Conscious eating is followed among all Buddhists. Buddha advised monks to avoid eating 10 kinds of meat for self-respect and protection: humans, elephants, horses, dogs, snakes, lions, tigers, boars and hyenas.
In general, Buddhism prohibits the eating of any and all meat, because (1) the killing of animals violates the First Moral Precept and (2) meat is considered an intoxicant to the body, which violates the Fifth Moral Precept.
The precepts are commitments to abstain from killing living beings, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and intoxication. Within the Buddhist doctrine, they are meant to develop mind and character to make progress on the path to enlightenment.
The basic causes of suffering are known as the Three Poisons : greed, ignorance and hatred. These are often represented as a rooster (greed), a pig (ignorance) and a snake (hatred).
Ānantarya Karma (Sanskrit) or Ānantarika Kamma (Pāli) are the most serious offences in Buddhism that, at death, through the overwhelming karmic strength of any single one of them, bring immediate disaster. Both Buddhists and non-Buddhists must avoid them at all costs.
Buddhism teaches that drinking or using other kinds of drugs can cause carelessness and should be avoided, and strong Buddhist beliefs would be expected to have a significant impact on alcohol use.
While lunch and dinner varied at Dhanakosa, breakfast was always porridge with toppings such as cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and muesli.
Buddhism much like Hinduism is not particularly restrictive when it comes to tattoos. Buddhists believe that the body is impermanent and so are tattoos. Because they are viewed as temporary, getting tattoos doesn't violate any Buddhist doctrines or beliefs.
The guidelines set in the Khandhaka are used to discourage vanity. Most Buddhist monks and nuns follow these rules today. There is variation between schools, but the monastic ordination of Buddhism always includes a head shave.
For most Buddhists, however, the desire to look pretty and wear makeup, even if it's just for yourself, is still considered a material attachment. Until you rid yourself of all attachments, the belief is you won't reach enlightenment and be forced to reincarnate for all eternity.
In the Himalayan region, especially in Tibet and Nepal, Tara's status is more that of a supreme goddess or female buddha than a bodhisattva. She is referred to as the Wisdom Goddess, the Embodiment of Perfected Wisdom, the Goddess of Universal Compassion, and the Mother of all Buddhas.
The "Five Foodstuffs" (bhojantya or bhojana) recommended by Buddha were : (1) odana, boiled rice prepared with ghee, meat, fruit, etc; (2) sattu, baked grain-e, g., barley, graham flour, wheat, or millet-taken in the form of small balls or licked as a paste ; (3) kummasa, a boiled mixture of barley (or rice) and pulse ...
They can have pizza if pizza is given as an offering to Buddha by Page 6 members of congregation. Nun #3 agreed that many of them like pizza. They preferred thin crust as thick crust can be too heavy. One of principle precepts in Buddhism is to do no harm.
Restrictive diet
Traditionally, those alms are calorie-rich foods, either processed or homemade – with the Buddhist faithful wanting to offer something of high value and taste. The monks are also forbidden from eating anything after 12 p.m., having only one or two meals a day between the hours of 6 a.m. and noon.
While the jury is still out on coffee consumption, most Buddhists believe coffee in moderation is perfectly fine, as long as it does not interfere with the fifth precept, a guideline of morals for practicing Buddhists.
Buddhism allows for each person to make the decision of whether or not they want to be married, how many children they want to have, and who they want to marry. Buddhism does not provide rules or traditions about marriage. Instead, the philosophy offers advice to help a person live happily within a marriage.
Any person can be a Buddhist. One does not have to be "born" into Buddhism, nor do one's parents have to be Buddhists. One can be of any race, country, socio-economic background, gender, etc. People wishing to identify themselves as Buddhists typically participate in a ceremony known as taking refuge in the Triple Gem.
According to the Mahāyāna Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra, a Mahayana sutra giving Gautama Buddha's final teachings, the Buddha insisted that his followers should not eat any kind of meat or fish. Even vegetarian food that has been touched by meat should be washed before being eaten.
Though not required for following the diet of a Buddhist, abstaining from meat and following a vegetarian diet is popular amongst adherents of the faith.
The Buddha Diet is characterized by time-restricted eating, also known as intermittent fasting. The diet emphasizes people focusing on when they eat versus what they eat. At first, people restrict their window of calorie intake by 13 hours a day for two weeks.
Some Buddhists eat only once per day, before noon. This practice accords with an account in The Sutra In 42 Sections, a Mahayana Scripture, that relates how the Buddha ate one meal a day, before noon.
Lord Buddha mentioned honey as one of the five vital medicines. Legend says that honey gave nourishment to Gautam Buddha preceding and following his enlightenment. Thus, Buddhist followers believe honey to be auspicious food.
Under Burmese Buddhist law, a man has the right to take more than one wife, but a wife cannot legally take more than one husband. A husband can commit adultery and face no risk of divorce or loss of property.
The Buddha replied positively: women are equally capable of reaching the highest levels of spiritual enlightenment as men. From this, the bhikkhuni order began. Eventually, the Buddha allowed Mahāpājapati to become the first bhikkhuni and therefore the head of the Order of Bhikkhunis.
Even though the Buddhist texts are silent on the subject of monogamy or polygamy, the Buddhist laity is advised to limit themselves to one wife. The Buddha did not lay rules on married life but gave necessary advice on how to live a happy married life.