the killing of the object or it is being killed for us. Killing means the destruction of any living being including animals of all kinds. To complete this offence of killing, five conditions are necessary, viz: a being, knowing that it is a being, intention of killing, effort, and consequent death.

This kind of karma is classified as immoral karma which is rooted in greed (lobha). Immoral karma results in the plane of misery. The effects of killing are: short life, illness, constant grief caused by separation from loved ones and constant fear.

[biggyboy]

OK..friends, whether to eat animals alive with or without intention, there's karma.  No way we could run away from that.  Of course, having the intention in eating them alive is even worst!  Why worse? Imagine eating them alive and we are happily and gaily enjoying them without realising or want to know the excruciating pain the animal is going through or suffering when we pull, cut, bite and chew them?!  What about we trade ourselves with them and we are on the table for others to relish?  Could you just imagine that?!  Oh my oh my, I just can't imagine myself to go through such excruciating pain.

In addition, every living being be they animals, insects, or human, have been our mothers before.  Would we want to kill our own mother for our own delight?  Again here, imagine your mother is on the table..... (well, I will stop here for your own imagination... ).

[Tammy]

DS Star, are you serious !? Eating animals alive DEFINITELY creates worse karma then eating when it's dead. Why? Simple - it inflicting much much much more suffering onto the poor creature. I cannot imagine the pain, fear and suffering of a slow death, and to think this is done to fellow sentient beings just because we think the meat is more fresh?

I have read and personally seen animals being eaten alive and I just cannot, for the live of me, understand why human being can do this, just to fill their stomach.

The animals must have had negative karma that led to them being born in three lower realms, but his does not give us the right to inflict sufferings onto them.

Just go on vegetarian diet, we don't need animal proteins to survive.

[pgdharma]

All form of killing of animals for their meat creates heavy negative karma. It is even worse if the animal is eaten alive. When we eat these animals we are causing pain and fear in the animals that are slaughtered for our consumption thus a large quantity of negative karma is placed upon us. This is shared by all humans to varying degrees, but those who eat meat take on much more and even more for those who chose to eat them alive as compared to those who do not. Those who actually raised the animals for food or operate the slaughterhouses where they are killed also have an enormous burden of karmic debt to discharge.

According to the law of karma, if we cause pain and suffering to other living beings, we must endure pain and suffering in return, both individually and collectively. We reap what we sow, in this life and the next; no one can escape the law of karma.

It is better  to go on a vegetarian diet.

[WisdomBeing]

OMG…Screw karma… how can anyone want to eat an animal alive?? The thought makes my stomach turn. When I first read this post, my immediate thought was what kind of mentality would make one think that it is okay to eat an animal while it is alive? Then as I thought further, I felt really bad for those who do. It is like sociopaths who have no moral values and do not feel that killing another human being is wrong. Here, people do not feel that killing another sentient being is wrong. What we can do is educate them – write to the countries where they practice this kind of inhumane consumption (yes I do love writing letters!) and let’s hope that this kind of practice can eventually be stopped.

[Amitabha]

It depends, if the animals are killed for the person sake, the killer conducting lesser karma than the person ordering. Like a assassin whose conduct for heinous crime was motivated solely on money taking command from other, whereas the former motive was on reality purpose of murdering. Therefore, most often than not, the heavy karmic seemed pointing to the person/persons as meats of animals are demand more than supply that resorted to high tech science and medical on the expedition of animals growing.
In buddhism, it's does not neither forbid not not forbid to eat meat, but clarifying the reality of meat and humanity as well as development of soul. Buddha only allowed monks on 'begging' for foods to take meat to avoid choosy but with caution that animals are not slaughtered for him, no hearing of the animals being slaughter for him and no seeing of the animals being slaughtered for him. However, these monks on the merits of compassion and world health ought to feed himself lest the meat in the bowl.

[brian]

My take on this is that both actions of killing is the same but to be eating the meat of another being who is still alive is really gross. Imagine the torture inflicted onto the victim. I think this happens only to animals. It takes another beast to be such a way, I think Karma is heavier by eating an animal alive. Although both actions of killing the animal by yourself is equal, the former action inflicted heavier karma because of the brutality of the mind to be able to stand the gross action of eating an animal which is still alive.

[Positive Change]

Eating for the sheer "pleasure" of consuming the "delicacy" fresh? It seems wrong on all levels and indicates an incredible degeneration and desensitization of the human race. It was not so long ago that we hunted for our food for sheer sustenance but now, with the onset of modernization it seems we have reverted to eating to merely please the senses... that is if that accounts as such. For me it is pure disgust and shockingly horrid to even think that people resort to such cruelty let alone watch these horrid videos.

What are we doing to ourselves? We certainly are spiraling down in this degenerate age whereby we do not even know how to perceive what is right or wrong anymore... what more the Dharma and the purity it teaches us.

The lack of care is prevalent among ourselves, so i guess a "lesser" living being does not even make the equation. It is indeed a very scary thought to envision where we, as a human race is leading towards...

[Rihanna]

If we are eating an animal that is live (alive), that means we are killing it - wholeheartedly, intentionally, purposely. This means that we will have to pay for our karma. The animal being killed most likely is not wholeheartedly dying of its own choice, therefore we have created negative karma and will have to repay it in some way, shape or form as yet to be seen.

However, it is different if the animal is already dead by another person's intention and hand. Then, when the food gets to you, it is no longer a live animal, but rather a leftover carcass. This is a different issue.

This applies not only to Buddhists, but to all life forms - human, animal, birds, insects...Everyone values their life, EVERYONE and no one wants to be forcibly deprived of life. Therefore, when someone does deprive us of the chance to live, we will be vengeful and seek retribution. That is the karma that we must repay. Nothing in life is free.





[To add to what you have written here Tenzin K, whether we are the one killing or ordering the live to be killed for our consumption or eating meat of a dead carcass, there is karma involved. No one escapes from karma. It would be varying degrees of karma depending on the motivation and whether it was direct or indirect killing. Remember the famous story about Buddha killing the robber onboard a ship to save the 499 people? When he died, he had to go to hell too but for a very short period. My point: instead of worrying whether it is bad karma or otherwise, we should just stop eating meat. Better safe than sorry]

[fruven]

The karma is much much greater because we are directly causing the death of the animal, torturing to its death, and enjoying eating it. Even not many animals eating other animals alive. We can see from the documentaries animals killed other animals before eating it.

Live to eat instead of eat to live will cause us to chase after good food from one food to food another. There is a whole bunch of shows these days featuring exclusively on finding good food, exotic food, making dishes from the fresh or meat, and capturing animals for making dishes. These shows promotes the eating of animals. If we are not vegetarian we might be curious to try these exotic food of eating animals alive. 

[ratanasutra]

Thanks for all the answers above which we all learned that it creates negative karma.

I just wondering where the believe of eating fresh meat is good and the best is to eat alive animal come from? How come the result of killing does not occur in their minds? Perhaps the result of actions doesn't turn out fast enough therefore people still enjoy with it, hence there are so many TV programs, newspapers, magazines promote about the best fresh food, best way to cook, including eat them when they alive, especial on the TV program which you see how enjoy, proud and happy they are. And do you believe that many of the TV programs are in Buddhist country..