Around the year 520 B.C., a man in India named Siddhartha Gautama became know as the Buddha, or "the Enlightened One." His enlightenment came after a childhood of immense wealth and shelter from life's harshness, followed by years of searching and practice, physically, spiritually, emotionally and intellectually. After he achieved enlightenment, the lessons that Buddha taught others became the basis for what is now the dominant religion in much of Asia. Buddha taught by example and by sharing how he had achieved enlightenment. Primary among his lessons: Buddha advised all who listened to not blindly accept his words, but to examine and decide on their usefulness for themselves. Nourishing your body with food is a daily experience that is addressed and impacted by the beliefs of Buddhist practitioners.
History of Eating as Practice
The first followers of Buddha walked the country of India, sharing their teachings. Their subsistence-level lifestyle depended on the kindness of those they taught, as the monks stayed wherever they were welcomed and ate only what little food was offered. Meager rations were the rule. Even today, monks and nuns who devote their daily existence to the practice of Buddhism accept whatever is offered in terms of daily needs. It is viewed as a means of expressing humility plus it provides a giving opportunity for the community. As a layperson, you can also make offerings of food at temples, especially at those where monks and nuns are in residence and during certain observant days, as a way of demonstrating respect for the Buddha and his teachings.
Extinguishing Craving
As with other religions, there are different sects of Buddhism. These varying groups formed as the Buddha's teachings spread, first by spoken word and later through written transcription, throughout Asia and then the world. As people in different lands began to practice Buddhism, they infused their practice with different thoughts and activities based on their unique cultures. But there are basic tenets of Buddhism that hold true regardless of the culturally tinged aspects, most notably the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. The first Noble Truth is that suffering permeates living, and that the root of this suffering is attachment is the second. The third Noble Truth is that the extinguishing of attachment ends suffering; and that this relinquishment is achievable through the Eightfold Path, a set of "ways to be," is the final Noble Truth.
The Role of Food in Enlightenment
The Buddha learned firsthand about the dangers of starvation when he first left his palatial home and lived for six years as an ascetic. Ascetics were men who strove to achieve spiritual enlightenment through various means of living, including the withholding of satisfying physical desires like eating. The story goes that at one point after years of starving and other physical deprivations, Siddhartha received a bowl of rice and milk from a young woman who pitied him in his emaciated state. The strength that arose from that nourishment helped Siddhartha realize that neither extreme, whether gluttony and greed, nor severe deprivation, was the path to enlightenment. From that point, he vowed to adhere to what is still called "the Middle Way" -- and that same perspective is reflected in eating habits that might be referred to as a Buddhist diet.
Traits of a Buddhist Diet
Because Buddhism originated in south Asia and because most of its adherents to this day are found there, you might say that vegetables factor heavily in their diets. Also accordingly, rice is a naturally occurring and heavily farmed product and so is a basic foundation of daily eating in the nations where Buddhism is the most practiced religion. Besides what is being eaten, you are instructed by Buddha's teachings to eat mindfully. Such a practice at your table is not very different from saying grace, as is done in many religions before eating as an outward demonstration of your gratitude. The idea of eating mindfully is on par with other activities of Buddhist living; that is, you are to engage with reflection and conscious thought about even the most seemingly mundane tasks. One aspect of Buddhist diet that is controversial and perhaps misunderstood is the notion of vegetarianism.
The Vegetarian Myth
Many Buddhists are vegetarian, but you are not required to be so to practice Buddhism. The misconception that all Buddhists are vegetarian is understandable: The very first precept, or rule of behavior, that laypeople take is to not kill any sentient being. A sentient being is one that has a consciousness. There are, in fact, numerous sutras, or stories, most often that illustrate a lesson, in which the Buddha states that eating meat cannot exist side by side with compassion, highly valued in Buddhism. Ajahn Brahmavamso describes how other historical accounts, however, exhibit the Middle Way by saying the Buddha distinguished between killing an animal and consuming its meat. Today, the same cultural variations that existed thousands of years ago still impact how different sanghas, which are gatherings or congregations of Buddhist practitioners, view the eating of flesh. In a televised interview taped in July 2010, the Dalai Lama, who is seen as the spiritual leader of Buddhists in Tibet and some other countries, acknowledged the contradictions and described his own evolution to vegetarianism by the age of 65 after many years of being in his exalted position.
Eating The Middle Way
While there is not a prescribed diet in terms of very specific foods that are to be eaten at certain meals or on special days, the Buddhist way is primarily one of grains and vegetables -- but meat is OK, too. In Buddhism, what you eat is not as significant as how you acquire what you eat -- is it via the steps of the Eightfold Path? -- and how you engage in eating -- are you doing so mindfully? By committing to understand the Four Noble Truths and committing to following the Eightfold Path, the Middle Way as expressed through diet is necessarily nourishing and compassionate.
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