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Food of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on Abstaining from Meat

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The canon of vegetarian Buddhist literature is pretty small. Until recently, its only major works--aside from the teachings of the Buddha--were Roshi Philip Kapleau's To Cherish All Beings (1981), Dr. Tony Page's Buddhism & Animals (1999), and Bodhipaksa's Vegetarianism (1999). So it was with great surprise and pleasure that I found no less than three books on the topic were published this very year (2004), Norm Phelps' The Great Compassion, Bodo Balsys' Ahimsa, and now Food of Bodhisattvas: Buddhist Teachings on Abstaining from Meat by Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol.

Known simply as Shabkar (1781-1851), the author was a renowned Tibetan Buddhist practitioner who spent most of his life in retreat or wandering the Tibetan and Himalayan regions. His level of compassion was truly inspiring, and it was said that he had "a spiritual career that began with the first stirrings of renunciation in his early childhood and culminated with perfect attainment."

The lengthy translator's introduction (it's nearly one-third of the book) does an excellent job of profiling Shabkar's life and placing the importance of his teachings into historical perspective. But the introduction goes beyond that, discussing the many invalid reasons Buddhists have for eating meat and delving into these excuses, with particular attention paid to Tibetan Buddhism. It is pointed out that while most Tibetans eat meat, a growing number of Tibetans in exile are giving up the practice.

Being a vegetarian in Shabkar's time was truly heroic due to the harsh living conditions, but his concern for animals was legendary and inspiring. This led Patrul Rinpoche, author of The Words of My Perfect Teacher, to comment: "Compassion and love are the roots of Dharma. I think that in the whole world there is no one more compassionate than Lama Shabkar." The aim of Shabkar's compassionate teachings, as clearly explained by the translator's introduction, is "not to repress one's desire for meat or to terminate one's use of animal products by a draconian act of will. Instead, our task is to develop a heartfelt compassion and a genuine sensitivity to the suffering of animals, such that the desire to exploit and feed on them naturally dissolves. Shabkar's main concern is not to instill a sense of guilt or inadequacy; it is to elevate the mind toward new and more noble objectives."

There are two of Shabkar's texts presented in Food of Bodhisattvas. The first, "The Faults of Eating Meat," is a collection of quotes from Mahayana scriptures and teachings of Tibetan masters. The second part, "The Nectar of Immortality," is Shabkar's seminal discourse on the topic of vegetarianism and is of particular interest since the text was only recently found in 2001.

The first section contains lengthy selections from the Lankavatra, Mahaparinirvana, and Angulimala Sutras, as well as excerpts from the Sutra of Close Mindfulness and several commentaries and Tantras from the likes of King Yeshe Ö, Changkya, and the Ven. Milarepa. While some readers may be familiar with a few of the selections in "The Faults of Eating Meat," most of these texts are unknown in the West and comprise a unique collection that is both inspiring and, well... enlightening.

The first section is concluded with an original verse from Shabkar which is both stunning and, at times, graphic:

All of you who eat this baneful food,
The flesh and blood of beings once your parents,
Will take rebirth in Screaming and the other burning hells,
There to bake and boil.

He goes on to describe the various hells that will be experienced by those who kill animals or order others to kill animals, who eat animals, including fish, who slaughter and sell animal meat, etc.

The second section, "The Nectar of Immorality," is just as stunning and a wonderful representation of compassion towards all sentient beings. In this part Shabkar details the various negative consequences associated with flesh foods, including the idea that any animal we eat was at one time, because of samsara--the cycle of rebirths--our mother or father. He delivers this message in his typically straight-forward style: "We should look upon all beings as our kind parents, and in order to repay the goodness they have shown us, we must meditate daily on loving-kindness, compassion, and bodhichitta. Let us not be stained by this evil food, the flesh and blood of our very parents!"

