In addition to Tibetan Buddhists, Theravada Buddhists also eat meat. Theravada Buddhism encompasses Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, and Burma. Though some monks and nuns eat meat, they do not kill the animals themselves. Others supply the meat. Furthermore, the animals must not have been killed specifically for them. They do not order others to kill for them. They acquire meat from a butcher, for instance. The reason they eat meat is because of the environment in which they live. Perhaps other foods are scarce.

STUDENT:

Enlightened people keep the precepts naturally. Does that mean if their houses are infested with roaches, ants and rats, they will not do anything about it?

SHIH-FU:

Enlightened people will not kill these animals. The animals would stay away from enlightened beings. Such situations would not arise.

Let's continue. What about not stealign? Is there an extreme violation such that people can never repent their actions? The precept of not stealign was based on the legal system of ancient India. If the crime was punishable by death, then the precept was permanently broken. In ancient India, you did not have to steal much to be executed. In the United States, the legal system does not execute people for stealign, no matter what the amount. Some people might take this as a green light to go out and rob the nearest bank. Stealign is wrong, no matter how small or large the amount stolen. It violates the second precept, but you can repent your action.