Why does Taoism avoid eating beef?

Taoist orthodoxy has the rule of "four don't eat", that is, no beef, dog meat, mullet and swan goose. "

The reason is:

① cattle. I have eaten grass all my life and squeezed out milk. I have been working for the benefit of all beings all my life. It tastes terrible.

② mullet. People usually say,' mullet sperm is the worst, even their own children eat it.' However, Shi Tian Daoyou said the opposite. They think that mullet can't see anything but starve to death in spawning season; Mullet cubs are the most filial. They would rather swim into their mother's mouth and feed her than starve to death. Their spirit is precious and they can't eat it.

③ Hongyan. Lonely geese who have lost their spouses have lived alone all their lives and are in a bleak situation. They are determined not to get married again and should not be eaten, because their spirit is commendable.

4 dogs. Throughout the ages, people often say,' A son is not too ugly for his mother, and a dog is not too poor for his family'. Serve God all your life. It is inedible. "

See the reason for not eating cows, dogs and geese in the Ten Commandments of Virtual Yellow Sky: "If cows are meritorious, dogs are righteous, geese are orderly, and carp and eels fight. Is this meat safe to eat? " Ten Commandments of the Truth in the Beginning of the Virtual Emperor Buddha is a Taoist book in the Song Dynasty. It explained that cows, dogs and geese were not eaten because they had meritorious deeds and could not bear to eat them, but it did not give them more ethical significance.