So much food this Chinese New year; so much meat too and the thought of whether a Buddhist monk could eat meat or not perhaps crosses the mind. Monks in Chinese Buddhist temples are 100 percent vegetarians but monks in Thai Buddhist temples have been known to eat meat. There probably is a reason for both. Those against eating meat probably would cite an important Buddhist precept, Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures. If one is to eat meat, one would most certainly need to kill animals, which is a no-no. Then of course if one is for meat, there's always something from the Majjhima Nikāya to quote. Buddha had said that there are three instances that meat may not be eaten; when it’s seen, heard, or suspected to be prepared for the monk. This perhaps applies to lay Buddhists who are trying to keep the first precept too, doesn't it?
There's always a choice!
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