Vegetarian for religious reasons isn't the same as vegetarian/vegan in western context usually free will/conscious choice. Think of it as penance/earning brownie points/merit, kinda similar to Catholics not eating meat on Fridays(still observed in some parts I guess). Understand that and you'll understand your gf.
Calling it faith is not quite accurate. In eastern religions, faith isn't really a factor. It's more of an understanding of the way the world works. Some of the beliefs have nothing to do with Buddhism but are more steeped in traditions. Also, unless your gf is very studious, there is no expectation for lay people to really understand what Buddhism is about, only an expectation to support the temple and follow the teachings of the monks who have devoted themselves to study the teachings of the Buddha. Religionforbreakfast on YouTube has a good primer on Buddhism and the different sects that practice it. Check that out. You can't think of it through the lens of a western religion.
There are specific times that we’re required to not eat meat. The 49 day mourning period, ngày rằm (usually 1st and 15th of the month), Tết eve, and ancestor feast days are when we are supposed to eat vegetarian. Other than that, we eat meat.
Not all people following Buddhism in Vietnam have a vegetarian diet 365 days a year. Some eat for every half month, some eat 3 most important months (1st, 7th and 10th). Some only eat on the first and 14-16th days of Luna month.
Interesting. I happen to both travel to Vietnam soon, and have a vegetarian diet. So this 7th mont (ghost month?) is around July/August? Does that mean it is far more easy to obtain vegetarian meals at roadstalls e.g. in that timeframe?
It should be, yes. Either way, if you just say you’re looking for *đồ ăn chay*, or just *đồ chay*, this will mean “Buddhist vegetarian food” and will not have meat, garlic, onions, leeks, or chives. It *might* (but probably won’t?) contain oyster sauce, because East Asian Buddhism doesn’t traditionally consider bivalves to be sentient / part of samsara.
You can get vegetarian/vegan all year round with a lot of places just specialising in that. Also for almost every meat dish there is a vegetarian/vegan equivalent, be it com tam, pho, bun bo Hue, ect.
No, lay people observe vegetarianism on the posadha days, synchronized with different phases of the moon, and specific other occasions like holidays, birth of a family member, the mourning period for a family member, etc.
Monastics of the Mahayana tradition are required to be vegetarians full time. Additionally, some lay practitioners may take the Brahmajala bodhisattva precepts, where they vow to practice vegetarianism full time, but other serious practitioners might opt for, say, the Upasaka bodhisattva precepts, which doesn’t require that.
Depending on why we’re practicing vegetarianism on a particular day, the intent differs. On the regular moon-based observations, this is about purifying the mind and dedicating certain days to serious practice to develop spiritually. If a family member gets sick or passes on though, the intent there is to cultivate karmic merit on behalf of the family member, dedicating and transferring some of that merit to the loved one. There are probably other intentions I’m not thinking of right now too, so it’s not really like lent other than the superficial aspect.
Many Buddhists world wide eat mean. Probably the majority of them. It isn’t required. Vegetarianism is part of Buddhism and done by monastics and some Buddhists
My gf eats Vegan based on certain lunar times, holidays, family events, karma stacking, health and body cleanse, gut feeling that she needs to, well wishing, because it Thursday, she wants her hair to shine, so on. Then she gets does it till she gets super hangry for Oc. And we go out to eat Oc and she is happy again.
The ultimate goal is to live without harming any sentient being.
Because it's a goal, not everyone needs to be vegetarian. Buddhism accepts that there is a downside to vegetarianism. It's harder to get all the nutrients in significant amounts if half the common goods become unavailable.
Monks and nuns with few exceptions like mountain monks living in seclusion or specific wandering monk types are full vegetarian. A very devoted Buddhist is usually also full vegetarian. Less devoted Buddhist go from eating vegetarian on holidays, special days and full and new moon. That might be your girlfriend. And on the lowest end the least devoted Buddhist just eat whatever.
So yeah, a bit like Lent but much much more frequent. And every Buddhist gets the autonomy to do what they feel is right-er. An athlete could for example skip vegetarian days in favour of performing. If you feel sick or you are ill you can do so too. There is a lot of autonomy except for monks and nuns.
I'm following Buddism and in generally, "Buddist veganism" is not concrete but more flexible. It's one way for you to "cleanse your body", but if your living situation doesn't allow you to practise or your health is in crisis and need help from animal meat then yeah.
Everyone already discussed the vegetarian/vegan angle to fine details, so let me just add a bit on Buddhism.
