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By Jayaram V
Meat eating was not prohibited in the early days of
Buddhism. Even
today meat eating is not prohibited by many schools of
Buddhism. The early Buddhists accepted meat as they moved from place
to place begging for food. Over a period of time detailed rules and regulations
have been created to regulated the types of food a Buddhist monk can
partake as food.
The early Buddhists believed that as long as the
animal was not killed by oneself, or by ones orders or when it was not
done for the purpose of pure pleasure, eating certain types of animal meat was not in
contradiction with the principle of compassion for all living beings. However certain types of meat was not allowed
even when these conditions were satisfied.
Right intention is one of the eight factors of the eightfold path.
Right intention involves the practice of right intention consisting of
"the intention of renunciation, the intention of good will, and
the intention of harmlessness" and on the negative side the
avoidance of wrong intention consisting of " intention governed
by desire, intention governed by ill will, and intention governed by
harmfulness." If intention is right, the action will be right. So
in matters concerning food, the same principles apply. There should be
right intention when one is accepting food.
***Vinaya Pitika specifies
what types of meat are allowed or not allowed.
"The flesh of any biped or
quadruped, except for that which is unallowable. The following types
of meat are un-allowable: the flesh of human beings, elephants,
horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and hyenas
(panthers). Human beings, horses, and elephants were regarded as too
noble to be used as food. The other types of meat were forbidden
either on grounds that they were repulsive ("People were
offended and annoyed and spread it about, 'How can these Sakyan
contemplatives eat dog meat? Dogs are loathsome, disgusting'")
or dangerous (bhikkhus, smelling of lion's flesh, went into the
jungle; the lions there were offended and annoyed and attacked
them).
To eat human flesh entails a thullaccaya; to eat any
of the other unallowable types, a dukkata (Mv.VI.23.9-15). If a
bhikkhu is uncertain as to the identity of any meat presented to
him, he incurs a dukkata if he doesn't ask the donor what it is
(Mv.VI.23.9).
Fish or meat, even if of an allowable kind, is
unallowable if raw. Thus bhikkhus may not eat steak tartare,
sashimi, oysters on the half-shell, etc. (Raw flesh and blood are
allowed at Mv.VI.10.2 only when one is possessed by non-human beings
(!)) Furthermore, even cooked fish or meat of an allowable kind is
unallowable if the bhikkhu sees, hears, or suspects that the animal
was killed specifically for the purpose of feeding bhikkhus
(Mv.VI.31.14).
There is historical evidence to suggest that meat
eating was not shunned by the Buddha himself and if certain
interpretations are to be believe, his parinirvana was preceded by his
act of accepting a meal of improperly cooked pork by one of his lay
followers.
The Mahayana Buddhist challenged the traditional Buddhist attitude
towards meat eating and believed that it conflicted with the principles
of compassion, harmlessness and non injury to living creatures. They questioned how a
bodhisattva, who wished to treat all living beings as though they were
himself, would accept eating the flesh of any living being. They
declared that men should feel affinity with all living beings, as if
they were their own kin and refrain from eating meat. The Lankavatara Sutra openly criticized the meat
eating habits of the Theravada School and concluded thus, "All
meat eating in any form or manner and in any circumstances is
prohibited unconditionally and once and for all."
***From The
Buddhist Monastic Code I The Patimokkha Rules, Chapter 8
Translated and Explained The Patimokkha Training Rules Translated and
Explained by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
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