First,donoharm:theBuddhistdiet

ElizabethHan
AkeyconceptofBuddhismisreincarnation,arepetitivecycleoflifeanddeath.One
Tibetanlamalikenedtheprocesstothatofaflyinsideofaclosedjar.Theflymayventure
whereveritpleases,butintheend,itisstilltrapped,neverabletoreachtheoutsideworld.
Likewise,humansaretrappedinthecycleofreincarnation,goingaroundendlesslyin
meaninglesscircles.TheultimategoalofBuddhismistoescapethecycle,or,inotherwords,
obtainEnlightenment.Onlythenwilltheybeliberatedfromdelusionandsuffering.Assuch,
followersoftheBuddhistwaydotheirbesttofocustheirthoughtstodeveloptheirunderstanding
oftheworldandachievenirvana.EverythingismadeintoapathtotheirAwakening,including
theirdietsthefoodstheyeatareacrucialpartoffollowingtheBuddhistlaws.
Theselawswerefirstconceivedthousandsofyearsago,inIndia,whenthemanwho
wouldbecomethefirstBuddhabeganhisownjourneytowardsEnlightenment.Hisnamewas
SiddharthaGuatama,andhehadbeenaprince,raisedinthelapofluxury.Hiseveryindulgence
hadbeenprovided,andhislifehadbeenoneofextremepleasureandabundance.However,it
hadalsobeenoneofextremeignorance.WhenSiddharthawasborn,hisfatherlearnedthatthe
princewouldbecomeeitheragreatleaderoragreatholyman,dependingonwhattheboysaw
oftheoutsideworld.Determinedtohavehissonbecomearuler,thekingconfinedtheprinceto
thepalace,withoutanyknowledgeoftheoutsideworld.ButSiddharthaeventuallyventured
outsidethepalacewalls.Hewasimmediatelyexposedtothesufferingoftheworld,therealities
ofaging,disease,anddeathwhichhadbeenkeptsecretfromhim.Hereturnedtothepalace

troubled,disillusionedwiththeluxuriesofthepalace.Whatwasthepointofitall,ifeverything
wastobecomedustanddeath?Hecametotherealizationthatlivingthelifeoftheprincewould
leavehimunsatisfied,sorenouncedhistitleandbeganhisjourney.
Siddharthasoughtoutthegreatestreligiousteachersofhisageandlearnedtheir
philosophies.Butwhenwiththesephilosophies,hestillwasntabletoanswerhisdoubtsand
questions,hebeganexperimentingonhisown.Heattemptedtofollowthepathof
selfmortification.Inotherwords,heabusedhimself,enduringpainandfastingtostarvation.It
occurredtohim,oneday,thatthiswasnowaytoenlightenment,onlytheoppositeofthe
pleasurehehadexperiencedbefore.Starvationwasnttheanswer.Ifanything,itwasthe
opposite,takingawaythestrengthheneededtomaketheeffort.Amiddlewaywasneededto
balanceoutthetwoextremes.Soheacceptedfoodthatavillagerofferedhim,andtriedouta
differentpath.Hesatbeneathasacredfigtreeandvowedthathewouldnotrisebefore
achievingenlightenment.Itissaidthatduringhismeditation,thechiefofalldemonswishedto
preventhisawakening,somanifestedillusions,tryingtotempthimorfrightenhimawayfrom
therightpath.ButSiddhartharespondedbydevelopingevendeeperconcentration,and
removedthefinalveilsofignorancefromhismindandinthenextmomentbecameaBuddha,a
fullyenlightenedbeing.
TheBuddhawouldspendtherestofhislifeteachingothersthepathtohisawakening.
HetoldthemoftheFourNobleTruths,thefoundationforBuddhism:thetruthofsuffering,the
truthofitscause,thetruthofitsend,andthetruththatfreesusfromit.Ashedidso,heandhis
followerswanderedfromplacetoplacewithonlytheirrobesandbeggingbowlstocallhisown,
livingoffofwhatothersgavehim.Thesemen,thefirstbuddhistmonks,gratefullyreceivedand

