10. As a result of the widespread assumption that the body is oneself, man has thoughtlessly constructed for himself a large variety of means for cherishing the body. The very sight of them is terrifying. Man's constant concern is that the body is getting old, it is becoming thin and dry; and yet it must by some means be maintained. But, after all, how long can you keep alive this body, this outer skin? It is only till death, isn't it? 

When the fellow sergeant Death presents his warrant, can the body resist it for a moment? In the presence of Death, all one's pride freezes. And yet, for the sake of this frail body, man accumulates innumerable means of support. Day and night, he is anxious about his body. Nowadays, they say that there is no harm in eating meat to preserve the body. The human body, then, is so precious that we should eat meat to preserve it. They say that the animal's body is less precious. 

Why? Why is the human body so precious? What is the reason? Can it be that the animal eats what it likes, that it has no idea beyond satisfaction of needs? Man does not act like this. Man takes care of the creatures around him. That is why the human body has value, that is why it is precious. But by eating meat we destroy that which makes the human body precious. My good man, your greatness depends, does it not, on the fact that you live with self-control, that you labor for the safety of all beings, that you
care for them and cherish them?

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