Bodhi Tree Swaying: Reflections of a Western Buddhist

Living a Buddhist Life: Vegetarianism

Vegetarianism book coverI’ve written a book about vegetarianism as a Buddhist practice, and you can read more about that book on this site.

Vegetarianism
by Bodhipaksa

“Using his description of the plight of farm animals as a launching point, Bodhipaksa expounds a vegetarian lifestyle from the point of view of metta or loving-kindness. Bodhipaksa provides a fresh, new examination of vegetarianism from a Buddhist perspective. While keeping the discussion out of the technicalities of academic debate, the author uses powerful arguments from professional and personal experience and a back-to-Buddhist-basics reasoning to make his case. This book represents an important contribution to this issue for those interested in the practical application of Buddhist vegetarianism in a modern, industrialized context.”
Amazon review

Selected chapters of "Vegetarianism" are available below.

CONTENTS

Preface 1
Introduction 6
The Sufferings of Farm Animals 10
- Old McDonald Had a Factory
- Cattle
- Chickens
- Pigs
- Sheep
- Fish
- The Way of All Flesh

Why are we Beastly to Animals? 25
Buddhist Ethics 33
The Benefits of Vegetarianism 50
Commonly Asked Questions 63
Did the Buddha Eat Meat? 73
Meat and Metta 80
Conclusion 87
Notes 89
Further Reading 97
Index 99