Though not strictly forbidden by Buddhist teachings, many of those following the Buddhist religion opt out of eating meat so that they are not causing suffering to animals. This is especially pertinent given the belief in the ability of any living being to reach enlightenment.
On the one hand, the vinaya (the rules of monks) explicitly allows monks to eat meat. On the other hand, Tibetan Buddhism idealizes the practice of compassion, and expects practitioners to focus their efforts on relieving the suffering of all sentient beings—a category that explicitly includes animals.
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.
After all, the very fundamental basis of Buddha's teachings begins with “Do No Harm.” With that principle alone, a sincere Buddhist practitioner should not eat the meat of any sentient being.
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.
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.
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.
Buddhism teaches that drinking or using other kinds of drugs can cause carelessness and should be avoided, and strong Buddhist beliefs would be expected to have a significant impact on alcohol use.
Buddhism, the Dalai Lama writes, doesn't prohibit meat-eating “but it does say that animals should not be killed for food.” And there lay the crux of what he calls Tibetans' “rather curious attitude” toward meat.
The monastic community in Chinese Buddhism, Vietnamese Buddhism and most of Korean Buddhism strictly adhere to vegetarianism. Theravada Buddhist monks and nuns consume food by gathering alms themselves, and generally must eat whatever foods are offered to them, including meat.
To this day, Buddhist monks and nuns in almost every traditional Buddhist country are still expected to adhere to a monastic lifestyle and are enjoined from getting married and starting families.
Buddhists do not believe in any kind of deity or god, although there are supernatural figures who can help or hinder people on the path towards enlightenment. Siddhartha Gautama was an Indian prince in the fifth century B.C.E. who, upon seeing people poor and dying, realized that human life is suffering.
The "Five Foodstuffs" (bhojantya or bhojana) recommended by Buddha were : (1) odana, boiled rice prepared with ghee, meat, fruit, etc; (2) sattu, baked grain-e, g., barley, graham flour, wheat, or millet-taken in the form of small balls or licked as a paste ; (3) kummasa, a boiled mixture of barley (or rice) and pulse ...
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. On the other hand, other Buddhists consume meat and other animal products, as long as the animals aren't slaughtered specifically for them.
Some teachers and scholars say the Buddha himself espoused a vegetarian diet. Others say practitioners must avoid meat only when it's killed expressly for them. In short, there are many ways to interpret Buddhism's first precept to “refrain from taking life,” if you're into strict interpretations.
Pizza is one of favoured treats for nuns and monks. He reckoned 8 out of 10 like pizza. Although pizza contains cheese, ham and pepperoni, nuns and monks are less conscious about animal proteins on pizza toppings as these are part of food called 'pizza'.
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.
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.
Cunda Kammāraputta was a smith who gave Gautama Buddha his last meal as an offering while he visited his mango grove in Pāvā on his way to Kuśīnagara. Shortly after having Cunda's meal, the Buddha suffered from fatal dysentery.
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.
The large majority of monks feel that smoking is not an appropriate practice and that there should be a Buddhist law that recommends they do not smoke. Most monks, however, have little understanding of the specific detrimental effects smoking has on them, as well as the effects of second hand smoke.
Most Buddhist scholars and monks of all the major traditions are in pretty solid agreement that caffeine, when taken in moderate doses, does not constitute a breaking of the fifth precept.
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.
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.
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.