Living a Buddhist Life: Vegetarianism by Bodhipaksa

This is the first in a series of books on different aspects of Buddhist life. What is meant by a Buddhist life? When I tell people I am a Buddhist, that my name is a Buddhist name given to me at my ordination, I meet many responses: ‘You don’t look like a Buddhist,’ ‘What are you allowed to do?’ and ‘That’s all very well in an ideal world but what about the real world?’ as though to live a Buddhist life one would need to look and dress in a particular way (with shaved head and robe?), have a restricted lifestyle imposed by some authority, or be living out a pleasant but irrelevant and unrealistic dream. That is not the kind of life I lead - nor is it the life of those many Buddhists with whom I have been practising for the last twenty years, nor would we choose to live such a life; in fact some aspects of such a life would be anathema to the practice of Buddhism.

So the practice of Buddhism does not necessitate one particular lifestyle - in which case, why this series of books? The authors, who are all Western Buddhists, examine the potential of the Buddhist life as they live it, invite those with an interest in Buddhism to explore that potential with them, and, in the process, correct a few misunderstandings about Buddhism and Buddhist lives.

The importance of the theme ‘living a Buddhist life’ lies in the fact that the practice of Buddhism is for the whole person. It concerns our actions of body, speech, and mind - no aspect of our life is exempt. The teaching of the Buddha has been summed up in a single phrase, ‘actions have consequences’. Our thoughts, words, and deeds all have their effect in the world, for good or ill, creating either happiness or suffering.

Unskilful actions - those proceeding from states of mind based on craving, ill will, and ignorance - create suffering. Skilful actions create happiness and proceed from states of mind based on generosity, love, and wisdom. To be able to recognize and distinguish mental states we need to be aware. So a Buddhist lives, or attempts to live, with awareness, and imbues, or tries to imbue, every area of life with these qualities of generosity, love, and wisdom. It is not an easy task but it is one that gives rise to many benefits.

Buddhist practices - of meditation, ritual, and study of the Dharma (the Buddha’s teaching) - are undertaken in order to develop greater awareness and friendliness. In addition, our everyday activities provide infinite opportunities to practise and to change ourselves. In this way we guide and direct the lives we create, both individually and collectively. With consistent effort we can reach the point of Insight, direct experience of things as they really are.

Vegetarianism is a good subject with which to start the series, because food is so basic to our lives. We all eat. In the West, most of us have a great deal of choice in what we eat. What we choose to eat can also be challenging as we can be very attached to certain foods, either out of habit or out of desire. I was raised on the traditional ‘meat and two veg’ of the average British family. Influ- enced by the hippie ethos of my generation I became more inclined towards vegetarian food until two experiences finally convinced me to adopt a wholly vegetarian diet. One was going ‘back to the land’ on a self-sufficient farm in Ireland, where we lived off the vegetarian produce that we grew, and were proud to have to purchase only rice, salt, and tea. Following this, I travelled in India for a year and was very influenced by seeing the majority, rather than the minority, of the population living by tradition or choice on a vegetarian diet. Since that time, thirty years ago, I have been health- ily and happily vegetarian.

Coming into contact with Buddhism ten years later gave me a wider and more profound context within which to affirm my decision. The first of the five Buddh- ist precepts observed throughout the Buddhist world is ‘I undertake the training principle of abstaining from harming living beings.’ Positively formulated, this can be expressed as a commitment to act with loving kind- ness. This precept embraces all living beings in its scope, those of the human realm as well as animals, birds, and creatures of the sea. As well as abjuring the killing or harming of these beings, it also means affirming, encouraging, and supporting all life in whatever form. Adopting a vegetarian diet is a clear and immediate way of practising and demonstrating this affirmation of life.

Bodhipaksa, having qualified as a veterinary surgeon prior to becoming a member of the Western Buddhist Order, has the advantage of being able to examine and write about vegetarianism from both these perspectives. His introduction to the subject lays bare the sufferings inflicted on animals for the sake of human consumption. He questions why we are prepared so readily to inflict this suffering, looks at the views and myths behind this relationship of human beings and animals, and exam- ines the ethical conflict that many people experience between their conscience and their actions in this area. Contrasted with this is the Buddhist perspective - that all life is interconnected and that the more our actions reflect this truth and the more we live in accord with reality, the greater will be our sense of harmony and happiness.

We often wish to change the world. Buddhism teaches that we need to start by changing ourselves - but it also demonstrates how, through the cumulative effect of the actions of individuals, we can shape the world in which we live. Through his discussion of vegetarianism, Bodhipaksa shows us how the Buddha’s teaching had a profound effect on the habits of almost a third of the world’s population with the spread of vegetarianism. In so doing he remonstrates that by living a Buddhist life, imbued with Buddhist values, we too can be an active force for change in the world.

Maitreyi
Tiratanaloka
Wales

April 1999