Why did the Buddha allow monks to eat meat?
Bowl with food after the almsround – Photography by Fabian Fred
The first and most important reason is that eating meat is not, in itself, considered blameworthy. The Buddha allowed monks to eat meat if they had not seen, heard or suspected that any living beings had been killed specifically to make the dish for them. In such a case, having made no direct contribution to the death of the creature, monks made no kamma by consuming its flesh. The Buddha neither forbade monks to practice vegetarianism, nor praise it. His teachings on food focused on the importance of eating easily digestible foods in moderation, rather than advocating any particular diet.
A second consideration underlying the Buddha’s attitude to vegetarianism in the Sangha is the long-term welfare of the order itself. Monks are mendicants, dependent for all of their food needs on the generosity of householders: they are not allowed to grow, store or cook food; they may not pick fruit from trees. If the Sangha was to become restricted to areas in which it could rely on vegetarian donors, its influence for good in society would be unnecessarily limited. The spirit of mendicancy would also be betrayed if monks were to request particular foods from donors, rather than being grateful for whatever is offered to them in good faith.
There have always been monks who choose to be vegetarians. In the case where they offered meat on almsround, these monks do not refuse to accept it. They express appreciation for the act of generosity, but pass the meat on to others.
More questions and answers HERE
Source:
- Without and Within – Ajahn Jayasaro
Ryokan Says
If you’re interested in reading the Buddha words about eating meat, read the Jivaka Sutta.
Have in account that the directions of the Buddha were within the mendicant monks context. I understand that from the laity point of view there are additional considerations to be made since we have a more active decision in how or where we get our food. We have an article about this subject available in Spanish [Budismo y Vegetarianismo]. Available soon in English, stay tune.
