The first lay precept in Buddhism prohibits killing. Many see this as implying that Buddhists should not eat the meat of animals.
On the other hand, certain Mahayana sutras make a stronger argument against eating meat. In the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha states that "the eating of meat extinguishes the seed of great compassion". A long passage in the Lankavatara Sutra shows the Buddha weighing strongly in favor of vegetarianism. Several other Mahayana Vyana also prohibit consumption of meat.
In the modern world, attitudes toward vegetarianism vary by location. In China and Vietnam, monks are expected to eat no meat.
In Japan and Korea, some monks practice vegetarianism, and most will do so at least when training at a monastery.
No comments:
Post a Comment