Buddhist Perspectives on Food and Agricultural Ethics

Synonyms

Buddhism and GM food; Buddhism and vegetarianism; Food and dukkha or “suffering”

Introduction

The variety of Buddhist traditions makes it difficult to generalize about its food and agricultural ethics. Buddhism as a missionary religion has tended to adapt to local dietary customs, rather than import food restrictions. Another factor encouraging this variety is that Buddhist traditions have often been less concerned about what we eat than how we eat it, since the dukkha (suffering or “dis-ease”) that it addresses is rooted in our craving – and food is the second most popular example of human craving. One persistent factor, however, has been a concern to reduce the suffering of animals, which contributed to the development of vegetarianism in East Asia. In general, Buddhism does not emphasize “being natural,” but its emphasis on intentions raises questions about the economic motivations for genetically modifying food.

Traditional Buddhist Perspectives

There are some important...