Meat Me Half Way
- If one chooses to eat meat then that is good. If one chooses not to eat meat then that is good. But, in either case don't be ignorant of the life you are extinguishing when you eat. Grow your own garden. And, ensure any meats or vegetables you are eating have been treated with compassion in their lives and deaths.
- —Guest Dogen
In The Beginning
- The majority of the Buddhists I know are people who say we shouldn't kill sentient beings. I have also met some who think plants and trees are sentient beings. What would they propose that we eat, dirt? The fact that the world has changed and we don't hunt for food but raise cattle and other animals just for food means the world has changed since those ideas were written down. Some think fish, eggs, cheese and other dairy products, or meat bi-products are correct to eat. The Jains are vegans who refuse to eat root vegetables since something could be killed while digging them up, although they use milk for a traditional temple washing. I just do what is good for my body. I don't eat much red meat, but I can't eat enough vegetable protein to keep from looking emaciated like a scarecrow. I am not a vegan cook, either. I know Sikhs who cook traditional vegan meals that are delicious, but most of them look extremely thin to me. The middle way means NO EXTREMES.
- —ArizonaMildman
The middle path
- In my opinion, it is important in each situation to consider the effect that your actions will have and act in the best way you can. Will it really make a difference to the suffering of animals to refuse the meat given by your grandmother? or is it more likely to cause unrepairable damage to the self confidence of a woman you love? only you can decide, given the infinite variables of the situation that could apply. I suspect the answer would be different for everyone reading this article when thinking about their own grandmother, or anyone else. Personally, I would use the opportunity to educate my grandmother about my personal belief system, including the middle path and the reason why I am whole heartedly tucking into the delicious meal that she has taken the time to make for me.
- —Guest No
Not vegetarian, but definitely Buddhist
- The Buddha was always appreciative of the food he was given. He recognized the importantance of gratitude and that many of the villagers who gave food to him were giving what they had. In some cases, they were taking food from their mouths and those of their families in order to share with the Buddha or the monks. I personally am not a vegetarian. I do however recite a small 'thank you' to the animal who was killed so that I may eat and hope to repay its sacrifice by an act of kindness or charity to someone else. It has made me acutely aware of the work and sacrifice of others to provide this meal for me. From the animal, to the butcher, to the person who put the meat on the shelf at the grocer. I do not kill anything myself, but do not refuse that which is given to me, as long as it was not killed specifically for me or at my behest.
- —Guest Matt
Grandma's pork chops
- I would approach grandmother in the way a monk or nun goes about with his or her begging bowl. It is not for me to critique what's in it. It is what is put before me. Grandma prepared a meal she thought I would enjoy. My aversion (a sign of attachment) is unimportant. I would set the attachment aside and thank my grandmother for preparing a wonderful meal for me and for her. The pig, in this case, is past caring or suffering. I can’t do anything for the pig. To chastise or refuse would cause my grandmother distress. It’s one meal. Is my enlightenment so fragile it can be stopped by a pork chop or two? Before me is a chance to practice loving kindness and learn about aversion and detachment. I would rather take that opportunity than worry about what I can’t change. Here, too, is a chance to learn that grandmother, me, and the pig are inseparable and interconnected. There’s another reason to thank grandma. She gave me an opportunity to practice.
- —Guest Cord
mongolian way
- If your food vegan or meat involved does not matter cause it definitely connected with suffering of sentient beings. Period! If you drink milk you robbing calf's milk! If you are eating cabbage you involve yourself with millions of lives of worms and insects that were butchered during growing of that single cabbage. Now tell me how many cabbages you ate this life time and multiply that with milllions of worms nessecary for that single cabbage growth. Then blame us Nomadic Mongolian Buddhists who kill a cow a year for food! One killing against millions of worms. Plus, our butchers recite mantra OM MANI PADME HUM! in ears of that cow before killing... Then in tantrayana it is believed whoever, listens this mantra before the death, even he(cow in this case) was a worst sinner, he will reborn in Amitabbha Buddha Pure Land--or the best rebirth, for which I, personally can die for.
