<
https://theconversation.com/can-a-buddhist-eat-meat-its-complicated-207117>
"Some Buddhists are strictly vegetarian, and others eat meat. Both justify
their positions on the basis of Buddhist texts and teachings.
In the Mahayana Buddhist traditions of China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Korea,
meat-eating is prohibited. In others, such as in some Theravadin traditions and
Tibetan Buddhism, meat-eating is acceptable. In certain circumstances it may be
encouraged for health, or for ritual tantric practices, comparable to
Christians eating the host – the body of Christ.
Being minimally Buddhist requires the practitioner to follow at least the first
precept of non-killing. When someone makes a commitment to become a part of the
Buddhist Community (called Sangha), the Buddha asks them to take five basic
precepts. The first precept is usually formulated along these lines: “I shall
abstain from destroying any breathing beings.”
This tradition of precept-taking was introduced by the Buddha himself. The
implication is that the first precept pertains to all living sentient
creatures. Dedicated practitioners will go to great lengths to avoid destroying
any life, to the extent of being careful where they step so that they do not
squash even an ant."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
