Many Buddhists interpret this to mean that you should not consume animals, as doing so would require killing. Buddhists with this interpretation usually follow a lacto-vegetarian diet. This means they consume dairy products but exclude eggs, poultry, fish, and meat from their diet.
The tendency of many Buddhists to follow a vegetarian diet stems from the tenet of ahimsa or nonviolence that is central to the religion. This principle calls for adherents to do the least amount of harm possible and avoid unnecessary killing.
Conscious eating is followed among all Buddhists. Buddha advised monks to avoid eating 10 kinds of meat for self-respect and protection: humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, boars and hyenas.
In Chinese Buddhism, the cow is an incarnation of the goddess of mercy's (Guanyin's) father. This is similar to Hinduism, which believes that the cow is a gift from gods. This belief influenced Thai-Chinese people, who worship Guanyin, to avoid consuming beef.
All of India's most widely practiced religions have dietary laws and traditions. For example, Hindu texts often praise vegetarianism, and Hindus may also avoid eating beef because cows are traditionally viewed as sacred. Muslim teachings, meanwhile, prohibit pork.
The Dalai Lama, though, is non-vegetarian. An American journal had in 2010 quoted one of his aides as saying that the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader does a balancing act by adhering to a vegetarian diet in Dharamsala and having meat dishes when offered by his hosts elsewhere.
Despite the great diversity of Buddhist traditions across various countries, Buddhism in general has restricted the consumption of alcohol since early times.
In contrast to the view of Hindu vegetarians, for Buddhists meat is not impure in itself. In principle, Buddhists would find nothing wrong with eating the flesh of an animal that had died from natural causes.
According to the Pali Tipitaka, the Buddha did not put a ban on the eating of meat. The Buddha and his Sangha ate meat when they went on pindacara fondly known as pindabat in SEA (alms). A monk is allowed to accept "any food that has been put into his pindabat bowl".
Hindus don't eat beef. They worship the animals. The Muslims don't eat pork. The Buddhists are vegetarians and the Jains are strict vegans who won't even touch root vegetables because of the damage it does to the plants.
The precepts are commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. Within the Buddhist doctrine, they are meant to develop mind and character to make progress on the path to enlightenment.
Cattle are considered sacred in world religions such as Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and others. Cattle played other major roles in many religions, including those of ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient Israel, ancient Rome.
Buddhism much like Hinduism is not particularly restrictive when it comes to tattoos. Buddhists believe that the body is impermanent and so are tattoos. Because they are viewed as temporary, getting tattoos doesn't violate any Buddhist doctrines or beliefs.
While Buddhist women must go through an administrative process to marry men of other religions, if both partners are non-Buddhist, their marriage falls under customary practices. Julie and Rocky's marriage was presided over by an imam; Julie was not required to convert to Islam.
Do Buddhists and monks eat meat? Do Buddhists eat meat even with the fundamental basis of causing no harm? The fact of the matter is, yes, many Buddhists are still eating meat. Not just as lay Buddhists, the monastics, including prominent and popular preachers, do so while teaching about compassion.
While the jury is still out on coffee consumption, most Buddhists believe coffee in moderation is perfectly fine, as long as it does not interfere with the fifth precept, a guideline of morals for practicing Buddhists.
A Buddhist wedding honors the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama and expresses the couple's devotion to wisdom, compassion, and harmony in their partnership. Unlike other spiritual traditions, Buddhists consider marriage to be a secular matter, meaning it is the individual's choice and not a sacrament.
Ridding of your hair serves as a symbol of renunciation of worldly ego and fashion. In Buddhism, shaving your head (and face) is part of Pabbajja. Pabbajja is when a person leaves their home and “goes forth” to live the life of a Buddhist renunciate among ordained monks. It is a paramount step to becoming a monk.
Historically, most Tibetans have included meat in their diet. Yet there are early examples of Tibetan masters who rejected this norm, avoiding meat even as their peers embraced it. Despite such dictums attributed to the Buddha himself, historically, most Tibetans have included meat in their diet.
Excluding most schools of Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhist monastics will usually eat meat. A part of this has to do with the Buddha's requirement that the Sangha, or monastic community, live off the generosity of the laypeople. The purpose of this requirement has to do with both convenience and compassion.
For most Buddhists, however, the desire to look pretty and wear makeup, even if it's just for yourself, is still considered a material attachment. Until you rid yourself of all attachments, the belief is you won't reach enlightenment and be forced to reincarnate for all eternity.
Buddhism allows for each person to make the decision of whether or not they want to be married, how many children they want to have, and who they want to marry. Buddhism does not provide rules or traditions about marriage. Instead, the philosophy offers advice to help a person live happily within a marriage.
In the Himalayan region, especially in Tibet and Nepal, Tara's status is more that of a supreme goddess or female buddha than a bodhisattva. She is referred to as the Wisdom Goddess, the Embodiment of Perfected Wisdom, the Goddess of Universal Compassion, and the Mother of all Buddhas.
The cow, a revered animal in Hinduism
In the Hindu religion, the cow has acquired a sacred status. It used to be sacrificed like other animals and offered to the gods and its meat was eaten.
Few people, however, revere the cow like the world's 900 million adherents of Hinduism.