Kate Lawrence, a student of Nhat Hanh, takes her teacher's argument to its logical and inescapable conclusion: "[I]f these occupations [animal farmer, animal dealer, butcher] are clearly specified by the Buddha to be harmful, ought we to live in a way that requires other people to engage in these livelihoods? If not, we cannot eat meat." When we eat meat we are the reason that the butcher engages in a wrongful livelihood; we are as guilty as he is of violating the fifth step on the path.
By this same reasoning, we also cannot attend circuses with animal acts, horse races, or bullfights. Nor can we visit zoos, aquariums, or other theme parks that feature captive animals, or patronize animal acts in theaters and nightclubs. In order to live consistently with the requirement of right livelihood, we have to withhold our money and our applause from all who earn their living by animal exploitation.
---The Great Compassion: Buddhism and Animal Rights, by Norm Phelps---
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