Shabkar takes an in-depth look at the horrid consequences of monks eating meat. If you've heard of trickle-down economics, this could be called the trickle-down evil of the monastic meat trade. Shabkar also speaks on the many misrepresentations that the Buddha freely ate meat, he exposes many of the misguided teachers of his day, and answers the numerous excuses meat-eating Buddhists have for this bad habit-many with a Tibetan bent-and he does not mince his words, saying that those who use these alibis are "very far from compassion, the mental soil in which the aspiration to supreme enlightenment in cultivated."

Not being a Tibetan Buddhist, some of the terminology was a bit confusing to me. But numerous endnotes and a glossary guided me through. The translation of Food of Bodhisattvas is very well done. Shabkar's free-flowing teachings are a joy to read, and I would recommend them to Buddhists of any lineage. In Western Tibetan Buddhism--where the question of vegetarianism seems to have been answered by Galek Rinpoche's comment "we Tibetans like to eat meat" (Tricycle, Winter 1994)--Shabkar Tsogdruk Rangdrol's voice is a breath of fresh air. A 153 year-old breath of fresh air.

Over the years, I've heard all sorts of arguments for and against being vegetarian. One of the qualities I appreciate about Lama Shabkar was his ability to speak with such authority and yet remain non-judgemental. In this book, Lama Shabkar praises the merit of vegetarianism, making his case from Sutra and Tantra. It certainly gives a Mahayana practitioner food for thought!

This is the final convincing arguement against the eating of meat and to adopt vegetarianism.

Like all works translated by the Padmakara Translation Group, the intro is thoughtful and provides background so that the relevance of the text to Western readers is made clear. Padmakara is also known for their clear and untechnical translation style and this work is no exception.

Shabkar's commitment to refrain from eating meat while living the life of a wandering yogi in 17th century Tibet is remarkable and inspirational. His description of the various rationalizations and ceremony attached to eating animals sounds very similar to what one might hear in a 21st century sangha.

I, myself, still eat meat from time to time. Reading this work, though, has strengthened what little bodhicitta I posses and I now find myself more and more filled with sadness at the constant barrage of meat eating imagery I see on TV cooking shows, commercials for fast food and the smell of burning flesh I encounter outside restaurants.

The Buddha taught that renunciation of samsara was the first step on the path of enlightenment. Renouncing meat eating takes this abstract idea and makes it an affirmation of the inherent buddha-nature of all sentient beings.

I love this guy!!! This book is about the views of an enlightened soul with regard to abstaining from meat. The book is outstanding right from the first page, including the introduction which lasts long but is VERY VITAL to understanding the entire picture. Shabktar Tsogdruk Rangrol has amazing insight and courage to sift through doctrine, scriptures, the beliefs or behavior of respected holymen and common people and poke fun at hypocrisy sometimes with great humor. He is able to see through the "muck" of society and see very clearly what is truth and what is religious or spiritual distortions of the truth or hypocrisy to suit personal or group advantages. I was giggling at some parts that were humorous and his perceptions reminded me of many Catholic nuns I used to know . . . Spiritual muck or distortions to spiritual or religious scriptures is present in every religion--the inquisition is a stark example of the severest distortions of Christian scriptures in human history. Catholic holymen used every imaginable torture conceived by the human brain and covered up the face of the statue of Jesus cruxified on the cross (present at tortures and burnings) so Jesus wouldn't see what they were doing!!!! Ludicrous!!!! His approach is gentle, humorous and he is DEEPLY COMPASSIONATE & DEEPLY COMMITTED in trying to separate fact from fiction and instill compassion for animals, thus bringing an end to eating meat and the suffering it causes--even under the circumstances.

