One whose outward appearance is impure cannot be one who has collected the mind.

Some people say that whether or not one eats meat is not something to be attached to—that not attaching to marks is the point, and gathering the mind as precept-keeping is what is fundamental. But facts and results—cause and effect—do not depend on whether you or anyone else is attached or unattached; they will inevitably manifest. Wishful thinking cannot solve anything.

Only one who has the ability to gather the mind can truly keep the precepts; without the ability to gather the mind, one cannot keep the precepts. Who can gather the mind, and at what level of cultivation can one truly gather the mind—this is the key. It is not that you gather the mind just because you think you do, nor that you are free of attachment to marks just because you think you are. Such thinking is far too unreliable and makes no sense. To be able to be free of attachment to marks, one must realize the corresponding truth, and one must also have deep meditative concentration (samādhi); only then can one be unattached, break through marks, and gather the mind. Anything else is mere lip-service Chan.

You must be clear about at what level of cultivation one can gather the mind. Ask yourself honestly: can you gather your mind? If you can, then any problem can be solved, and whether or not you eat meat would no longer matter. If being concerned about whether or not to eat meat is attachment to marks, then that would mean that not being concerned about eating meat or not means the mind is already free of attachment to marks. Since one is already free of attachment to marks, then whatever you eat should be fine—you no longer fuss over it. Plain white rice alone would suffice, or with a plate of pickled vegetables, or raw vegetables without meat—anything would do. One who is not attached to what one eats should be able to eat anything, including leftovers; as long as the belly is filled and one can apply effort to cultivate the Path, nothing else matters.

True non-attachment should be like this, not the claim that there is no need to avoid eating meat.