Many Buddhists interpret this to mean that you should not consume animals, as doing so would require killing. Buddhists with this interpretation usually follow a lacto-vegetarian diet. This means they consume dairy products but exclude eggs, poultry, fish, and meat from their diet.

Do Buddhist monks eat meat?

Excluding most schools of Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhist monastics will usually eat meat. A part of this has to do with the Buddha's requirement that the Sangha, or monastic community, live off the generosity of the laypeople. The purpose of this requirement has to do with both convenience and compassion.

Are most monks vegetarian?

Buddhist vegetarianism is the practice of vegetarianism by significant portions of Mahayana Buddhist monks and nuns (as well as laypersons) and some Buddhists of other sects. In Buddhism, the views on vegetarianism vary between different schools of thought.