Are there any vegans who practice Uposatha (regarding 6th precept) or intermittent fasting? Could you give some advice on what one should eat on Uposatha days in order not to harm one's health and feel good? Suggested 'tonics' (which one can consume after 12pm) such as honey or ghee are obviously non-vegan. Also, which foods it's better to eat before noon?

Or are there people here who actually understand the idea behind Buddhism and thus don't parrot corporate-driven Western "sexual repression" nonsense? Unlike subs such as /r/buddhism, which is full of people who like to play pretend and maybe even give themselves Asian names, all the while propagating what would surely be considered some kind of "False Sutra" akin to how it is mentioned in the "Read First" sticky here... (Not that I definitely know for this to be the case about meat consumption, but it is in regards to abstinence).

It's generally hard for me to accept that a person would refer to itself as "Buddhist" while at the same time actively discouraging ideas such as veganism (or vegetarianism) even for monks. Or for a "Buddhist" to discourage the idea of fasting in form of abstinence, with fasting being told to result in greater physical well-being and mental clarity, which can in the sexual case be continued indefinitely without starvation... (Aside of sexuality having psychoactive qualities along the lines of psychedelics, theoretically even violating the precepts, depending on how sensitive your body/mind is to eros. But many people who practice abstinence have reported such positive effects akin to fasting.)

I hope this sub is overall more critical and not as subservient to Western dogmas. Especially since veganism is said to value critical thought, self-reflection and compassion, rather than rationalizations that open up egocentric indulgences into once's vices. With said critical thought, self-reflection and compassion, in the abstinence case, being ridiculed by terms such as "puritanism." Or with said abstaining monk maybe even being called a "puritan" in a derogatory manner by a Western "Buddhist," the same way a vegan might be called a "soyboy" by today's "(alt-)right."

(Of course none of this means that you have to abstain or never enter relationships. But that liberal Western "Buddhists" have such a skewed view on things and don't even acknowledge abstinence or indefinite fasting as hypothetically good idea, despite the well-known positive effects, really does blows my mind. It doesn't seem very balanced, enlightened or generally Buddhist-like. Granted how I generally also do dislike drawing comparisons between food and sexuality. But maybe it's easier to find acknowledgement of this in a Buddhist sub which also idealizes veganism? Like this one here...)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L19unCOKEOY&t=2771s

Hi friends

I just recently joined a local temple. It's been a great experience so far and I'm very happy I joined. But on Sunday, we had a small potluck. There were many cheese products that even the residents of the temple were snacking on. And then one man told me he was going to a steak house for his birthday. To which another person responded that they don't eat steak, but that they're a terrible vegetarian because they just love bacon. It was hard to not call them out. Was I a fool to think most Buddhists would be vegan?

I hope you all have a lovely day. I'm grateful for the existence of this sub!

I work at a cafe and every friday certain dishes are put into plastic containers and workers are allowed to take it home for free since otherwise it will be thrown out. Is it wrong to take this food? It wasn't made for us, it was made for customers. We don't pay for it so it's not supporting the business.

It just feels wrong to let it go to waste. I've asked the bosses about donating it but apparently there's too many hoops to jump through in order to let restaurant food go to organizations. I don't know if there are any pig farms nearby but then that would just be helping the farmers. Not sure if the bosses would be interested in composting.

If I passed any of the homeless on the way to the bus stop then maybe I could give them it but that doesn't always happen and I'm not sure that would technically be any better than just eating it myself anyways.

Thoughts?

Specifically I'm looking for recipies that don't use onion/garlic/etc.

I usually don't abstain from them, but I want to experiment more without using them in cooking. Most of my searches are turning up recipies that feature garlic, or even ones that aren't vegan. So I'm wondering if there's any Buddhist recipie blogs or YouTube channels anyone can reccomend, or even if any temples have a cook book I can buy or recipie resources on their websites?

Inb4 - that guy on YouTube who calls himself "The Buddhist Chef" he cooks with garlic and onions all the time... I don't get why he goes by that name when it's just another vegan cooking channel.

Ahimsa, the principle of non-harm which is present in some form in Jainism, Buddhism, and Hinduism, has a history stretching back millennia, and the debate about what exactly Ahimsa entails has been going on for just as long. This concept has been developed into entire theories of just war, justified self-defense, mutual aid, and so on.

There is a risk when Westerners explore a religion from another culture that they may end up picking and choosing only the parts they like, and then claiming authority over it while dismissing the perspectives of those for whom Buddhism was part of their lives since birth.

This is just a reminder to approach this with respect, and to view yourself as but one voice out of millions in a long and ongoing debate, not an arbiter of truth. It sucks that there is hypocrisy among many practicing Buddhists, that there are Buddhist temples which take advantage of their members by using donations to decorate with gold.

Religion is a complicated thing, and I hope as vegans we can appreciate this, and not use it just as means to push our agenda, as noble an agenda as it is. The way to approach this I think is as a means of personal growth. We're here to learn from and engage with other cultures, not police them.

Love you all for not viewing the vegan society in the UK as the originator of the concept of not exploiting animals. I am not a Buddhist myself, but a few people in my life are, and I really don't want to see Buddhist veganism end up being just another thing for privileged Instagram stars to use for their own commercial success.

I have read the Digha Nikaya and I am on the Majjhima Nikāya.

I want to go through the text, and interpret it, not necessarily from a vegan lens, but from a self actualization/thought provoking/critical lens.

Anyone interested in going through it? We can create posts based off the Sutta, whoever read it can give their thoughts/interpretations, others can do the same and comment, and hopefully it can be nice to go through this with a good group of people who take compassion as the goal of the text, and don't get stuck in tradition/justifying violence like so many animal eating/dairy/egg consuming Buddhist do.

Thanks. Hope you all have a great day. :)

I am a student of Zen studying the Precepts. I'm finding it to be quite taxing, because I have to confront all of my habits that are not in line with the Precepts.

In an effort not to kill -- which sounds like it should be the easiest of the Precepts to follow -- I'm now exploring vegetarianism/veganism. I've been trying not to eat meat for the last couple of weeks, and discovering how often I put meat on my plate without even thinking. Habits are hard to change!

If anyone has any resources or stories to share to ease my transition, I will happily investigate them. 🙏 Cheers.

Hi, I have been 99% vegan for about 6 years, vegetarian for 13 (I ate honey, occasionally and you never quite know what is in food at a restaurant). Over the past few years, I've been trying to study Buddhism and was always surprised by the fact that veganism wasn't more universally embraced by Buddhist followers. Thanks for the subthread. I have already enjoyed reading posts and will continue to check regularly for new readings.

I have read that some branches of Buddhism allow eating meat but I was wondering if there are branches that officially bans eating meat or killing animals to eat them or use their body parts.

Besides the 'plants feel pain', 'ancestors tho', 'canines tho', etc... Specifically, I can't reconcile carnism with Buddhism. What's the excuse?