Vegetarianism - A Buddhist practice?

[dorjedakini]

Yes of course vegetarianism is a Buddhist practice. The core teaching of Buddhism is not to harm all sentient beings....

I agree, focus on the pain another beings have to suffer just to pleased our taste bud, and how these animals are once out mother. When i started to cut down meat in my diet, i always think that I'm eating my CURRENT life's mother's meat. It makes me feel very bad and eventually i stop eating meat.

Being Vegetarian we are not just being compassionate to the animals and also to ourselves. if we can't think of others for now, then think of how all the meats will effect our health.

i just do not feel right reciting Dorje Shugden's mantra and at the same time eat meat....

[ratanasutra]

one of Buddha teaching is to not killing which apply into a basic vows for lay man ie refuge vows, 5 precepts and 8 percepts.

which mean indirectly is for us to become a vegetarian, how to hold the vow of not killing if we still eat meat. it doesn't matter that we are not the person who order and kill that particular animal to get meat to eat, indirectly we are kill somebody.

well.. it just a matter of  we want to accept this point or use to be an excuse that we just eat and we don't kill.

[kris]

I read somewhere, can't remember where though , it is not a vows for Buddhists to refrain from meat.

However, on the other hand, when we see the animals suffer in the bad conditioned farms, and that suffer just before they are slaughtered, we should develop compassionate towards them and therefore should refrain from meat.

For me, giving up meat is more of a letting go of my attachment... and it has been a good training for me so far

[Aurore]

I read somewhere, can't remember where though , it is not a vows for Buddhists to refrain from meat.

It's not part of the Buddhist vows to refrain from meat, but it is the Buddhist vow not to kill and killing is the heaviest karma of all. Eating meat constitute to killing another being even if it's not directly. When we eat meat, we create the market for people to kill for our dinner.

[samayakeeper]

I was brought up in a family who are non-vegetarians. Now as a practicing Buddhist, I choose non-meat food.

Eating or not eating meat is a personal choice. One does not have to be a Buddhist to be vegetarian. There are many reasons why a person goes vegetarian.  It may be for spiritual reason, compassion, health etc. Some people, who cannot bear to see, hear or read of animals being slaughtered for its meat, organ, fur, bone, horn, etc. may not be Buddhists. Being a Buddhist and vegetarian does not mean the person is compassionate.

There are some vegetarians who make uncalled comments when they see others partake in meat. But these vegetarians forgot that they were once meat eaters.

For Buddhists, who aspire to gain Bodhicitta, not eating meat is one of the main practices.
For the health conscious, not eating meat may mean less clogged arteries.
For animal lovers, not eating meat may mean, less animals will be mercilessly slaughtered. Less demand equals less killing.
For meat lovers, please go for regular health check-up.

[Barzin]

Practice not to kill - indirectly or directly, practice of letting go one's attachment, practice of compassion, practice of mindfulness, practice of holding one's vow; all these can be seen as practices in Buddhism.  These can be applied in vegetarianism too.  Actually, personally I don't so it is so much about the meat but it is definitely a practice for Buddhist practitioner.

As a Buddhist, every small little thing in life should be our practice.  It's not just for the obvious, it too can be to other objects.  Hence, it is definitely most beneficial when it comes to contemplation and meditation.

[dorjedakini]

Practice not to kill - indirectly or directly, practice of letting go one's attachment, practice of compassion, practice of mindfulness, practice of holding one's vow; all these can be seen as practices in Buddhism. 

All of these are to clear the 3 poisons which are ignorance, desire and hatred. Not killing and not eating meat is to encounter all the above. Media of modern days make us feel that eating meats is a cool things and it is a must, if we do not try steak from XXX restaurant, we are will be left behind.....it is so twisted and not true.

Everyone who believe in Buddha and Dorje Shugden must be vegetarian, as their true nature is not to harm others.

[hope rainbow]

It is not compulsory to be vegetarian as a Buddhist. However, since practising compassion is part of the Buddhist practice, it would make sense for us to promote non killing. In addition, we're praying to save all sentient beings. So why are we killing beings in the animal realm just to satisfy our senses? We can still be healthy when we do not eat meat. So is eating meat then an act of compassion?

Indeed, how can we wish for all sentient beings to be free from sufferings and then barbecue and eat these sentient beings...
Uuuuhhhh....

[WisdomBeing]

I've been vegetarian long before I learned about Buddhism and it's never been an issue for me. I'm glad that being vegetarian can be seen as a Buddhist practice though i can imagine that for those who like their fish and chips, it could challenge their whole being! For us Buddhists, i thought it's about fighting our attachments, so why be so attached to our meals? I know that some Tibetan monks do eat meat, but other Tibetan monks don't, so why be selective and follow the meat eating ones? There are many more reasons not to eat meat than to eat it... the biggest, in my opinion, is our own attachment. So perhaps if you're still eating meat, you should contemplate why.

[dondrup]

... So is it an essential, recommended or unnecessary practice?

