Can Buddhists eat meat and if they do is this breaking any precepts?
Some Buddhists eat meat, however it’s better to be vegetarian. The Buddha ate whatever was plopped in his bowl as long as the meat wasn’t slaughtered specifically for him… so I think this is the way monks and other Buddhists can look at it. Personally, I’m vegetarian due to the fact that I have no desire to harm other sentient beings to stuff my gut.
Look, Buddhism teaches personal responsibility. For lay people the precepts are basically about harmlessness and compassion. Within that, you do the best you can. If there are circumstances in your life that make you decide to eat meat, then eat meat and accept any Karmic consequences of that. You don’t get kicked out of Buddhism for breaking the precepts – you get helped to keep them better. Buddhism is not a judgemental religion. It is a religion of compassion for others and for yourself. That implies a certain discipline. Do your best! Just that, really. Eventually you will come to the point of enlightenment whether, right now, you eat meat or not. Do your best!
