Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I undertake to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants, and minerals.

The First Precept goes on to add, " I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking, and in my way of life." This first of the ethical guide for Buddhists admonishes followers to refrain from killing, but meat eating is not regarded as an instance of killing, and it is not forbidden in the scriptures.

Keeping in mind that there were no "Buddhists" in Shakyamuni's (the historical Buddha) time. There were only mendicants (spiritual seekers who survive on charity, begging) of various kinds (including the Buddha's disciples), plus lay people who gave them alms out of respect without necessarily worrying about the brand name of the teachings. The Buddha and the Sangha (the Buddha’s disciples) in His time were not total vegetarians as they consumed the alms food offered by lay followers, whom they encountered “randomly” from place to place. Though the Buddha never requested specific food to be offered, He spoke against the intentional acquiring of meat for Him and the Sangha.

The Buddha said there is “pure meat”, meat acquired without intention to kill:

1. Meat ordered or received by mistake.
2. Leftover or discarded meat.
3. Meat from animals that have died naturally or by accident for at least 16 hours
(The number of hours is to ensure the consciousness has left the body).
4. Meat from random alms rounds as practiced in the Buddhist tradition.

Once, a disciple of the Buddha asked a man why he kept buying meat. The man replied that he did so since the meat-seller kept selling meat. When the meat-seller was asked why he kept selling meat, he replied that he did so since the man kept buying from him. When the Buddha was consulted as to who was the unskillful (in Compassion and Wisdom) one, He replied that both were unskillful.

Supply and demand is an obvious vicious cycle. The whole universe of meat eating and animal slaughtering is an intricate web of interdependence, of related cause and effect. When we buy meat, we play a part in the circle of life and death of other beings.

Being Buddhist today

Vegetarianism is an excellent, superb and honorable way to uphold the first precept. A Buddhist is not breaking the precept by eating non-vegetarian foods. However, it is improper to hunt or have food purposely killed for one's consumption (such as in the case of ordering live lobsters). Whenever one eats another sentient being, even if one did not partake in the killing and the food was not obtained for the individual’s own personal purpose, a practitioner should certainly pray for the deceased animal’s well being and happiness.

Many Buddhists today (especially Mahayanists) practice vegetarianism as a means of cultivating compassion.

Also see the Best Friends Network International Community for:
Tibetan Buddhists move towards vegetarianism: American Buddhists to encourage Tibetan Buddhists to become vegetarians

Though the Buddha never made it a compulsory rule that all His followers have to be vegetarians, He strongly encouraged them to be. In the Bodhisattva practice of minimizing harm to all beings and benefiting them as much as possible, the practice of vegetarianism as far as possible plays an essential role. We can see this in many of the Buddha's recorded teachings.



Some Buddhist teachings regarding eating meat:

“The eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great Compassion.”

“If a person does not harm any living being…
and does not kill or cause others to kill-
that person is a true spiritual practitioner.”
---Mahaparinirvana Sutra (The Buddha)

"...Ananda, I permit the bhikkus (monks) to eat only the five kinds of pure flesh* which are the product of my transcendental power of transformation and not of animal slaughter. You, Brahman, live in a country where vegetables do not grow because it is too damp and hot and because of all the gravel and rock. I use my spiritual power of compassion to provide you with illusory meat to satisfy your appetite. How then, after my nirvana, can you eat the flesh of living beings and so pretend to be my disciple?..."

"...All monks who live purely and all Bodhisattvas always refrain even from walking on grass; how can they agree to uproot it? How then can those who practice great Compassion feed on the flesh and blood of living beings?..."

”...How can a monk, who hopes to become a deliverer of others, himself be living on the flesh of sentient beings?...”

”...If a man can (control) his body and mind and thereby refrains from eating animal products, I say he will really be liberated. This teaching of mine is that of the Buddha whereas any others that of evil demons..."
---Surangama Sutra (The Buddha)

”The Bodhisattva, whose nature is Compassion, is not to eat any meat… For fear of causing terror to living beings…let the Bodhisattva who is disciplining himself to attain Compassion, refrain from eating flesh.”
---Lankavatara Sutra (The Buddha)

"If a bhikkhu sees, hears or suspects that it has been killed for him, he may not eat it."
---Mahavagga of Vinaya Pitaka (The Buddha)

"Let him not destroy, or cause to be destroyed, any life at all, nor sanction the acts of those who do so. Let him refrain from even hurting any creature, both those that are strong and those that tremble in the world."
---Sutta-Nipata (The Buddha)

"I have enforced the law against killing certain animals and many others, but the greatest progress of righteousness among men comes from the exhortation in favor of non-injury to life and abstention from killing living beings."
---King Asoka's Edicts

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