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Bre Milne
Ancient World History
Thomson
02 12 2016
Revised 18 December 2016
Buddhist Dietary Restriction
In general, Buddhism is a way of finding peace within oneself. It
is a religion that helps to find happiness and contentment. Buddhists
develop inner peace, kindness and wisdom through their daily practice;
and then share their experience with others bringing real benefit to this
world. They try not to harm others and to live peacefully and gently,
working towards the ultimate goal of pure and lasting happiness for all
living beings.
Buddhists believe in keeping the human body cleansed and
healthy. Their diet is very important to them. They have a few general
rules that they follow in regards to what they can and cannot eat.
Some of these rules are: no killing of any being that is able to feel or
perceive things. Nor is it acceptable to use animal products (milk,
eggs, leather, feathers, etc.). Oddly, the cuisines of all the
predominantly Buddhist populations feature meat. Alcohol and other
intoxicants are forbidden because they may result in violations of
others of the "Five Moral Precepts": no killing, stealing, sexual
misconduct, lying or partaking of intoxicants. Also intoxicants cloud the

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mind and interfere with the concentration needed to achieve
enlightenment. Onions, garlic, scallions, chives and leeks, "the five
pungent spices" are forbidden for some sects because they're said to
lead to anger when raw and passion when cooked, but the Buddhists
add that their odors repel gods and attract hungry ghosts and it seems
sort of strange that the world's Buddhist populations are predominantly
meat eaters, and they honor neither the Hindu ban on cow nor the
Muslim ban on pig. If a Buddhist must kill an animal there are certain
last rites to be performed for the beast, depending on sect. Priests,
monks, nuns and those who feel they are on the Bodhisattva path are
expected to follow a strict vegetarian diet. The Buddha himself is
reported to have died from eating tainted pork. It is said the Buddha
sometimes ate meat that was prepared specifically for him in violation
of the exception rule. This is said to be to demonstrate freedom.
Theravada is one of the oldest forms of Buddhism. Monks and
priests of Theravada generally depend on donations by the people to
survive. In some regions most young men are drafted to be monks for
a particular period of service before re-entering the community as full
adults. In Burma the monks march out in the morning carrying their
begging bowls and walk through a crowd and the people would place
offerings into the bowls. Clearly, monks have little control over what is
put in the bowl, and are expected to eat whatever food is placed there.
Because the population is not vegetarian meat may be what is on hand

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and may be included and it is allowed to be eaten in accordance with
standard rules. This rule stating that meat must not have been
prepared specifically for you and you must not have seen or been in
any way involved in the slaughter of the beast. If you are an
unexpected guest in a household and you were unaware they
happened to be serving roast pig, they may offer it to you and you may
eat it. If you were an expected guest and they prepared pig you must
decline it.
In the region dominated by Vajrayana neither the people nor the
monks and nuns would have a much harder time becoming a
vegetarian even if they wanted to due to the fact that year round
agriculture is geographically impossible. For this reason, Tibetan
Buddhists do not attempt to avoid meat. Though many monks and
lamas have fled Tibet and live in vegetarian parts of India or other
countries where a vegetarian way is not difficult, they retain their meat
eating ways. American and European converts from other Buddhist
forms often give up their vegetarianism as well to be more in tune with
their lama.
Buddhism, like other religions, has different branches with
different rules and ideas. These different branches have similar ideas
about the consumption of food and the way a body should be dieted.
Although there are slight differences based on ideas of consuming
meat and geographical location Buddhists are all mainly vegetarian or

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close to it. They eat healthy and pure to contain a happy and peaceful
way of life.

Bibliography

Hammond, Penny. "Religious Dietary Guidelines and Restrictions."

Religious Diets. N.p., 03 May 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2016. This source
gave me some information on the different religions that I was able to
use to compare Buddhism to other religions.

Ohlsson, Michael. "Untitled." Untitled. N.p., 9 Dec. 1998. Web. 04 Dec.

2016. This source gave me a large variety of knowledge about the
different kinds of Buddhism and they way they eat. This source was
very helpful to my writing.

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Smith, Melissa. "The Hindu Diet." LIVESTRONG.COM. Leaf Group, 11

Jan. 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2016. This source gave me some information
that I discussed briefly in my writing.

i Buddhists generally take their diet very seriously. They believe that when you eat
healthy and pure your being will be healthy and pure.