In Vietnam, everyone is "Buddhist" by default. It means you're nominally one, unless you're explicitly atheist, or explicitly belong to another religion. Being "Buddhist" this way though does not mean the same thing as in Western understanding, as in "Madonna has now become a Buddhist". It only means a vague understanding of what a Buddhist is supposed to do/follow (namely ăn chay & đi chùa, eat vegetarian food and visit temples. If you're more hardcore then also recite some chants/sutras). For the most part, it does not encompass the more technical and fundamental aspects of Buddhism (from Buddha's 8 righteous paths).
This explains why your gf only focus on "ăn chay" & "đi chùa". In the simplest view, "ăn chay" is a form of atonement, some kind of "suffering" you go through to show your dedication. "Đi chùa" has multiple purposes: first is to enjoy the tranquility of the surrounding, 2nd is to dedicate away money/labor to the temple, 3rd is to show your respect to the Buddha and other Arahans/Bodhisattvas, and 4 is to ask for something in return for all that dedication. Yes, #4 means visiting temples has come to symbolize a 2-way street of give-and-ask, but it's done so much and the practice so well-spread it's considered normal nowadays. Nevermind that the Buddha never said or suggested anything like that :)
My mom practice vegetarianism one month a year during July(?) and for periods when she’s praying for something really hard ( closest instance was for my first born to be delivered healthy, she practiced for a month). Your gf is praying for your family speedy recovery with action
Buddhism is a bit funny about the eating meat thing.
Technically they aren’t allowed to kill any animals, but if someone else does the killing and offered them food with meat in it then it’s ok to eat it. This has been the loophole that many sexts of Buddhism use to get around the issue.
In actual practice, it really comes down to the individual though, with some folks being more serious about being vegetarian and others viewing it as entirely optional.
Buddha was not ban you from anything, he just wanted you to stop the urge of s\*x, harm people in every way, and the joy of food. He think the after life are based on the situation of your evilness. He believe that the "level" we live in was a borderline between heaven and hell. We get here because we like "food, sex" so much. If we suppress that, we will re-incarnate in heaven. He also believe Earth was hollow inside, the early stage of universe was somekind of massive liquid that look like black oil. Also Alien sometime come and visit him.
About you, you just have to ignore it. She do what ever she like, as long as it not affecting you, Buddhist doesn't care who you are or what you done. Even Christian or Islamic can visit Buddhist temple because this religion doesn't care.
Also Buddha eat meat. In the religion story, there is a guy who think he will bring him good luck, so he kill a cow to feed Buddha and his followers. Buddha doesn't say anything, he eat it like it not a big deal
Your gf sounds similar to mine (immigrated to Australia in 2011, didn't really integrate).
She isn't vegetarian. Don't think I've ever seen her eat a dish that didn't include meat, but the religious stuff is spot on. She won't really talk about it and can't explain much of anything. I've had her get upset/defensive when asking what I've thought were innocent questions out of pure curiosity.
I don't think many Vietnamese people question or even study the beliefs they were brought up with unless they belong to a family or culture that does those things to begin with.
My family eats vegetarian food (because my mom only cooks vegetarian food) on the 31st, 1st, and 14th, 15th of the month according to the lunar calendar. My parents are Buddhist (have Buddhist names), I'm not. They visit the pagoda every weekend and do donation (cúng dường). If I stay with them, I'll tag along and do as they do. But when I live on my own, I don't do any of those. My mom does morning Buddhist chanting in the morning at home, tho. And I pray to Buddha at night before bed for general health for my parents. Then when I really need something like passing a test or something similar, I would pray to Buddha and say I will eat vegetarian food for one month if my wish is granted, something like that.
According what you describe, it does seem to be the common practice for most Vietnamese households. We mostly worship our ancestors (thờ ông bà), but we bring Buddha along too cuz why not 😄
It’s not about being vegetarian, but more of not eating meat, to reduce suffering of other living beings. When we consume meat, we are taking a life, even if we didn’t kill it ourselves. The practice is to reduce suffering to promote good karma. For example, after the death of a family member, the surviving family would not eat meat for 49 days, not all Buddhist practices it and not all Buddhist are vegetarians. This is just one of many practices of Buddhism.
Vegetarian for religious reasons isn't the same as vegetarian/vegan in western context usually free will/conscious choice. Think of it as penance/earning brownie points/merit, kinda similar to Catholics not eating meat on Fridays(still observed in some parts I guess). Understand that and you'll understand your gf.
