What Food Restrictions Do you have if you are Buddhist?

Answer 1

There are several issues related to food restrictions and Buddhism.

The Buddha exhorted his followers to avoid eating meat - especially animals that were killed expressly for the eater. However, Buddhist monks were not to be choosy about eating whatever was put in their begging bowl.

"...How can a monk, who hopes to become a deliverer of others, himself be living on the flesh of sentient beings?..."-Mahaparinirvana Sutra (The Buddha)

"If a bhikkhu sees, hears or suspects that it has been killed for him, he may not eat it."-Lankavatara Sutra (The Buddha)

Also, there are historical/cultural factors. In Tibet, animals were the central diet of human beings and when Buddhism arrived there, this continued. However, after the Tibetan diaspora, the Dalai Lama suggested that this change.

"Reflect carefully- why are you putting off vegetarianism when it so obviously has all the plus points? Is it due to plain greed for the taste of meat? If you want to be sure you are not vegetarian not because of greed, the best solution is to be vegetarian and prove it to yourself. This is not my challenge for you- this is your personal spiritual challenge. We have to be totally honest with ourselves. Remember this- your decision to be vegetarian or not will affect thousands of sentient lives in your lifetime."-His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Finally, in some Buddhist traditions, certain foods are forbidden especially before certain religious ceremonies or in temples: onion, garlic, and leeks. Such foods are thought to stimulate aggression or libido and so interfere with Buddhist practices.

Answer 2

AnswerOne of the precepts of Buddhism is "to abstain from killing sentient beings" , therefore if devout Buddhist is to prepare food for himself, he will always prefer vegetables. However, Buddhist will eat any food given to them as offerings. According to tradition, Gautama Buddha himself died by eating spoiled (?) foods given to him as offering when he was 80 years old.

Answer 3

One of the precepts of Buddhism is "to abstain from killing sentient beings" , therefore if devout Buddhist is to prepare food for himself, he will always prefer vegetables. However, Buddhist will eat any food given to them as offerings. According to tradition, Gautama Buddha himself died by eating spoiled (?) foods given to him as offering when he was 80 years old.