Buddhism and Diet
Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha) founded Buddhism in the 5th to 4th century BCE in the eastern part of India.
The Buddha was born 563 BCE in Lumbini central-southern Nepal, 150 km [100 mi] west of Kathmandu.
Buddhism has a number of dietary practices that different groups adhere to in varying degrees. Some refrain from consuming animals, alcohol and certain vegetables.
- Mahayana Buddhism: Mahayana Buddhism is the largest branch of Buddhism. It is widely practiced in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam. Nothing possesses an independent existence – all beings are interconnected and dependent on one another.
- Theravada Buddhism: Theravada Buddhism is the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism. It is based in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. It is a strict monastic discipline with the goal of achieving liberation (Nirvana) from the cycle of rebirth through meditation.
- Vajrayana Buddhism: Vajrayana Buddhism is an esoteric branch of Mahayana Buddhism that emerged in India around the 5th century CE. It is widely practiced in the Himalayan regions (such as Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan) and offers an accelerated, highly ritualized path intended to help practitioners attain enlightenment in a single lifetime. It is guru-based as its practices must be passed directly from an awakened teacher.
Buddhists eat a vegetarian diet with a core teaching that prohibits taking the life of any person or animal. Some interpret this as allowing a lacto-vegetarian diet diet. This means they consume dairy products but exclude eggs, poultry, fish, and meat from their diet.
Others allow the consumption of eggs.
Some Buddhists consume meat and other animal products if the animals aren’t slaughtered for especially them.
The people who kill the animals are often shunned and forced to live on the outskirts of the village. However, those who consume the products are allowed to do so.
Eating eggs or dairy means the slaughter of the roosters or the males because they are “surplus to requirements”.
In many Buddhist traditions, garlic and onions are classified as part of the “Five Pungent Vegetables” (along with leeks, chives, and scallions). Their consumption is traditionally discouraged to support spiritual development.
According to the Surangama Sutra, consuming these vegetables cooked is believed to increase sexual desire, while eating them raw increases anger and irritability.
The restriction is most strictly observed in Mahayana traditions, particularly in countries like China, Vietnam, and parts of the Mahayana diaspora.
This objection originated in Ancient India and was shared across early Vedic, Jain and Hindu practices, long before its integration into Buddhism.
There is no single universal rule across all regions. While some traditional South Indian and North Indian Brahmin households strictly omit them other communities consume them regularly.
Sattvic, Rajasic and Tamasic are the three fundamental qualities of nature (gunas) in Yogic and Ayurvedic philosophy and medicine.
- Mahayana Buddhism: Mahayana Buddhism is the largest branch of Buddhism. It is widely practiced in China, Japan, Korea, Tibet, and Vietnam. Nothing possesses an independent existence – all beings are interconnected and dependent on one another.
- Theravada Buddhism: Theravada Buddhism is the oldest surviving branch of Buddhism. It is based in Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka. It is a strict monastic discipline with the goal of achieving liberation (Nirvana) from the cycle of rebirth through meditation.
- Vajrayana Buddhism: Vajrayana Buddhism is an esoteric branch of Mahayana Buddhism that emerged in India around the 5th century CE. It is widely practiced in the Himalayan regions (such as Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan) and offers an accelerated, highly ritualized path intended to help practitioners attain enlightenment in a single lifetime. It is guru-based as its practices must be passed directly from an awakened teacher.
It was after the arrival of Muslims in India that the usage of garlic and onion became more prominent in their non-vegetarian cuisine. The Muslims used a lot of garlic and onion in their food. Hindus became more flexible in the use of these foods.
With the advent of Vaishnavism in India, many upper caste communities denounced non-vegetarian food practices.
Vaishnavism denounced the use of meat, fish, onion and garlic. Which is why onion and garlic did not form part of the Sattvik food. However, ginger was tolerated. Those who had converted to Vaishnavism were more affluent. The locals did not have these luxuries and had to eat what was available.
Muslims arrived in India through two stages. Trading along the south-west coast in Kerala and military conquests in the north-western region of the Indus Valley in the 8th century by Umayyad armies.
Sattvic Diet – Purity and Harmony
- Promotes calmness, clarity, compassion and physical vitality.
- These foods are fresh, whole and easy to digest.
- Fresh, seasonal fruits like apples, bananas, mangoes and papayas.
- Leafy greens, squash, and most fresh land vegetables (except onions and garlic).
- Brown rice, oats, quinoa, bulgur and barley.
- Mung beans, lentils and sprouted grains.
- Ghee, olive oil, and fresh pasture-raised cow or almond and cashew milk.
- Almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
- Raw honey, jaggery, turmeric, cumin, and coriander.
Rajasic Diet – Activity and Stimulation
- Promotes passion, movement, ambition and aggression but can lead to restlessness and agitation if consumed in excess.
- Extremely hot, pungent, sour or overly salty foods.
- Coffee, black tea and highly caffeinated sodas.
- Onions and garlic.
- Deep-fried foods, salted nuts, and highly processed or preserved items such as jams and jellies.
- Eggs and pungent cheeses.
Tamasic Diet – Inertia and Dullness
- Induces lethargy, dullness, confusion and heaviness
- Artificial, over-processed and spoiled foods.
- All animal food including beef, chicken, fish and pork.
- Alcohol and tobacco.
- Food kept overnight or that has gone stale.
- Refined flours, canned foods, microwaved and frozen meals.
- Mushrooms and green onions.
It is not useful to discuss the dietary attributes of countries as there is frequently a large variation in dietary regions.
- The Japanese National Institute of Health and Nutrition group the 47 prefectures into 12 regional dietary regions. There is significant differences between the populations in the cold northern island of Hookaido compared to the temperate islands of Okinawa.
- India is divided into 29 states and 9 union territories. It has 6 unimaginative named dietary regions that are significantly different because of climate, religion and ethnic differences.
- France has 8 distinct dietary regions. A north-south-east gradient for all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, hypertension, obesity and high lipids consumption. The north has a greater consumption of: fat products, butter, margarine, potatoes, processed meat, alcohol, coffee and saturated fats; and has a lower consumption of fibre than the rest of France.
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Last updated on Saturday 27 June 2026 at 14:49 by administrators
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