The concept of vegetarianism in Buddhism is a tricky one for many beginners to grasp, but many seasoned lay Buddhists can lose sight of the concept just as easily.
Was the Buddha a Vegetarian?
Chances are slim that Shakyamuni Buddha was a vegetarian. He was born into a royal life and did not actually leave that lifestyle until after he was married and had a child. It would be unreasonable to think he was a vegetarian at that time, although the cow is a sacred animal in India so it’s possible he did not consume beef.
In the Pali Canon, the Buddha rejected a suggestion to incorporate a vegetarian diet into official Buddhist life for the monks and nuns. In fact, during much of Buddhism’s beginning, monks and nuns were sustained with alms – donations of food, for example, from the general public. If meat was given to the Buddhists to eat, they were expected to eat it graciously without hesitation except in a given circumstance. The Buddha expressed to his followers that if an animal had been killed to feed them, specifically, they were to refuse it, but leftovers after a family has eaten was fine.
The Buddha gave a list of meat that was not to be eaten, however, which includes horse, elephant and bear, as well as dog and snake meat. Leopards and tigers were also forbidden. Some would argue that if the Buddha gave a list of “forbidden meat,” then meat that did not make the list could be considered “okay to eat.”
The Precepts – Don’t Kill
The first of the Five Precepts states that Buddhists are to refrain from killing and a common argument of traditional vegetarians (non-Buddhist, for example) is that eating meat is essentially approving the killing which can be seen as no better than killing the animal yourself. As mentioned above, the Buddha didn’t stipulate this in his Teachings, specifically. If taken in the literal sense, eating meat could be considered acceptable as long as you didn’t kill the animal to eat and it wasn’t killed to feed you.
What is the Vegetarian Connection to Buddhism?
At the time that Shakyamuni Buddha was here on Earth, Buddhist temples and monasteries didn’t exist. The monastic life for Buddhist monks and nuns wasn’t that stable; there was a lot of traveling and everyone relied on alms to survive. When temples came into play, the monks and nuns still relied on donations. This could become a problem, however, if the donation was perhaps a whole cow or a bunch of slaughtered chickens. It is reasonable to think that the vegetarian aspect of Buddhist life became important to prevent such donations. That being said, vegetarianism is a choice for many Buddhists.
The Vegetarian Buddhist
In the monastic life for Buddhist monks and nuns, the diet is primarily a vegetarian one, no matter where they are in the world or what sect they are affiliated with. For lay Buddhists, vegetarianism is a choice. But there are things to consider when choosing to become a vegetarian for Buddhist reasons.
The Buddha frowned upon extremes and aiming for perfection is just as senseless. Sticking to a rigid vegetarian or vegan diet could be seen as an “extreme” which could undermine the Buddhist concept and cause conflict in the ability to adhere to one or the other; Buddhism or vegetarianism, that is.
It is important to note the difference between becoming a vegetarian for animal rights and becoming a vegetarian for Buddhist compassion. It would be inherently un-Buddhist, for example, to comment to others who choose not to be vegetarians like some traditional non-Buddhist vegetarians are known to do. Additionally, being vegetarian should not overrule the Teachings. Technically, if you are offered food the Buddhist thing to do is accept it; if you refuse to eat something simply because it’s not in line with a vegetarian diet, one could argue that you are missing the point.
Compassionate Buddhist Omnivores
For non-vegetarian Buddhists, there are other considerations. As many realize, and many do not, a country such as the U.S. where meat is produced in large quantities often has meat supplied by factory-style farms in which the living conditions for the animals are less than ideal and far from compassionate.
A suggestion for those Buddhists who find a vegetarian diet too limited or difficult but want to live in accordance with the Teachings might consider purchasing animal products from more compassionate sources. For example, free-range or cage-free eggs are from farms where the hens are permitted to roam, outside of cages. The egg shells are noticeably firmer and the difference in quality is significant.
There are also natural meat sources such as organic, grass-fed beef from farms known for their living conditions. It can be considered just as “Buddhist” to do the research and be compassionate in your food and shopping choices. Even if consuming a vegetarian or vegan diet, it's possible to buy products that are produced in less-than-compassionate situations. A little mindful research can go a long way for Buddhist effort.
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