This book is MORE than the sum of its parts, because reading this book should enable folks who have not yet taken a vegan pledge to do so. If you will read what the tremendous hardships the location and times meant for people in Tibet who abstained from meat and the passion he had to teach his spirit of compassion for animals, one should have no trouble abstaining from meat and even animal products here in the United States and Europe with SO MUCH to choose from and so much ABUNDANCE on both sides of the ocean. My findings show that Tibet has an average temperature of -9 and -15 (below 0) degrees Fahrenheit!! This is not cozy California weather and back then with the Himalayas right at your feet in this far off land, you can surely believe that a homeless spiritual person didn't have the best comforts in the world to say the least, and with all these UNBELIEBABLE difficulties--elements, lack of proper food and the abundance of hardships, he STILL found the courage to abstain from meat and seek truth and enlightenment. I truly find this very inspiring to the rest of the world to say the very least. He was not aware of the horrors of today's slaughterhouses--many cows are still very conscious after having their legs cut off and are skinned alive up to their neck and hung up as documented by HFA. (you can see the immense suffering in her eyes). What a horror. Highly intelligent pigs spend their entire lives in unbeliebable squalid misery in crates too small to even turn around, horrid amonia-filled air (people have to wear breathing masks), and they squeal in utter terror at the sight of humans. Male calves are torn from their mothers (as their mothers grieve) and put in tiny pens where they can't turn around until they are sold as veal. That chould be you. This is the price of the meat and cheese we eat and the milk we drink--all for mere superficial desires. This is only the tip of the iceberg.

Shabktar has amazing compassion and sacrificed SO MUCH COMFORT and MUCH LIFE SUSTAINING food to live his ideal of not causing harm either directly or indirectly to animals. His hardships were UNBELIEVABLE by American or European standards. His ideals and actions under those conditions should enable one to become a vegan in this land of abundance. This is a book for anybody to read and there may be some things that border superstition (for westerners) such as garlic being bad and the belief that eating meat made you mean, but to tell you the truth I giggled at this one because I heard it before visiting my relatives in Western Europe where folks there on some rare occasions warned against eating too much meat because it made people "mean" . . . Who knows?!

Truly, this man is an INSPIRATION TO ME and TO THE WORLD.

The same people living in Tibet during that time period are the very same people living next door to you and down the street--NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE--except for the customs.

I really highly suggest reading Animal Gospel. Animal Gospel is the Christian ideal on animals written by a theologean, but I believe that it should be cross-read by Buddhists or anybody. It is VERY ENLIGHTENED reading as it gives extra intellectual and spiritual ammunition for the cause of animal liberation.

Hail to this saint!!!

I confess I was less than rousingly impressed by this book. While the author, Shabkar, was one of Tibet's greatest yogi's since Milarepa, very little of the text is actually from his hand.

The book has three parts. The first, the introduction, is the lengthiest at 46 pages. It discusses something of the history and place of vegetarianism in traditional Tibet, contrasting the situation with Tibetans in exile and Buddhists in the West. The main section of the introduction paints a portrait of Shakar himself. I can only say he must have been an extraordinary character, living homeless much like the Buddha's early disciples, but instead of hanging out in jungles he lived amid the cold and treeless mountain crags of Tibet.

The intro then discusses the place of meat-eating in Buddhism. The traditions drawn from here--as in Shabkar's writings--are from the three major "turnings of the wheel," i.e. shravakayana (Hinayana), Mahayana, and Mantrayana (i.e. Vajrayana, the Buddhism of the tantras). Underpinning everything is the notion that, as diverse and often contradictory as they often are, the Buddha taught all these doctrines as part of a gradual, or graded, dispensation. And so, according to the introduction...

"...there exists a hierarchy of teaching, a scale of validity, according to which basic instruction is regarded as provisional, set forth according to need and superseded by higher, more demanding instruction to be expounded when the disciple is ready. For Shabkar, as for all teacher of Tibetan Buddhism the instructions set forth on the Hinayana level are of vital importance in laying the foundations for correct understanding and practice. But they are not final. They are surpassed by the teachings of the Mahayana, just as, within the Mahayana itself, the sutra teachings prepare the way for, and are surpassed by, the tantra. It is thus that the entire sweep of the Buddha's teaching fits together in a harmonious ad coherent system, in which teachings that seem incomplete from the standpoint of a higher view are assigned an appropriate, preparatory position lower down the scale" (16).