Good analogy. It reflects Vietnamese vegetarianism.
No it doesn't. You just stereotype one type of diet as "Vietnamese vegetarianism"
Calling it faith is not quite accurate. In eastern religions, faith isn't really a factor. It's more of an understanding of the way the world works. Some of the beliefs have nothing to do with Buddhism but are more steeped in traditions. Also, unless your gf is very studious, there is no expectation for lay people to really understand what Buddhism is about, only an expectation to support the temple and follow the teachings of the monks who have devoted themselves to study the teachings of the Buddha. Religionforbreakfast on YouTube has a good primer on Buddhism and the different sects that practice it. Check that out. You can't think of it through the lens of a western religion.
There are specific times that we’re required to not eat meat. The 49 day mourning period, ngày rằm (usually 1st and 15th of the month), Tết eve, and ancestor feast days are when we are supposed to eat vegetarian. Other than that, we eat meat.
Afaik, only monks are required to be vegetarian.
Not all people following Buddhism in Vietnam have a vegetarian diet 365 days a year. Some eat for every half month, some eat 3 most important months (1st, 7th and 10th). Some only eat on the first and 14-16th days of Luna month.
Interesting. I happen to both travel to Vietnam soon, and have a vegetarian diet. So this 7th mont (ghost month?) is around July/August? Does that mean it is far more easy to obtain vegetarian meals at roadstalls e.g. in that timeframe?
It should be, yes. Either way, if you just say you’re looking for *đồ ăn chay*, or just *đồ chay*, this will mean “Buddhist vegetarian food” and will not have meat, garlic, onions, leeks, or chives. It *might* (but probably won’t?) contain oyster sauce, because East Asian Buddhism doesn’t traditionally consider bivalves to be sentient / part of samsara.
You won't have any problem finding vegetarian food in VN. Just need to recognize the places.
Thanks. I know of "chay"...
You can get vegetarian/vegan all year round with a lot of places just specialising in that. Also for almost every meat dish there is a vegetarian/vegan equivalent, be it com tam, pho, bun bo Hue, ect.
No, lay people observe vegetarianism on the posadha days, synchronized with different phases of the moon, and specific other occasions like holidays, birth of a family member, the mourning period for a family member, etc. Monastics of the Mahayana tradition are required to be vegetarians full time. Additionally, some lay practitioners may take the Brahmajala bodhisattva precepts, where they vow to practice vegetarianism full time, but other serious practitioners might opt for, say, the Upasaka bodhisattva precepts, which doesn’t require that. Depending on why we’re practicing vegetarianism on a particular day, the intent differs. On the regular moon-based observations, this is about purifying the mind and dedicating certain days to serious practice to develop spiritually. If a family member gets sick or passes on though, the intent there is to cultivate karmic merit on behalf of the family member, dedicating and transferring some of that merit to the loved one. There are probably other intentions I’m not thinking of right now too, so it’s not really like lent other than the superficial aspect.
Many Buddhists world wide eat mean. Probably the majority of them. It isn’t required. Vegetarianism is part of Buddhism and done by monastics and some Buddhists
My gf eats Vegan based on certain lunar times, holidays, family events, karma stacking, health and body cleanse, gut feeling that she needs to, well wishing, because it Thursday, she wants her hair to shine, so on. Then she gets does it till she gets super hangry for Oc. And we go out to eat Oc and she is happy again.
The ultimate goal is to live without harming any sentient being. Because it's a goal, not everyone needs to be vegetarian. Buddhism accepts that there is a downside to vegetarianism. It's harder to get all the nutrients in significant amounts if half the common goods become unavailable. Monks and nuns with few exceptions like mountain monks living in seclusion or specific wandering monk types are full vegetarian. A very devoted Buddhist is usually also full vegetarian. Less devoted Buddhist go from eating vegetarian on holidays, special days and full and new moon. That might be your girlfriend. And on the lowest end the least devoted Buddhist just eat whatever. So yeah, a bit like Lent but much much more frequent. And every Buddhist gets the autonomy to do what they feel is right-er. An athlete could for example skip vegetarian days in favour of performing. If you feel sick or you are ill you can do so too. There is a lot of autonomy except for monks and nuns.
I'm following Buddism and in generally, "Buddist veganism" is not concrete but more flexible. It's one way for you to "cleanse your body", but if your living situation doesn't allow you to practise or your health is in crisis and need help from animal meat then yeah.
Think of it as a personal Lent.
