Buddhism ought to be an animal rights religion par excellence. It has long held that all life forms are sacred and considers kindness and compassion the highest virtues. Moreover, Buddhism explicitly includes animals in its moral universe. Buddhist rules of conduct—including the first precept, “Do not kill”—apply to our treatment of animals as well as to our treatment of other human beings.

Consequently, we would expect Buddhism to oppose all forms of animal exploitation, and there is, in fact, wide agreement that most forms of animal exploitation are contrary to Buddhist teaching. Yet many Buddhists eat meat—although many do not—and monks, priests, and scholars sometimes defend meat-eating as consistent with Buddhist teaching.

The Great Compassion studies the various strains of Buddhism and the sutras that command respect for all life. Norm Phelps, a longtime student of Buddhism and an acquaintance of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, answers the central questions of whether Buddhism demands vegetarianism and whether the Buddha ate meat. He is not afraid to examine anti-animal statements in Buddhist lore—particularly the issues of whether Buddhists in non-historically Buddhist countries need to keep or to jettison the practices of their historical homelands.

Norm Phelps is the former spiritual outreach director of The Fund for Animals, as well as a founding member of the Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians (SERV) and a contributing writer for Satya. His goal is for faith communities of all traditions to include animals within the scope of their compassionate ministries. Norm lives in Funkstown, Maryland with his wife, Patti Rogers, and their family of rescued cats.
 

Acknowledgments	xi
Introduction	xiii
The Rosary of Death	1
Life on the Farm	7
Mother Beings	25
Reason and Rights	35
The Great Compassion	42
Thus Have I Heard	55
The Last Supper	73
A Branch of Sorrow	85
Precious Human Birth	95
The Cabbage and the Cow	109
More Mind Games	120
The Western Seduction	135
The Diamond Vehicle and the Dalai Lama	147
The Rosary of Life	160
Notes	171
Glossary of Animal-Related Terms	183
Glossary of Buddhist Terms	187
Suggestions for Further Reading	193
Websites/Resources	199
Bibliography	203