Once, seeing a chicken meant thinking of roasting it for dinner. Now, after encountering the Dharma, the same sight brings a feeling of compassion. A Buddhist disciple shared this shift with Master Minh Tue in Nepal on February 19, 2026. His response did not simply affirm the change — it opened up the full karmic logic behind the relationship between humans and animals across the cycle of rebirth.
Buddhist disciple asks: In the past, when I saw a chicken, I just wanted to catch and grill it for meat; now knowing Buddhism and eating vegetarian, I feel sorry for it. Is that the correct sequence of the mind, Master? (February 19, 2026 – Nepal)
Master Minh Tue answers:
In the past, I was like that too; seeing any animal, I wanted to grill and eat it. Once you see cause and effect, no one dares to eat them anymore. The chicken is paying off its karma; if we generate merit and dedicate it, it will quickly be liberated to reincarnate as a human or a deity.
If we eat its meat, in the next life we will become a chicken for it to eat back; that is the game of karma dragging us along. To escape, don’t borrow karmic debts anymore; by not killing and not harming animals, you won’t have to pay back.
The Buddha speaks the truth, but because we lack sufficient conditions, we still hesitate and dare not practice; when we are about to die and see karma dragging us away, regretting it will be too late.
* Master Minh Tue always gives brief and concise answers suitable for the listener in each circumstance. Below is a deeper explanation and analysis so that those who wish to learn can thoroughly grasp the Master’s teachings.
The natural change when understanding Cause and Effect
The Master empathizes with the disciple with honesty: “In the past, I was like that too; seeing any animal, I wanted to grill and eat it.” That is the instinctive reflex of humans before knowing the Dharma, viewing animals as food to satisfy the desires of the tongue.
But when you “see cause and effect” (clearly understand the origin of suffering), the lens through which you view life immediately changes. The mind shifts from Greed for food to Compassion (feeling pity) and Fear of karmic retribution (not daring to eat anymore). Eating vegetarian at this point is no longer a harsh diet or self-mortification, but it becomes a voluntary choice to protect one’s own soul from the evil karma of killing.
Samsara (The cycle of rebirth): The borrowing and repaying game of Karma
The Master describes the cycle of rebirth with an extremely horrifying yet realistic image: “If we eat its meat, in the next life we will become a chicken for it to eat back; that is the game of karma dragging us along.”
Today you are stronger, you take its life to satisfy your meal. That blood debt will be recorded in the alaya consciousness (store consciousness). In the next life, the positions are reversed; karmic creditors find each other to collect debts. The chase of eating and devouring each other will endlessly prolong if no one is willing to stop. The key to escaping this game is very simple: “To escape, don’t borrow karmic debts anymore.”
Don’t wait until near death to regret
The Buddha clearly laid out the bright path, but humans often use excuses like “insufficient conditions,” “stuck with family,” or “vegetarianism is hard” to delay self-cultivation. The Master warns that this hesitation will lead to unimaginable consequences near death. When the consciousness weakens, the karmic creditors from killing will appear to lead the way, dragging the person into the three evil realms (Hell, Hungry Ghosts, Animals). By the time you regret it, the chance to start over has already slipped away.
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