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motive of discrediting the Buddha. The Buddha rejected the request.
He would not make it a rule to enforce vegetarian diet but instead
Killing is an act that is advised His disciples to make their own decisions on this matter.
karmically bad, and will
V one who kills, but eating a way to gauge a person’s religious purity. The Buddha, however,
bring bad result to the
During His time, and even until today, vegetarianism is seen as
egetarianism
meat, like drinking water did not see vegetarianism as a way of purification. His method of
or eating rice, is karmically purification is mental development (bhavana) through the practice
of morality, concentration, and wisdom. Vegetarianism is not a
neutral.
necessary condition for mental development.
In fact, in the Amagandha Sutta, the Buddha-to-be said:
Thank you for inviting me to say a few words on this subject ‘Neither meat, nor fasting, nor nakedness,
matter. I believe that the objective of this Forum is to encourage
vegetarianism. If that is the case, I am afraid you have invited the Nor shaven heads, nor matted hair, nor dirt,
wrong person – I am not a vegetarian, though I have great admiration Nor rough skins, nor fire-worshipping,
for vegetarianism. Those of you who are vegetarians can take pride
in the fact that you are in the company of great personalities like Nor all the penances here in this world,
Plato, Bernard Shaw, and Leo Tolstoy. But mind you, Hitler was Nor hymns, nor oblation, nor sacrifice,
also a vegetarian.
Nor feasts of the season,
The Buddha was not a vegetarian. During His time in India, Will purify a man overcome with doubt.’
there were many groups of ascetics, both vegetarians and non-
vegetarians. The vegetarian ascetics would get their food from Although the Buddha did not advocate vegetarianism for his
vegetarian families only, but non-vegetarian ascetics got theirs monks, He did advise monks to avoid ten kinds of meat for their
from both vegetarian and non-vegetarian families. By being a non- self-respect and protection. They are the meat of humans, elephants,
vegetarian, the Buddha could gain access to all families regardless horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and hyenas.
of their diet-preference, and preached to them the Dharma. Some animals attack people when they smell the flesh of their own
kind. (Vinaya Pitaka).
Once Devadatta, a disciple of the Buddha, approached the
Buddha and requested Him to enact a disciplinary code (Vinaya) Nevertheless, the Buddha advised his monks against eating
requiring monks to take only vegetarian food, with the ulterior flesh if one hears or sees the act of killing of the life in preparation
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