Buddhism, Cooking, and Eating

Synonyms

Ahimsa; Buddhism; Dharma; Mahayana; Theravada; Vegetarianism

Introduction

The story and teachings of Buddhism entail multiple points of focus on food and eating. In addition to advocating for what foods are eaten, Buddhist teachings illustrating how food is prepared and consumed offer important guidance of the application of Buddhist principles to daily life. One principle example of Buddhist writing focused on cooking and eating is the writing of the thirteenth-century Japanese monk, Dōgen, who described how food preparation was an important opportunity for practice for monastic cooks in the Zen tradition or tenzo. Perhaps the most significant point of ethical consequence related to eating, and a topic of much debate among Buddhist practitioners, is the question of adherence to a vegetarian diet. Historically, this debate has centered on its relationship to the first precept for both lay and monastic practitioners – “do not kill” – and the value for not harming animals.

Elabor...