This is subjective because it very much depends on the personality of the person concerned.  Buddhists practise compassion and non-harming by refraining from eating meat. But being vegetarian does not totally prevent the karma of killing from arising. The very act of farming the crops that vegetarians derive their food from is indirectly causing harm to insects and other sentient beings living in the soil where the crops are grown.

What is our intention of eating meat? There are so many varieties of food available to choose from other than meat.  Is it to satisfy our desire or taste of meat? There are alternative forms of meat – the vegetarian “meat” made of soya that tastes like the real meat.  Hence, it is merely a matter of acquired taste.  It is also a matter of attachment to eating meat.

Is it Essential?
For some it is essential to consume meat and for others it is essential to abstain from meat for medical and health reasons.

Is it recommended?
If we practise non-harming or compassion for animals, then it is recommended to reduce meat consumption or to become full vegetarian.

Is it unnecessary?
Perhaps this applies only to sentient beings of the formless realms! 
 

[Galen]

I do agree with Klein that if we are Buddhist, then the act of compassion is to not kill and eat animals and that includes meat which are not directly killed by oneself. It is not compulsory to be vegetarian but Buddhist also emphasize on non-attachment. So why are we attached to our meat and the will of wanting to eat meat?

I became a vegetarian 11 months ago and till now I have had minimal to none cravings for meat. I do miss it sometimes but I know the reason why I became vegetarian. And that is the biggest motivation for me to keep my vows. By keeping the vows, it generates merits which I can dedicate to all sentient beings to alleviate their suffering.

[negra orquida]

I found this article in this website on the interview with His Holiness the 101st Gaden Tripa Lungrik Namgyal.  Among the responses to many questions, there was a question on vegetarianism and Buddhism.  His response was this:

It has been suggested that cultivating crops kill untold numbers of insects whilst the slaughtering of only one yak in old Tibet can feed the whole family for a week. Therefore, from the numerical point of view, this group of people suggests that we should consume meat of big-size animals rather than eating vegetables which inevitably entail the death of countless creatures. Moreover, some masters have insisted on vegetarianism as compulsory for a Buddhist whilst others quoted Buddhist texts to the contrary. 

In general, Lord Buddha has taught 3 differing points with regard to vegetarianism. In the first one, in the Theravada tradition, it is taught that we cannot take the so-called three categories of “Impure Meat”: a) we perceive through our eyes or ears the killing of the meat; b) we suspect that the meat is killed for ourselves; c) we know that the meat has been killed for us. Besides these 3 categories of meat, we are permitted to partake of the rest.

In the second one, in the Mahayana tradition, it is taught explicitly that the taking meat is necessarily unskillful and wrong. So vegetarianism is compulsory here. In the third, in the Vajrayana tradition, it is taught that practitioners of this path should take meat. The reason for this is given in the texts and requires extensive explanations. It is not appropriate for me to elaborate here. Students of Buddhism can choose to follow any of these 3 points. It is not possible for me to dictate which points students should follow.

Based on what I understand of Buddhism, Buddhism is a very adaptive and evolving religion.  And in particular the Vajrayana tradition, many "unconventional" methods are used to teach the practitioners.  Even our diet can be used as a tool to practice.   So from what i gather from what is said above, the requirement to be vegetarian or not is not "imposed" across the board for all Buddhists practitioners.  It depends on the practitioner's level of training and realisations.  Just like how it is a transgression of sangha vows if a (newbie) monk drinks alcohol or have sexual relations, however highly attained lamas may drink alcohol or take on a consort.

Hence, eating vegetarian / meat could be a practice in itself. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that partaking meat is a practice to realise emptiness.  However for us lay practitioners, at least for me, I would go for the vegetarian option as I am still at the newbiest of newbie level and I don't understand the emptiness teachings.  Since I know what really happens before the meat finally arrives on a plate in front of me, at least I can practice some compassion by not eating meat and contribute to the demand for the mass slaughtering of animals.

Also, if our Guru had strongly advised us to adopt vegetarianism, we should follow the Guru's instruction until told to do otherwise.

[negra orquida]

The link to the interview mentioned in my earlier post is here:

http://dorjeshugden.com/wp/?p=12258

[negra orquida]

Would also like to add that being vegetarian is not just showing compassion to the animals, but also to the people who kill these animals for a living.  If we would not kill an animal because we know of the karmic consequences arising from such action, how could we get someone else to do the killing for us? This would be similar to the story in the Lamrim of how some monks got a butcher to kill a goat, cow and chicken (?) for their meal.

[DSFriend]

I'm a Buddhist and am Vegetarian.  I find it beneficial to view it as compassionate practice for human kind.

The question to answer is what is it we wish to achieve through vegetarianism. Is it to lessen sufferings of animals? Is it to promote buddhism? Is it to cultivate compassionate thoughts of people in our community?

If i encourage my non-buddhist friends to be vegetarian by saying Vegetarianism is a buddhist practice, then they may not connect with it and may even be put off. But if the people in the community i live in can connect with lessening the sufferings of animals, then it is very good. Be it under a religious banner or not, doesn't matter to me.

Then by they knowing that you are a Buddhist and is a vegetarian, they will connect the dots in their minds that Buddhism teaches compassion and Buddhists live it.