JBE article on Sutta vegie-ism

[tiltbillings]

The JBE:
http://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/
James Stewart on Vegetarianism and Diet in Pāli Buddhism

[Ben]

Thanks Tilt!
Looks like a good article,and from a local boy as well!

[octathlon]

It's certainly a very logical article that covers all the angles thoroughly.

[Paññāsikhara]

And interesting comments from Prof Harvey, definitely a heavy-weight in the area of Buddhist ethics.

[Virgo]

Perhaps we should consider this Sutta given by Kassapa Buddha, and retold by Gotoma Buddha:

http://www.aimwell.org/Books/Suttas/Amagandha/amagandha.html

[Cittasanto]

wouldn't it be good to live in a world where everyone was a good Buddhist! and only good Buddhists supported monastics.

[Sanghamitta]

It seems clear to me that the logical outcome of the first precept is a vegetarian diet...the problem comes when the person adopting that diet becomes a Vegetarian with a capital V. They then build a whole new non existent personality around being a Vegetarian with a capital V. Including quite often an apparent need to proselytise to everyone else.
So that while observing the logical outcome of the precept, they undermine themselves by becoming judgemental and prescriptive about what others put in their own sandwiches.
Which seems to miss several points.
Pointing out the logic of a vegetarian diet from a number of positions is one thing.
Using vegetarianism to create an "us and them " is quite another. I think the more mature Buddhist cultures of Asia recognise that . But some western Buddhists struggle with it.