Buddhism and vegetarianism

For many Western Buddhists, vegetarianism seems to be a basic part of Buddhism, something that those from more traditional Buddhist countries may not agree with. In probably the best article about Buddhism in the West, "Buddhism Comes to Main Street," Jan Nattier writes of a Buddhist gathering at which Asian-Americans are "feeling the not altogether friendly stares of the mostly Caucasian (and overwhelmingly vegetarian) crowd as they try to enjoy their hot dogs and potato chips." At the weekly food festival at a Theravada monastery near Tampa, vegetarians have about as much difficulty putting together a meal as they would in a mainstream restaurant.

Do Buddhists eat meat?

As with many questions that begin "Do Buddhists..." there are at least three different answers to a question about Buddhist vegetarianism, at least one answer for each of the three main schools of Buddhism, Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. The first of the five precepts, taught as the minimum of practice for laypeople, is "to refrain from destroying living creatures." The question then becomes whether one can eat meat and "refrain from destroying living creatures."

Vegetarianism and Theravada Buddhism

According to the Theravada traditions, there is no specific teaching of vegetarianism for laypeople; neither is there a teaching against vegetarianism. Monastics, however, are not allowed to eat meat if they have seen or heard the animal being killed or if the animal was killed specifically for them. Other than that, monks are required to eat whatever is given to them (alms-food). The Buddha himself, since he was a monk, followed that rule, and consequently, he was not a vegetarian. In fact, his final meal (although there is some dispute about the translation) included meat.

Vegetarianism and Mahayana Buddhism

It is not possible to come up with a single answer for the Mahayana traditions, because Mahayana Buddhism has not only grown out of and been shaped by many cultures but also has a wide range of teachings. Some Mahayana groups emphasize some of the sutras, the Mahayana scriptures, more than others.

The eighth chapter of the Lankavatara Sutra (text) is the most specific of all Buddhist teachings against eating meat. A vegetarian commentary  notes, "When the Buddhist scriptures were written there was an obvious controversy (which continues to this day) about the consumption of meat." That is probably the only statement about vegetarianism and Buddhism on which everyone can agree.

Vegetarianism and Vajrayana Buddhism

Richard Gere, a western follower of the Vajrayana Buddhism of Tibet and a vegetarian for decades, has joined with a group called Tibetans for a Vegetarian Society to declare Bodhgaya, the city in India where the Buddha attained enlightenment, a meat-free zone (source).

One consideration in Tibet is that in many areas, vegetarianism was not an option, because of the climate and soil conditions (source). In some traditions and texts, meat and alcohol are to be consumed ritually (source)), although alcohol is specifically prohibited in the final of the five precepts. While many lamas commend vegetarianism, others, including the Dalai Lama himself, are not vegetarian. In the Shambhala Sun , Noa Jones discusses her struggle with reconciling her eating meat, her refraining from eating meat, and her Vajrayana ideals, and refers to herself as a "Vajra-tarian."

The author of this article is a carnivore who, nonetheless, has a great deal of respect for those Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike who follow the vegetarian discipline. The article is not written as a position paper, simply as a report. No offense or insult is intended to anyone.