第六条原则：慈心不杀，戒荤茹素
[6] The Sixth Principle: With The Mind Of Loving-Kindness To Not Kill, Abstain From Meat And Eat As Veg[etari]ans
念佛之人，当吃长素。
Of persons mindful of the Buddha, they should eat as lifelong veg[etari]ans.
如或不能，当持六斋，或十斋（初八、十四、十五、廿三、廿九、三十为六斋。加初一、十八、廿四、廿八为十斋。遇月小则尽前一日持之。又正月、五月、九月为三斋月，宜持长素，作诸功德），由渐减以至永断，方为合理。
If perhaps not yet able to uphold thus, they should uphold thus on the Six Purification Days, or the Ten Purification Days (on the 8th, 14th, 15th, 23rd, 29th and 30th days of each month as the Six Purification Days. Adding the 1st, 18th, 24th and 28th days as the Ten Purification Days. Encountering a minor month, then before it ends, on that one day upholding then. Also, with the 1st month, 5th month and 9th month as the Three Purification Months, they should uphold as month-long veg[etari]ans then, to create much meritorious virtues), from this gradually reducing meat-eating, with this reaching forever severing from meat, then is this as reasonable.
虽未断荤，宜买现肉，勿在家中杀生。
Although yet to sever from meat, they should only buy existing meat, not at home within killing lives.
以家中常愿吉祥，若日日杀生，其家便成杀场。杀场乃怨鬼聚会之处，其不吉祥也大矣。是宜切戒家中杀生也。
With homes within constantly wishing for auspiciousness, if every day killing lives, these homes then become execution grounds. As execution grounds thus are places where resentful ghosts gather, their inauspiciousness is also great. There should be and must be abstaining from killing lives within homes.
净土宗十三祖印光大师
Pure Land Tradition’s 13th Patriarch Great Master Yìnguāng
《一函遍复》
(One Letter As A Common Reply)
