Morally, as Buddhists, we have three methods we can consider when we ask ourselves whether it is correct to eat animals. In our practice of ahimsa, we can seek to avoid causing harm to others, as well as actively try to change ourselves and others for the better.
Confucius taught that a noble person should not abandon morality for the space of a single meal. From his time 2500 years ago until the present day, one question has loomed especially large over the Chinese dinner table: is it morally acceptable to kill animals for food?
His Holiness Chatral Rinpoche, the inspiration for the Jangsa Animal Saving Trust and who dedicated his life to saving the lives of other beings, passed away on January 5, 2016. This is a transcribed text of His Holiness Chatral Rinpoche, on his reasons for being a vegetarian.
The Buddha may or may not have taught vegetarianism, but there is no excuse in any Buddhist tradition for temples to serve meat to followers.