ABSTRACT
Despite Buddhism’s emphasis on practicing compassion for all beings, most Tibetan Buddhists eat meat, justifying such a diet by noting that meat is allowed in the Vinaya, the rules for monks and nuns. The permissibility of meat, however, has long been challenged by a vocal minority of religious leaders who argue that meat eating—despite being technically allowed—was simply incompatible with their tradition’s emphasis on compassion. This chapter surveys this debate, showing how the different sides have responded to each other over the centuries, creating a context in which vegetarianism was seen as a virtuous but difficult practice, an ideal that was nevertheless felt to be beyond the ability of most people. It then concludes by looking at how Buddhist leaders responded to this tension by advocating various forms of partial vegetarianism, allowing their followers to abstain from meat to a limited degree without the presumed hardships of a fully vegetarian diet.
