In real life, I never say to anyone:
Buddhists (or Muslims etc) do not drink.
You are Buddhist (or Muslim etc).
Therefore, you should not drink.
In such matters, I regard other people's behavior as their affair - and leave it to them whether they want to talk about it. However, we can ask whether Poul Anderson's characterization of Adzel is consistent. He reads like the sort of guy who would observe the precepts.
Having never formally "taken refuge"/received lay ordination, I do not regard myself as bound by any rule not to drink. For many years, I did not drink because I did not want any alcohol in the system in any twenty four hour period when I expected to meditate. More recently, it has come to seem that a single glass of wine after evening meditation is not going to interfere with morning meditation. Also, one glass no longer leads to wanting a second. Finally, even this single glass is not frequent. But this is neither a defense nor a program proposed for anyone else. (People often think that "I do x" means "You should do x.")
It would be unacceptable for anyone to attend the meditation group either drunk or smelling of drink but this does not happen so it is not an issue.
6 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I'm a bit puzzled by the first paragraph. Plenty of people who call themselves Buddhist do drink. So I thought Buddhism did not condemn the MODERATE use of alcohol.
Adzel, being so large and massive a person, has to drink a lot more than a human would need to be affected by alcohol.
And Islam does forbid Muslims from drinking wine and other alcoholic drink. But that does not prevent many Muslims from drinking anyway.
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
My understanding is that the precepts include no drink and apply to lay Buddhists as well as to monks but I would have to check - but I am doing my own thing anyway!
Paul.
BTW, even if drink as such is not after all ruled out for lay Buddhists, drunkenness is certainly inappropriate.
Kaor, Paul!
I was thinking more of an "official" stand about alcohol by Buddhist authorities. Possibly the no alcohol rule might be only for Buddhist monks.
Yes, MODERATION is the key, not excess.
Ad astra! Sean
A historical movie I liked showed a Muslim in the company of Vikings. One offered him mead, and he quoted the Koran: "Not the fermentations of the grape, or of grain".
"But this is made from honey," the Viking pointed out.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
Ha! That reminds me of the heretical Muslims we see in OPERATION CHAOS, who argued that while Mohammed forbade wine or beer, he had said nothing prohibiting SPIRITS. So, I can easily see these same Muslims happily drinking mead!
Ad astra! Sean
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