Question: Why do many seem to expect dedicated Buddhists to be vegetarians or vegans?
Answer: The reason is simple… because deep down, everyone knows that the Buddha and Buddhism stand for great compassion for all sentient beings, while eating kindly is directly aligned to this. The Buddha also taught this in detail in the Buddhist scriptures: https://TheDailyEnlightenment.com/veg.
Question: What is a common reason some ‘reject’ the practice of consuming with more kindness?
Answer: There is a popular but weak argument claiming that one can either be a Buddhist compassionate in other aspects of life other than consumption, or a Buddhist compassionate in consumption but not in other aspects of life. This is a false dichotomy because it is possible and better to be compassionate in ALL aspects of life.
The simple truth is that when it comes to the kinder way of consumption, it is not ‘all or nothing’. It is possible to eat and drink kinder and kinder, as one advances towards more complete all-encompassing kindness for all beings. There are also non-Buddhists do work towards this, to be true to their true nature (i.e. Buddha-nature: 佛性) and all beings.
Related Review:
You, ‘Animals And The Buddha’
https://thedailyenlightenment.com/2016/05/you-animals-and-the-buddha
