Cattāri Brahmavihārā

Buddhists are encouraged to love all living beings and not to restrict their love only to human beings. They should practice loving kindness towards every living being. The Buddha’s advice is that it is not right for us to take the life of any living being, since every living being has a right to exist. Animals also have fear and pain as do human beings. It is wrong to take their lives.  —Ven. K. Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera

Some Buddhists maintain that the Buddha never said we should be vegetarians, and that monks may eat whatever is offered to them, as long as they do not see, hear, or suspect that the animals, fish or fowl were killed especially for them; if they so see, hear or suspect, they are forbidden to eat the flesh. But this standpoint is totally indefensible, as anyone who looks at things a little objectively…