A Vegetarian Diet

I remember having a glance before at one of Penang's foremost Buddhist monk, the late Venerable Bhante Acara Suvanno Mahathera, or rather Bhante Suvanno (inset) in a Buddhist temple in Assam Kumbang, Taiping - the Bodi Langka Ram Buddhist Temple. According to Bhante Suvanno's autobiography, Striving to be a Nobody, he had for a while a rambutan tree for a refuge. Not long after he was ordained, Bhante Suvanno had to look for a place of refuge. The authorities of a traditional Chinese temple had refused to take him in after having found out that he was not a vegetarian. Bhante Suvanno, being a Theravada monk, had to eat whatever food given by devotees. Having nowhere to go, the monk had then to pass the nights under the rambutan tree in front of the temple. That would probably make one wonder if a vegetarian diet would make a human out of a man.

Comments

Cat Man said…
I have been vegetarian for two years now. I think that it is extremely rude for the temple to refuse him just because he ate whatever alms given. It is his vows as a Theravadan monk. Bad karma. I think that the temple should accept monks to stay regardless of their diet. It is so unfair to the poor monk.

Love,
Sean
blog.tsemtulku.com
footiam said…
It is the man that builds the temple. That means the temple has no say.