Buddha ate meat? September 6, 2009
Posted by Dr Dan in Uncategorized.Tags: Buddha. vegetarianism, meat eating
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There seems to be some evidence that Buddha and his followers were not ’strict vegetarians and rather preferred that people not slaughter animals for them. However, most foods were accepted by them during their begging rounds.
It appears that so-called ‘Buddhist vegetarianism’ was popularized only after the Buddha’s death. It became an important matter for Buddhists, beginning most likely after the efforts of emperor Ashoka (269–232 B.C.).
“The evidence given by the faunal remains of Nevasa shows that in the period when Buddhism propagated a vegetarian way of life and thereafter, vegetarianism was never generally accepted in India. This is in accordance with the written sources. It was Ashoka (269–232 B.C.) who during his reign regulated the slaughter of animals for food, and proclaimed that he had reduced the consumption of meat in the palace to neglectable proportions. The Chinese monk Fa-hsien, who visited India in the early 5th century A.D., reported that all respectable people were now vegetarian, meat eating being confined to low castes and untouchables” (ed., de Leeuw & Ubaghs, South Asian Archaeology 1973).
Thoughts?
Buddha and his disciples weren’t required to be vegetarian. They had to accept what was given, though there were some rules like: the animal couldn’t have been killed in front of them, killed specifically for them, or given entirely to them.
One of the Buddhist precepts is to abstain from killing, which is interpreted by some to mean “Go Vegetarian!”
In fact, most Buddhists would probably tell you that Buddha and his disciples ate meat; being vegetarian wasn’t a fundamental aspect of Buddhism.
Yeah, Buddha ate meat =]
Thanks for the great info. Not really my field but thought that it was interesting. It seems to me that the emphasis shifted from not killing (as you mentioned) to been strictly vegetarian.
Traditional, pre-exile Tibetan Buddhist, even lamas, frequently ate meat. There were a few exceptions and they were so few they proved the rule. Even extreme ascetics such as Milarepa would eat meat if offered to him. Jonathan’s post is correct, for medicant monks, eat what was offered. One story that illustrates this is a probably apocryphal tale of the Buddha going his rounds with his disciples. A leper offered them food but his finger fell off in the bowl. It was eaten. Yum.
This is all great stuff!!! Keep the stories coming!
Buddha himself ate pork so Buddhism doesn’t forbid eating Meat
Actually, it doesn’t matter what Buddha was eating at that time. The most important is that Buddha is trying to cultivate compassionate in human, and eliminate inequality between beings. We are too attached to physical practise and we are totally missing the whole points.
Just like one of the Zen master said, when you point your finger to the moon, you are thinking that your finger is the moon but not the actual moon itself.
However, having said that, some of us do need the those physical practises in order to cultivate compassionate. Hence, being a vegetarians or not is not vital, being compassionate is the ultimate goal.
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Last summer, the Dalai Lama emphasised how important it is to not eat meat. In our society animals are bred for the slaughter, that is different from the time the Buddha lived in.
In my opinion, if you really want a good study of the subject, I would encourage you to read Cherish All Life by zen Roshi Philip Kapleau. You can download it for free here; http://www.buddhanet.net/pdf_file/lifecherish.pdf. It contains a whole study of this subject, as it’s a question that puzzles a lot of Buddhists and non Buddhists.
Further on, your motives to become or to not become a vegetarian are you own, but always consider your motivations. Do you honestly find it acceptable to eat meat and have animals be slaughtered for your pleasure or are you attached to the taste of meat and are you not willing to give up this pleasure? If you choose, choose wisely and investigate the matter.