consumedallfoodofferedtotheminthesebowls(Begging).Theexceptionwasmeat.Though
eatingmeatinitselfwasnotprohibited,ifsaidmeatwasfromananimalspecificallyslaughtered
tofeedthemonks,theyweretorefuseit.Inaddition,therewasalistofforbiddenmeats:human
meat,for,asonemonkstates,obviousreasons,elephantandhorsemeat,becausetheywere
royalanimals,dogmeat,fornoapparentreasonexceptforthatpeoplevieweditdisgusting,
elephant,tiger,lion,hyena,andbearmeat,sinceonewhoatesuchanimalswasthoughttobeara
scentthatwouldbringforthrevengefromthosespecies.
Today,manysectsargueabouttheBuddhasintentionswhenitcametofood,soattitudes
ontheBuddhistdietvaryfromsecttosect.Auniversalbeliefisthebanofdrugsandaddictive
substances,astheyalterthemindandpreventtheachievementofenlightenment.Butwhenit
comestotheconceptofvegetarianism,manyschoolsaredivided.Somemonksofcertainsects
consumemeat,regardingvegetarianismasapersonalchoice.Othersencouragevegetarianism,
butdonotrequireit.Stillothersforbidtheconsumptionoffishandmeatinallitsforms,and
imposeevenfurtherrestrictionsonvegetarianconsumption.Forexample,onesectpreventsthe
harmingofplantlife,meaningthattheconsumptionofrootvegetables,suchascarrotsand
potatoes,areforbidden.Onespecificallyprohibitstheconsumptionofgarlicandmango,after
incidentsinwhichmonksharvestedmorethantheycouldeat.Anotherbansstrongsmelling
plantssuchasshallotsandmountainleek,thoughttoexcitethesenses.
Allsectscitegoodreasonsfortheirownrestrictions.Vegetariansectssaythatthoughthe
Buddhadidnotprohibittheconsumptionofmeat,helivedinadifferenttime,whenanimals
lived,onaverage,muchbetterthanthemodernlivestockdotoday.Animalsexperiencealevel
ofsufferingthatcomeswithbeingraisedforfood.Inaddition,thecostofraisinglivestockis

high.Sinceanimalsarefarhigheronthefoodchainthanvegetables,theyrequirefarmore
resources,resultinginaharsherstrainontheenvironment.Thewaythelivestockarecrowded
togetherevenresultsindisease,as,topreventit,theanimalsarefedasteadydietofantibiotics,
whichcausesstrainsofantibioticresistantdiseases.Meatconsumingsectsontheotherhand,
statethateatingmeatinitselfisnotinherentlyharmful,onlytheintention,andevenif
vegetariansrefrainedfromeatingmeat,theystillcontributedtothesufferingofothersin
differentways.Thevegetablestheyeat,forexample,wereharvestedwiththedeathsofmany
smallcreatures,aswerethegoodsandresourcestheused.
Ultimately,however,onecannotlivewithoutsuffering.Toavoidallitisimpossible.
AnyandallsectsofBuddhismknowthis.Theyknowthatwecanonlystrivetoreduceit,doing
thebestwecan.Ittakesmanylittlesteps,likeusingdiets,andinthatway,achieve
enlightenment.

WorksCited
AhismaandthePrecepts.
ClearVision.
n.p.,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://www.clearvision.org/Schools/Students/Ages1516/livingthebuddhistlife/ahimsa
andprecepts.aspx
BeggingBowl.
ReligionFacts.
ReligionFacts,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/things/begging_bowl.htm
Brahmavamso,Ajahn.WhattheBuddhaSaidAboutEatingMeat.
UrbanDharma.org.
n.p.,
Apr.1990.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/meat.html

Buddhistcuisine.
Wikipedia.
WikimediaFoundation,Inc.,1Jan.2015.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_cuisine
Buddhistvegetarianism.
Wikipedia.
WikimediaFoundation,Inc.,21Feb.2015.Web.27
Feb.2015.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_vegetarianism
Liew,Samanera.BuddhismandVegetarianism.
UrbanDharma.org.
n.p.,6Jun.1999.Web.
27Feb.2015.
http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma3/vegi.html
LifeofBuddhaAttainingEnlightenment.
AboutBuddha.
AboutBuddhism,n.d.Web.27
Feb.2015.
http://www.aboutbuddha.org/english/lifeofbuddha4.htm/
LivingtheBuddhistLife.
ClearVision.
n.p.,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://www.clearvision.org/Schools/Students/Ages1516/livingthebuddhistlife.aspx
OBrien,Barbara.BuddhismandVegetarianism.
About.com.
About.com,n.d.Web.27Feb.
2015.
http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/a/vegetarianism.htm
.FeedingtheBuddha.
About.com.
About.com,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://buddhism.about.com/od/becomingabuddhist/a/foodoffering.htm
.TheLifeofBuddha.
About.com.
About.com,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://buddhism.about.com/od/lifeofthebuddha/a/buddhalife.htm
.TheFirstBuddhistPrecept.
About.com.
About.com,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://buddhism.about.com/od/theprecepts/a/firstprecept.htm
.TheFourNobleTruths.
About.com.
About.com,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://buddhism.about.com/od/thefournobletruths/a/fournobletruths.htm
.WhatistheSelf?
About.com.
About.com,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://buddhism.about.com/od/whatistheself/a/skandhasnoself.htm

Sujato,Bhikku.WhyBuddhistsshouldbevegetarian.
Wildmind.
Wildmind,23Jul.2012.
Web.27Feb.2015.
http://www.wildmind.org/blogs/onpractice/whybuddhistsshouldbevegetarian
The1stPrecept:Nonviolence.
ClearVision.
n.p.,n.d.Web.27Feb.2015.
http://www.clearvision.org/Schools/Students/Ages1718/Buddhistethics/1stprecept.as
px