About the buddhist diet

Throughout history, there has been a lot of debates around whether buddhists should be vegetarians. Afterall, first of the 5 precepts is - Refrain from killing.

It is interesting to find so many diffierent views, early buddhist monks sustain their lives on receiving alms because it is considered as good karma for the layperson or family for providing food for people pursuing the enlightenment path (or Tao in Chinese). Moreover, farming to provide for themselves will mean that insects and little animals could be harmed or killed in the process.

Ancient India is a predominantly non-vegan society, buddhists are not allow to choose which household or food to take to avoid attachment, and it would be considered as a horrible thing to refuse any food given (apart from certain types of meat). However, buddha instructed that if the monk/nunhood See, Hear or Know that a living animal was killed specifically for them to eat, they must refuse it. In other words they are only to consume leftovers as this causes the least harm to living things.

As buddhism progress, monastaries are established and more and more monks do not take alms anymore but are dependent on donations from buddhists. It is really difficult to justify that meat donated by devotees do not violate the 'See, Hear, Know' rule, thus Mahayana monks, in particularly chinese monks are strict vegetarians.

Two things i believe are important here is to reduce attachment, and also to show compassion. Being a vegetarian might be the eventual path that a buddhist will end up both to remove one's attachment to meat eating as well as avoiding the direct killing of an animal for food.

Layperson do have a choice not to eat meat, thus they should strive to do it - but not to please buddha or to get merits, rather it is to cultivate one's compassion and also dettachment from the pleasure of food.

An author i came across on the internet gave a good analogy about the real reason why we want to be vegetarian, he said:

"We follow the precepts not because it is sinful not to, you follow them the same way you follow a weight program if you are a body builder: because it has been proven to be the most effective way to achieve the goal."

Same reason why one want to become vegetarian because while being vegetarian is not found in any of the buddha's precepts, it is seen as an effective way to achieve the precepts and the precepts are in turn effective programs to help one achieve the goals. its like wearing running shoes instead of slippers when going on the treadmill.

We have to be extra careful as well as being a strict vegetarian can result in obsession and thus attachment as well - bad for enlightenment. however if you ask me, I'll rather be an obsessed vegetarian then an obsessed meat eater - at least the animals would benefit!!

(I am an omnivore and am attempting to cut down on meat consumption although it has been my favourite food for 36 years).