Buddhism and Veggies

Is it compulsory (for want of a better word) for all Buddhists to be vegetarians or just Buddhist monks. I would consider myself a buddhist but I eat meat.

 

Like Meagain said their are lots of omni Buddhists, including myself. The Dhali lama too, but I didn't want to compare myself, 'cause i'm probably not a very good Buddhist.

 

Well the Tibetans aren't veggie. But that is because it would be difficult for them to live otherwise.

The 1st precept says "Don't take life". Also you are meant to be considerate to all sentient beings, animals included. Include animals in your metta bhavana and you will probably find it harder to stomach flesh anyway.

Blessings

Sebbi

 

I'm pretty considerate to the animals I eat.

 

The Buddhist Centre I go to is New Kadampa Tradition and don;t eat meat... I havent eaten meat for 13 years though anyway.

Love Clairexxx

 

I was wondering about that myself. Does anyone know if there are any restrictions on what a Buddhist can/can't eat? When you think about it, there isn't much of a difference between being an omni or vegitarian, in terms of its relevance to the 1st precept. A plant is just as much a living sentient being as an animal, and since we need to be nourished with something in order to sustain life, it seems inevitable that we must cause the death of other sentient beings. I think that the most we can do is be grateful to the living being that gave its life so that we could maintain ours.

I did find this Buddhist prayer that can be said before one eats:

This food is the gift of the whole universe,
Each morsel is a sacrifice of life,
May I be worthy to receive it.
May the energy in this food,
Give me the strength,
To transform my unwholesome qualities
into wholesome ones.

I am grateful for this food,
May I realize the Path of Awakening,
For the sake of all beings.
Namo Amida Buddha.

In Kindness,

Diana

 

Diana, thats a beautiful prayer. Do you think you can find the original version for me?


Here is one famous Hindu prayer fromt he bhagawad geeta that is chanted before a meal:

bramharpanam, bramha havih
bramhagnau brahmanahutam
bramhaiva tena gantavyam
brahma karma samadhinah

Bramhan is the ladle, bramhan is the offering
bramhan is the sacrificial fire, bramhan is the fuel
It goes to Bramhan alone
in order to facilitate the activities of Bramhan.

 

when buddhist monks and nuns go on their daily routes begging for food, of course they´re not going to turn down anything that´s offered to them. this obviously includes meat. since they are not the ones killing the animal, it´s ok.


also, buddhism arose out of India, which values cows. cows have been around a LONG time in India - now who´s not gonna say that before they were considered sacred that people didnt eat them?

 

It could be a question of the less aware serving the more aware or the more aware willingly serving the less.

 

Plants are not sentient. They are not aware and do not think as far as we can measure. I am not Buddhist, but I base my diet upon a principle so as to cause the least amount of damage possible. I value all life. I consciously realize that I destroyed life, non sentient life, when I eat plants to survive.

 

Life is a very delicate ballance. If nobody killed the animals or chopped down the plants just think how crowded and dangerous the world would be, we would be living in a mass jungle with literally millions upon millions of cows, deer, rabbits, and just about any other animal for that matter and the world would be full of disease. Food would eventually run out and mankind would starve to death.

 

That is rediculous.

If you control an animals habitat [that is disallow emmigration] it will self regulate population through available food supply.

Your conception of plant growth is interesting, however, it is not realistic.

 

the Dalai lama isnt a vegetarian anymore, becuase of health reasons.. After more than 30 years of being a vegetarian, doctors advised he eat meat for iron and protein if he intended to continue to travel, and what the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion say to that, meat it is.

 

you can get iron and protein from un-animal sources in the quantities needed for good health...

In-fact the only thing that meat has that veggies / pulses / seeds etc don't have is cholestorol... and you wouldn't be wanting any of that anyway

Love Clairexxx

 

Do you require these nutrients to survive that the Dalai Lama does? That cannot be recieved from some other source?

You are self contradictory and hypocritical if you do not.

 

i´m pretty sure that buddhism argues that plants ARE sentient beings.


also, i was told that buddhists will chose to eat beef over something like chicken or fish because if you kill 1 cow, that´s one life for a lot of meat. but if you kill a chicken for food, you dont get that much meat for that 1 life. "more bang for your buck," so-to-speak.

 

I'm reminded of this quote, which Gary Snyder quoted in one of his poems: "One should not talk to a skilled hunter about what is forbidden by the Buddha" Hsiang-yen.

 

All of this depends on the sect of Buddhism. There are thousands of sects and there are very few concepts all can agree on. I'm a buddhist but I don't see plants as sentient beings, and have actually never heard from a source that says that.

Again, depends on the sect. I personally do not consider myself a vegitarian, and I justify this by the fact that we evolved to be obnivores (and no one can deny this--that is why we have both molars and canine teeth). Of course we don't HAVE to eat meat; bears are obnivores but they can survive without fish. I eat meat because I like it, period.

We can argue about the ethics surrounding it till the end of time--the bottom line is, it's my body and I decide what I eat (on a side note, I hate tofu and most vegetables; and soymilk makes me gag). Of course I acknowledge that I'm eating a dead animal--it's not like I'm denying anything. But NO ONE CAN BE PASSIONATE ABOUT EVERYTHING. There are certain issues in this world that I personally don't care about. As a Buddhist, I don't see that as apathy (it would only be apathy if I didn't care about anything) but as managing my compassion so I can use it most effectively. In other words, I would rather care passionately about a few issues than have a little interest in a lot of issues.

If I do in fact end up with bad karma (which I don't believe I would because I have no ill will or bad intentions towards the animals), then what is it to anyone else? My karma is my business and my responsibility; no one else's.