Do some monks really eat meat?

Ven. Ariyesako (The Bhikkhus' Rules: A Guide for Laypeople compiled and explained by Bhikkhu Ariyesako, Meat Eating); Dhr. Seven, Ananda (DBM), Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hey, let's prepare vegan food and offer it with our own hands to the monks and nunsa. - Yes.

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Don't kill, and don't pay butchers to kill (TNH).

In Western countries compassionate and environmental vegetarianism is increasing in popularity, and this has led to questions about Buddhist monastics and meat eating.

The question of monks and nuns' eating meat is an old one, which was once explicitly raised by the "renegade monk" Ven. Devadatta (Buddhism's Judas figure, who was the brother of Prince Siddhartha's wife and his cousin, who was a monk for a long time practicing to develop psychic powers rather than wisdom or compassion).

He asked the Buddha to prohibit wandering ascetics from eating fish and flesh of all kinds in a ploy to usurp the Buddha and take over the leadership of the Monastic Community (Sangha).

It was Devadatta's "stricter ascetic" tactic, suggesting he would be a better leader with purer standards. The Buddha had already established a strict rule for both monastics and laypeople about not taking life (see Killing), so he disagreed with Devadatta's ploy.

The Buddha allowed monastics to eat meat and fish [88] except under the following circumstances:

If a monastic sees, hears, or so much as suspects that it has been killed for one, that monastic is forbidden to eat it [89] (M.I,369).

A modern Theravada monk on alms round in England (Ajahn Manapo/Forest Monastery).

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If a monastic is given meat on alms round and has no knowledge about how the animal was murdered [90], that monastic has to "receive it with attentiveness." To receive it does not necessarily mean to eat it. (See the Sekhiya Trainings.)

One should be grateful and recollect that food one is given is what enables one to continue to live the monastic, wandering ascetic, mendicant life, and as a mendicant one is not in a position to choose what one is given.

If one later comes to know the family and they ask about the Dharma, one will be able to explain the precept about not killing. This may cause them to reflect on their attitude toward meat eating.

An individual layperson can choose whether to be a vegan, vegetarian, or whatever. Problems usually arise only when vegetarians try to impose their choice on others. As meal times are normally a family or shared affair, this can create tensions and misunderstandings.

An individual monastic who lives on alms food cannot make such choices. Often the donors are unknown — perhaps not even Buddhist, or just starting to find out about Dharma — and to refuse their generosity may so offend them that they never have anything to do with Dharma again.

Karma: Wish I'd donated pure vegan food!

Finally it comes down to the laypeople who go to the market to buy food to give to monastics [who commit a kind of killing by paying others to kill when buying slaughtered and butchered animals, being complicit in that killing by paying for it].

If they are vegetarian themselves or like to give pure food, then the monastic should receive that food with "appreciation" — especially if it means that fewer animals are being tormented and slaughtered.

Nevertheless, it should not become a political issue where other people are attacked for their behavior. Source

COMMENTARY: Note the strong bias of meat eating monks and scholars who present the Buddhist view on this subject. For it is easier to change anyone's religion than his or her diet. Ask a vegan and get a whole different reading of what the Buddhist Monastic Code says, as one can point to many back stories and examples where vegetarianism was the norm for wandering ascetics, yogis, shamans, Brahmins, and spiritual seekers in the East. Few people, who themselves rarely ate meat, would ever think to give it to renunciants. For there was a time when everyone knew, which is to say it was common knowledge, that flesh does not conduce to dispassion, letting go, and purity. But it is not by diet alone that one would ever gain these three things, which is what Buddhism contributed to ancient Indian spirituality. Diet is a component of a spiritual life, not a be all end all. Practice compassion and wisdom.

• Buddhist vegetarianism