10 Unallowable meats for Buddhist Monks in the Theravada Tradition

10 Unallowable meats for Buddhist Monks in the Theravada Tradition

Next time you wish to offer a meal to a monk, consider this list of the ten unallowable meats for Buddhist monks in the Theravāda tradition:

1. Human meat (manussamaṁsaṁ);

2. Elephant meat (hatthimaṁsaṁ);

3. Horse meat (assamaṁsaṁ);

4. Dog meat (sunakhamaṁsaṁ);

5. Snake meat (ahimaṁsaṁ);

6. Lion meat (sīhamaṁsaṁ);

7. Tiger meat (byagghamaṁsaṁ);

8. Leopard meat (dīpimaṁsaṁ);

9. Bear meat (acchamaṁsaṁ);

10. Hyena meat (taracchamaṁsaṁ).

Although it is ethically unproblematic to eat meat that is not part of the above list as a Buddhist monk when one has not seen, heard or suspects that the meat that one receives was not butchered for oneself, it is equally no problem to encourage people to refrain from eating meat.