There are different opinions about the origin of vegetarian in China, some of the researchers considered that it is related to the introduction of Buddhism in China.
從梁武帝下詔不吃肉，開創了不吃肉（素食）的文化。這種文化在唐代以前就被認為是中國佛教的戒律，也是社會上流行的飲食方式之一。隨著烹飪技術的發展和提高，當今中國的素食文化已經升級為世界上各種風格的素食主義。
對佛教創始人釋迦牟尼佛及其弟子來說，沒有飲食方面的禁忌。不執著他人所施予的食物的種類或味道，這是佛陀時代以來修行無執著的方法之一。但是，為了慈悲修行慈悲，佛陀立下戒律，僧人不能吃專門為他們而殺的、以及目睹或聽到殺生過程的肉。今天，如緬甸、泰國或西藏等這些國家的僧侶，仍然保持著不執著於食物（以及他們的一些日常需求）的傳統。他們需要的是在日常生活中內心的平靜，包括他們的修行和佛法分享。
There was no taboo on eating for the founder of Buddhism, Sakyamuni Buddha and his disciples. Never being attached to the type or taste of food offered by others, this is one of the ways to practice of non-attached since the period of the Buddha. However, for practice of compassion, the Buddha established precepts that monks could not eat the meat that were killed specifically for them nor witnessed or heard the process of killing. Today, the monks in these countries, such as Burma, Thailand, or Tibet, still retain the tradition of being un-attached to food (and some of their daily needs). What they need is a peace of mind in their daily lives, including their practice and dharma share.
佛教傳入中國後，受到歷代君主的重視，中國的僧人不再需要乞食。一些僧侶改變了他們的修行，轉向更高層次的慈悲：不吃肉以減少殺戮。據說南朝梁武帝（公元464-549年）是一位非常虔誠的佛教徒，是第一個使這種慈悲行為成為常態的人。他發誓永遠戒酒戒肉，並下詔要求全國寺院實行此法門。
After Buddhism was introduced to China, it was valued by the monarchs of different dynasties, and the monks in China no longer needed to beg for food. Some of the monks changed their practice toward a higher level of compassion: no meat eating to reduce killing. It is said that Emperor Liang Wudi (464-549 AD) of the Southern Dynasty, a very devout Buddhist, was the first man to make this practice of compassion a norm. He vowed to abstain from alcohol and flesh forever, and issued an imperial edict requiring monasteries across the country to carry out this practice.
From the imperial edict of no meat eating by Emperor Wu of Liang, it created the culture of non-meat eating (vegetarian). This culture has been considered a precept of Chinese Buddhism and one of the popular eating styles in society before the Tang Dynasty. With the development and improvement of cooking technology, the vegetarian culture in China nowadays has been upgraded to the various styles of vegetarianism in the world.
1 comment:
I like vegetarian food. In the past I assumed that all "good Buddhists" would prefer to be vegetarian, but I have observed that you are not strict about it. So, it was interesting to read in your blog post that Buddha did not teach vegetarianism. Rather, he taught people to be unattached to the material world, including not caring too much about what they eat. So, my new understanding is that Buddhists see the virtue of vegetarian food, but that it is not an essential part of their religious way of life. Is that correct?
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