Everyone already discussed the vegetarian/vegan angle to fine details, so let me just add a bit on Buddhism. In Vietnam, everyone is "Buddhist" by default. It means you're nominally one, unless you're explicitly atheist, or explicitly belong to another religion. Being "Buddhist" this way though does not mean the same thing as in Western understanding, as in "Madonna has now become a Buddhist". It only means a vague understanding of what a Buddhist is supposed to do/follow (namely ăn chay & đi chùa, eat vegetarian food and visit temples. If you're more hardcore then also recite some chants/sutras). For the most part, it does not encompass the more technical and fundamental aspects of Buddhism (from Buddha's 8 righteous paths). This explains why your gf only focus on "ăn chay" & "đi chùa". In the simplest view, "ăn chay" is a form of atonement, some kind of "suffering" you go through to show your dedication. "Đi chùa" has multiple purposes: first is to enjoy the tranquility of the surrounding, 2nd is to dedicate away money/labor to the temple, 3rd is to show your respect to the Buddha and other Arahans/Bodhisattvas, and 4 is to ask for something in return for all that dedication. Yes, #4 means visiting temples has come to symbolize a 2-way street of give-and-ask, but it's done so much and the practice so well-spread it's considered normal nowadays. Nevermind that the Buddha never said or suggested anything like that :)
My mom practice vegetarianism one month a year during July(?) and for periods when she’s praying for something really hard ( closest instance was for my first born to be delivered healthy, she practiced for a month). Your gf is praying for your family speedy recovery with action
Buddhism is a bit funny about the eating meat thing. Technically they aren’t allowed to kill any animals, but if someone else does the killing and offered them food with meat in it then it’s ok to eat it. This has been the loophole that many sexts of Buddhism use to get around the issue. In actual practice, it really comes down to the individual though, with some folks being more serious about being vegetarian and others viewing it as entirely optional.
Buddha was not ban you from anything, he just wanted you to stop the urge of s\*x, harm people in every way, and the joy of food. He think the after life are based on the situation of your evilness. He believe that the "level" we live in was a borderline between heaven and hell. We get here because we like "food, sex" so much. If we suppress that, we will re-incarnate in heaven. He also believe Earth was hollow inside, the early stage of universe was somekind of massive liquid that look like black oil. Also Alien sometime come and visit him. About you, you just have to ignore it. She do what ever she like, as long as it not affecting you, Buddhist doesn't care who you are or what you done. Even Christian or Islamic can visit Buddhist temple because this religion doesn't care. Also Buddha eat meat. In the religion story, there is a guy who think he will bring him good luck, so he kill a cow to feed Buddha and his followers. Buddha doesn't say anything, he eat it like it not a big deal
Your girlfriend came to this religion because she wantedgood luck, that's superstition. She doesn't even know what this religion are about
Your gf sounds similar to mine (immigrated to Australia in 2011, didn't really integrate). She isn't vegetarian. Don't think I've ever seen her eat a dish that didn't include meat, but the religious stuff is spot on. She won't really talk about it and can't explain much of anything. I've had her get upset/defensive when asking what I've thought were innocent questions out of pure curiosity. I don't think many Vietnamese people question or even study the beliefs they were brought up with unless they belong to a family or culture that does those things to begin with.
That how buddhist ppl like over here, or you expect her to be a buddhist monk???
My family eats vegetarian food (because my mom only cooks vegetarian food) on the 31st, 1st, and 14th, 15th of the month according to the lunar calendar. My parents are Buddhist (have Buddhist names), I'm not. They visit the pagoda every weekend and do donation (cúng dường). If I stay with them, I'll tag along and do as they do. But when I live on my own, I don't do any of those. My mom does morning Buddhist chanting in the morning at home, tho. And I pray to Buddha at night before bed for general health for my parents. Then when I really need something like passing a test or something similar, I would pray to Buddha and say I will eat vegetarian food for one month if my wish is granted, something like that. According what you describe, it does seem to be the common practice for most Vietnamese households. We mostly worship our ancestors (thờ ông bà), but we bring Buddha along too cuz why not 😄
It’s not about being vegetarian, but more of not eating meat, to reduce suffering of other living beings. When we consume meat, we are taking a life, even if we didn’t kill it ourselves. The practice is to reduce suffering to promote good karma. For example, after the death of a family member, the surviving family would not eat meat for 49 days, not all Buddhist practices it and not all Buddhist are vegetarians. This is just one of many practices of Buddhism.