Are eggs and milk included in vegetarian diet? Are there other non-meat restrictions?
Buddhism encourages vegetarian diet out of compassion for the animals. Eggs may be fertilized and therefore have consciousness, so we don’t eat eggs. Milk does not involve killing of the animal, so dairy products are fine. We also do not use garlic and onion, because they increase lust when cooked and increase bad temper when eaten raw, and they leave a strong odor. Nor do we use alcohol because it is intoxicating. These are general guidelines rather than strict rules; these foods may be used if one has special health conditions. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to be a Buddhist. It is up to us individually to make the decision. Q: Can a Buddhist be pro-choice about abortion in cases where the woman’s health is at risk or in cases of rape/sexual abuse? A: Generally, there is consciousness after conception, so willful abortion is considered killing. This issue is to be taken seriously. However, we live in a world where often a clear-cut right-or-wrong decision is not possible. One need