This view has prevailed throughout much of the Buddhist world for a long time, and is the result of various cultures (China, Tibet, etc) receiving diverse canons and texts, many of which originated in different periods of Buddhist history, while believing them all to represent the Buddha's words. Given the discrepancies and outright contradictions of outlooks and practices between the many texts, the approach above is hardly surprising if one assumes they all sprang from one man. Shabkar certainly believed this, and no one can blame him. It irks me, however, that contemporary scholars and practitioners persist in perpetuating this nonsense, given what we now know about the history of Buddhist texts. For example, the Lankavatara Sutra, a widely quoted work that harshly condemns meat-eating, is assumed to be the Buddha's own words, yet it is clearly a composite work, first translated into Chinese in 443 CE, though probably originating several hundred years earlier. While its dating is tricky, not even its seed ideas can in any way be attributed to Shakyamuni or any of his disciples. (See E.J. Thomas, The History of Buddhist Thought, pp. 230ff.) Similar remarks can be made about every other Mahyanist sutra, not to mention the various, still later tantras.

Following the above, the introduction discusses the notion of "three-fold purity" in the Hinayana (meaning, the Buddha's teachings in the Pali Suttas), where the Buddha enjoins monks not to eat any meat offering if they have "seen, heard or suspected" it to have been killed specifically for them. This ordinance, totally understandable as applied to mendicant monks, becomes problematic, however, when applied to laity, and this really is the source of the confusion and debate about meat-eating among Buddhists. The Mahayana and Mantrayana (tantric) perspectives on vegetarianism are also discussed.

What bothered me most about the introduction--its moralising and lecturing quality, especially toward the end--got even worse in the second section of the book, entitled "The Faults of Eating Meat." This is a kind of compendium of Buddhist textual sources on the subject selected and arranged by Shabkar. If one's goal is simply to learn what Buddhists have said about meat-eating over the years, this section serves admirably. If you are looking for well-reasoned, cogent arguments, look elsewhere. Much of it is hellfire-and-brimstone preaching; apparently the Christians haven't got anything on the Buddhists in this regard, sad to say. Here's an inspiring snippet:

"It is written in the Sutra Describing Karmic Cause and Effect:

"If you eat meat and chew on bones, you will lose your teeth! If you eat intestines and the meat of dogs and swine, you will be reborn in an infernal state that is filled with filth. If you eat fish after scraping off their scales, you will be born in the hell of sword-forests" (77).

Very little of this section comes from Shabkar; he simply scoured sutras, tantras and commentaries and took whatever he could find to support his beliefs--a kind of eighteenth century Tibetan cut-and-paste creation. The third part of the book, however, is all Shabkar, though regrettably brief--only 28 pages out of the book's 144!

Entitled "The Nectar of Immortality," I found it a well reasoned, impassioned polemic against meat-eating. The principal--and most persuasive--argument here can be summed up as "If there is no meat-eater, there will be no animal killer..." (101). He discusses this idea at length, giving examples of how local monasteries, though themselves not involved in the act of butchery or animal killing, by their plentiful purchases of meat help to sustain the local meat industry.

Which cuts quick to the bone, if you don't mind the pun. I once had a discussion with a friend on this subject, and he pointed out that I was hardly less guilty of the deaths of animals than the butcher himself since I basically employed the butcher to do the dirty work. Indeed, I couldn't escape the logic of it then, and readers will be hard pressed to miss Shabkar's points. This section of the book was easily the most rewarding and satisfactory, worth the rest combined. While the book as whole was something of a disappointment, it gave me a bit of a sense of Shabkar the man and I look forward to reading his autobiography,The Life of Shabkar: The Autobiography of a Tibetan Yogin. Perhaps I've found my patron saint.