When I was first getting into Buddhism, the issue of eating meat was a problem that I had some questions about. All the research I did on the matter offered no clear answer, with some sources saying no, you must not eat meat, others saying this only applied to monks, and some saying to do what you want.

Clearly, if one believes the Buddhist principle of rebirth, than it logically follows that Buddhists should not consume the flesh of another and should do their best to prevent the suffering of animals. But I’m not sure about this particular aspect of Buddhism.

So what’s to stop me eating meat? The Buddha said

“Monks, I allow you fish and meat that are quite pure in three respects: if they are not seen, heard or suspected to have been killed on purpose for a monk. But, you should not knowingly make use of meat killed on purpose for you.”

The first issue this presents is that it is clearly addressed to monks. But, surely laypeople should wish to follow the practices of monks. So, even if they do follow this rule, how can you, in the modern age of mass market food production and consumption, work out or apply morals to the question if the animal has been killed specifically for you. Of course, Buddha was speaking in around the fourth century B.C. and the way people ate was different. It is difficult to ascertain if the chicken you bought in Tesco was killed for your consumption as his teaching on this matter is hard to translate into today’s culture.

Of course this can be argued both ways. On one hand, the animal was reared and killed for the purpose of human consumption. On the other hand, it was not specifically killed for me personally to eat – in other words, the owner of the animal did not kill the animal with the intention of feeding Dan Egelstaff. So, if the animal is not subject to poor conditions during it’s life, and is killed in a humane manner, than surely the act of eating meat is not wrong.

However, this solution was also not satisfactory to me. Whichever way I tried to spin it, I could never morally justify eating meat. I decided to take the moral,religious side out of becoming a vegetarian, and looked at the practical side. I was likely to eat less fatty and high calorific meats, which couldn’t be a bad thing. It would easier to go by a McDonalds if I din’t eat meat. And finally, I would, in some small way be contributing to the lessening of animal suffering.

It is rare I have some sort of ‘eureka’ moment when considering these issues, but in this case I did have a sort moment of realisation. Not eating meat was healthy for me, and it was my way of showing compassion towards animals. It was perfect. It meant I didn’t have to be scouring the back of food labels to look if it continued any sort of even the remotest hint of animal product, so long as I made a conscious decision to avoid eating the flesh or indeed any other part of an animal – any parts which meant the animal would have to be killed, which allows the consumption of milk and eggs etc. This option I felt would also be sustainable.

Throughout December I was red meat and pork free, and now in January, I have committed to being completely vegetarian. So far (11 days in) I’m really enjoying it. I have had no real desire to eat meat, and find all the vegetarian substitutions to be delicious. The only problem I’ve found is that shops only have a limited selection of sandwiches which have vegetarian fillings, which has meant I’m preparing a lot of meals at home. Not much of a problem however, I have always thought I should prepare my own food more!

Thank you for taking the time to read and for anyone looking to become vegetarian because of their Buddhist beliefs, or for any other reason, I strongly recommend you do it. I have even in this short space of time, noticed some health benefits and just feel more contended in general. Of course, sometimes circumstances don’t allow you to be vegetarian, but if you can, really make an effort to try and become vegetarian even for the day, or a week, to see how you like it. If not, try going red meat free for a short time, and see if you like it.

May compassion and wisdom guide you through suffering.

Picture credit – http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/uk-now/read-uk/vegetarian-uk