You are here:
Buddhists/Monks
Advertisement
Question
Are there any foods that you are not able to eat?
Hi M,
Thank you for asking me.
(I wonder whether you are the same person asking different questions through different names. Please note that you can group all your questions under 1 posting. This will give others a chance to ask on the same day; and also helps me to answer your questions faster without having to repeat certain comments.)
There are different schools of Buddhism being practised today. The Mahayana Buddhists advocate vegetarianism. The Theravada Buddhists do not insist that followers must be vegetarians. As for lay Buddhists, both schools do not enforce on their followers. It is a religion of freedom.
But for monks and nuns in the Mahayana tradition, all of them are vegetarians. The Theravada monks and nuns are flexible, so long as the meat does not come from any animal (or any life form) specially killed for their consumption.
Buddhism is for the development of spiritual values. It is more important to cultivate our spiritual lives towards self realization by making effort to reduce our greed, to reduce our hatred, and to live a harmless life, rather than concentrating on the type of food we can or cannot eat.
Smile from justinchoo :-)
Related Articles
Answers by Expert:
Justin Choo
Expertise
When in doubt seek it out. All your questions will be answered, and you may not have to agree with the answers. Such is the beauty of Buddhism. You are free to decide. I follow the Theravada tradition, and have been studying Buddhism for more than 40 years. Please view my profile for more details. I have answered more than 1500 questions since joining this category. You may like to give me the honor to answer your question.
Experience
I was brought up in the 50's as a Buddhist. For the past 40 years I have read numerous books on Buddhism and listened to numerous talks on Buddhism by well-respected and learned monks and lay teachers. I conduct Buddhist classes for parents of Sunday School children in a Theravada Buddhist Temple.
My teacher was the late Chief Reverend, The Ven. K Sri Dhammananda of The Brickfields Buddhist Mahavihara, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You can view the relevent website in memory of my revered late teacher @
http://www.ksridhammananda.com
Organizations
I am a life member of the Buddhist Missionary Society Malaysia.
Publications
YOU ARE INVITED TO VISIT MY BLOG @
http://lifeislikethat999.blogspot.com/
Published a book called "The Rainbow And The Treasure". It is a compilation of extracts from various sources to introduce Buddhism to beginners. (Currently out of print)
Education/Credentials
Bachelor of Commerce And Administration, Victoria University Of Wellington, NZ.(1974)
©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.