The Hidden Truth: Vegetarianism in Theravāda Buddhism

Today, I finally see what was hidden all along — the truth behind vegetarianism in Buddhism.

I realized that the confusion surrounding vegetarianism in Theravāda Buddhism arose from the outright rejection by some teachers and unclear explanations from others.

According to Mahasi Sayadaw, although the Buddha allowed meat under strict conditions, practitioners should still exercise caution, and vegetarianism is the safest way to avoid violating the precept. His exact words were:

"The best way to ensure strict conformity with the precept against taking life is to avoid eating meat. If we are not vegetarians, we should be very careful about our food to keep ourselves undefiled by any act of killing."

In short, this means that the Buddha advised monks: “If you cannot eat only vegetarian food, please avoid these three things.” For laypeople, he instructed to avoid killing as part of the Five Precepts.

According to my readings (Access to Insight,  SuttaCentral), 

• Buddha rejected Devadatta’s demand to make vegetarianism compulsory.
• He allowed meat under the threefold purity rule.
• He praises non-killing and compassion repeatedly, which implicitly supports vegetarianism.
• Buddha never said vegetarianism is wrong, nor did he praise meat eating.

Therefore, vegetarianism has never been against Theravāda Buddhism.

There have also been well-known Theravāda monks who were vegetarian, such as Thamanya Sayadaw U Vinaya. Additionally, some meditation centers in Thailand provide only vegetarian food.

What the Buddha emphasized was that vegetarianism is not compulsory for monks. However, people often misinterpret this to mean that if the Buddha didn’t make it mandatory, he must have approved of eating meat and disapproved of abstaining from it—which is entirely untrue.

Did the Buddha ever stop anyone from being vegetarian? I found no evidence that he did. He simply made vegetarianism optional rather than compulsory, and choosing not to eat meat was always allowed. According to my understanding today, the Buddha’s teaching can be interpreted as: “It is acceptable for ordinary people to eat meat and animal flesh, as long as it is not linked to killing, and it is equally acceptable to abstain from eating meat.”

I believe this misunderstanding can cause many people to go to the lower realms, including hell, and also hinder their progress in meditation practice.

I have updated and shortened this version to focus on facts rather than opinions or personal situations.

May you all be at peace.

Published: 13 November 2025 | Last updated: 18 November 2025
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