Question: How is ‘素’ (veg[etari]anism) different from ‘斋’ (purification)?
Answer: Although these two Chinese words are often used interchangeably, they have differences in meaning.
‘素’ (veg[etari]anism) refers to eating without meat (肉), five pungent roots (五莘), alcohol (酒) and other animal products (动物产品), as traditional Mahāyāna Buddhist veg(etari)anism (大乘佛教素食) is actually pure veganism (纯素), as explained at https://TheDailyEnlightenment.com/veg.
‘斋’ (purification) refers to spiritual purification (清净), as used in terms like ‘六斋日’ (Six Purification Days) and ‘三斋月’ (Three Purification Months), during which the ‘八关斋戒’ (Eight Retreat Purification Precepts; Eight Precepts: 八戒) are observed: https://purelanders.com/2018/06/29/eight-precepts-ceremony.
Mahāyāna observation of the Eight Precepts requires eating as veg(etari)ans, (while this might differ in other traditions). This explains the conflating of ‘veg(etari)anism’ with ‘purification’, although being veg(etari)an is only one aspect of practice for facilitating purification, as there are other precepts and practices too.
Thus, merely eating as a veg(etari)an does not mean one is already purified, especially if still eating with greed, while not choosing kinder foods out of compassion and wisdom. Complete purification is not just physical but also spiritual in nature, when the three poisons (三毒) of greed, hatred and delusion (贪嗔痴) are eliminated, as replaced by generosity, compassion and wisdom (施悲智).
Since one of the Eight Precepts requires ‘过午不食’ (not eat passing noon), the labelling of veg(etari)an food stalls and restaurants with ‘斋’ is technically wrong if they do serve food after noon. They should simply use ‘素’ if so.