- —Guest OmManiPadmeHum
One additional point
- I am dismayed by some who say, "A 'real' Buddhist would have to be vegetarian." That sounds awfully like a fixed, hard-and-fast rule. First, it creates a false dichotomy between those who are vegetarian and those who are not. The vegetarians are 'real' and the non-vegetarians are heretics. This is a dichotomy that other faiths got caught up in, leading to torture and death for tens of thousands of humans. Humans, by nature, are omnivores. We eat plants, flesh, and insects. Even vegetarians live on death -- they must kill plants to live. I almost picture the Buddha laughing at such dichotomies. I think he would be more concerned with the karma of a follower. He has said to decide for oneself. If you believe that following the precept means to minimize suffering, and that leads you to vegetarianism, then that is right for you. If you believe differently, then that is right for you. The Dali Lama eats meat for medical reasons. I don't think anyone would say he was less awake for it.
- —Guest Cord
My take - and only my take
- It is good to see this discussion and the different points of view. This is what the Buddha would want -- for one to think about what he or she is doing and why. I look to the First People of North America. The eat meat and make tools from the animals they hunt. They do so with reverence however. They thank the spirit of the animal who laid down its life so that they may live. If one slaughters an animal -- or a person -- with intent to cause suffering and extinguish that life with hatred, then I think the First Precept is violated. Intention is the key here, I think. If killing is suffused with poison (greed; hatred), then it is very hard if not impossible to be awake. Example: I prefer to buy organic free-range eggs. The hens are allowed to be chickens, and that means exercise, fresh air, good food, and better care than in factory egg farms. Why? They are healther and suffer less than when cooped up in cages where they can barely move. I prefer misery-free eggs. (grin)
- —Guest Cord
buddhism/vegetarianism
- i don't know because when the buddha in his time and his disciples went to beg they food people place meat in their bowls and they ate it.i also read one of buddha disciple ate a finger
- —Guest dwight howard
Rejecting grandmother's food
- "I say that if you hesitate to eat those pork chops for even a second, you are no Buddhist." This reads awfully like a precept, a strict doctrine that you would have us follow blindly, without discrimination. Gautama Buddha advised us to consider for ourselves what is appropriate and to reject any idea worthy of rejection. I reject your stance. While you appear to be arguing that refusing the proffered food is to cause our grandmother to suffer you fail to consider other circumstances. She has prepared the dish especially for us; with modern slaughterhouses being centralised this is alike to having an animal killed for us, something Gautama Buddha said was grounds for refusing animal meat. Accepting the food may encourage her to make the same gesture again leading to further needless animal death. Refusing to eat it not only might prevent an animal being killed in future through reduced sales but also may get the woman to consider that she too could refuse to eat animal flesh. Of course, this leads to a situation where businesses make less money and maybe workers suffer--and this train of though gets far too convoluted for a response to a web page. One might say that hesitating even for a second, no matter the specific outcome, shows one is a buddhist for by doing so one has exercised buddhi.
- —Guest Chris
Response to Melanie
- Because this is a complicated issue, I've opened a thread on the forum for discussing vegetarianism. I've posted a reponse to Melanie's question at this link (copy and paste into browser if the link doesn't work) -- http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?tsn=68&nav=messages&webtag=ab-buddhism tid=1287
- —mahabarbara
Questions
- Thank you for your clear explanations. I do have a few questions: Do Buddhists believe that some forms of life are more valuable than others? For example, I see a lot of people in the comments saying that vegetarians kill earthworms. Is this equal to killing a cow or pig? If so, it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you are not gluttonous? In your example with the grandmother, a Buddhist is to eat the pork chops in order to not cause suffering to the grandmother, correct? How about a slightly different scenario. What if grandma lives on a farm and informs you that she will have the farm foreman slaughter a pig for your dinner with her. Can you inform grandma that you do not want the pig killed for you? Or, because grandma's life and suffering are more valuable than the pig's do you eat the pork? Thank you so much for any help you can offer.
- —Guest Melanie
Why are meat-eaters so defensive?
- So vegetarians choose not to eat animals (that are living beings that have been killed for human consumption), why do you care? Yes, plants are alive, but they do not have faces and brains and do not call out in pain. I choose not to eat meat. Please stop attacking me.
- —Guest MelO
hi
- I belive it is right thing for someone who is a real budist to be a vegtrain because in Christanty it also says thou shall not kill.And there is also some people in Florance Flower Mary Rose Anna family who fllow this rule beause they used to be buddisam before they became a Christan
- —Guest Florance
Thank you
- As I was browsing the net looking for information on vegans and vegatarians, I stumbled upon this article and I must say that this was so well balanced and informative and the answer to the questions I had about eating or not eating meat. Thank you
- —Guest Sherida
