egetarian

This is a very commonly asked question. First let me state that Nichiren Shu has no doctrine or regulation on vegetarian eating. Most Nichiren Shu members and ministers eat meat. Vegetarian eating is only required during monastery stays for ministers in Nichiren Shu and during some retreats. Japanese Buddhist monks and nuns did practice vegetarianism until the Meiji period when the government trying to encourage Shinto practice and discourage Buddhist practice by making the Buddhist monks and nuns eat meat and get married. Of course this did not destroy Buddhism in Japan but only changed it to fit the situation of its time.

The Buddha did not make vegetarianism a rule in the priesthood or the laity. On the other hand he did teach that all sentient beings (conscious beings) have Buddha nature and should be saved. The first precept is not to kill. This statement is sometime used to prove that we can eat meat as vegetables are living beings also and if we do not eat we would die. If we go back to the original language of Buddhism we see that the Chinese when translating this precept used not to kill. The original precept is actually translated as not to take breath. The precept is directed at sentient beings and not at non-sentient beings. Even though this is the case we should follow the Buddha's example and not try and force a vegetarian diet on others. Vegetarianism is a path that must be decided upon by each individual. The Buddha tells us that he can show us the path, the decision to walk the path is ours.

Sometimes we do run into individuals who when they find out we are vegetarians try to force meat eating on us. They will sometimes use Buddhist teachings saying we must eat it because it was given to us or that vegetables have Buddha nature. They also may try to bully you into eating meat as you are being ungrateful or that it is not polite in some way. If you become confused about what the Buddha taught, some of the following links and books may be useful in clarifying the Buddha's teachings. I should say that I am a vegetarian and I will be happy to answer any of your questions.

Questions? email Rev. Faulconer at ryuoh@comcast.net.

Links:

A Tendai monk wrote a nice piece on vegetarianism and Buddhist at this link.

Shabkar; A Buddhist perspective by a Tibetan teacher.

Vegetarian Times Magazine offers recipes and articles on vegetarianism.

Meat Out is a national organization that promotes a meat free diet.

Books:

VEGETARIANISM - Bodhipaksa; Windhorse publications; 1999; ISBN 1 899579 15X

FOOD OF BODHISATTVAS "Buddhist Teachings on Abstaining from Meat" - Shabkar; Shambhala; 2004; ISBN 1 59030 116 1

RELIGIOUS VEGETARIANISM - Kerry S. Walters & Lisa Portmess; State University of New York Press; 2001; ISBN 0 7914 4972 6