Translator’s Note: The Pali Suttas of Early Buddhism state that a lay or monastic Buddhist adherent “must not kill or cause to kill”. For the monastic – this is a strict requirement – but for the lay-person this restriction can be evaded by acquiring (dead) meat from other (non-Buddhist) people. The animal must not be killed in front of them – or killed with their knowledge. Therefore, when the Buddha’s monastic disciples walked from one village to the next – often where food was scarce – waste meat could be donated by the Buddhist-laity and consumed by the monastic providing the above conditions were met. This is still the situation in Theravada countries – although even some of their monastics refuse to eat meat under any circumstance. Just as vegetarianism exists within Hinduism – it certainly exists in principle within Early Buddhism despite the caveat. Emperor Ashoka (c. 3rd century BCE) of India, for instance, greatly reduced animal slaughter and meat-eating throughout his kingdom – and established widespread animal hospitals (suggesting that vegetarianism was present within Early Buddhist thought). Within many of the Indian Mahayana Sutras – strict vegetarianism is advocated by the Buddha. As the Mahayana Sutras became more popular in China than the Pali Suttas – the idea of strict vegetarianism (which had spread from India via various Vinaya Discipline texts) took root (even though it was only meant initially for the monastic order). Buddhist vegetarianism was not invented in China (as the author of the below [translated] text seems to imply). It is true that at least two Emperors in China did ban meat-eating in their respective countries – and instigated an expansive vegetarianism amongst the general public (Buddhist and non-Buddhist). This meant that Buddhist monastic vegetarianism was spread throughout the Buddhist laity and beyond – and this was a transformation of Buddhist practice in general that has persisted into modern times. Much, if not all of the interfacing Chinese philosophy that at least gave structure to Chinese Ch’an (Dhyana) Buddhism arose from the “Change Classic” (Yijing) which I have translated HERE. ACW (3.8.2026)
SANGHA KOMMUNE (SSR) 