RT Article T1 Monastic Meat: The Question of Meat Eating and Vegetarianism in Tibetan Buddhist Monastic Guidelines (bca' yig) JF Religions VO 10 IS 4 SP 1 OP 11 A1 Barstow, Geoffrey LA English PB MDPI YR 2019 UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1671406346 AB The practice of vegetarianism has long been connected with monasticism in Tibet, despite explicit statements in the vinaya that monks and nuns are allowed to eat meat. This paper examines one particular aspect of this connection: the rules governing meat eating found in monastic guidelines. Texts of this genre reveal a variety of approaches to the question of meat eating, from avoiding the issue entirely (the most common) to banning meat outright (the least). In this paper I argue that, when viewed collectively, those monastic guidelines that discuss meat do so in a measured way that makes clear that while meat is not fully condoned, individual monks or nuns can choose how strictly they will adhere to this ideal. Meat was, thus, generally permitted, but within a context in which it was still viewed in a negative light. K1 Buddhism K1 Tibet K1 animal ethics K1 meat eating K1 Monasteries K1 Monasticism K1 Vegetarianism DO 10.3390/rel10040240