The Buddha made a huge contribution to the idea of karma, and it meant a great deal to him. He absolutely believed in karma, and he taught that he became a Buddha because of his past lives and through the coming together of various causes and conditions.

The technical term "karma" refers to the relationship between actions and their consequences. Karma includes both the actual action (physical, verbal and mental) and the imprints these actions create within the mind. Eventually, under proper circumstances, these karmic imprints will ripen, resulting in the fruition of that particular karma.

All intentional actions, good or bad, matter. These actions leave a trace on the psyche which leads to future results. After the performance of an action, a causal chain is created within the mental continuum which continues throughout the present and future rebirths. Such a karmic potential is activated when it interacts with appropriate circumstances and conditions, thus leading to the fruition of its effects.

This dynamic of past actions has two main aspects:

1.) One never experiences the consequences of an action not committed

2.)The potential of an action is never lost unless counteracted by specific remedies

Closely related to karma is the idea of not harming living beings. For instance, even by vegan standards, the Jains are very scrupulous about not harming sentient beings. Jains, for example, promoted the idea of ahimsa, which means "nonharming." They would (and still do) wear facial masks to prevent unfortunate insects from flying into their mouth, and they walk barefooted to prevent stepping on insects.

Buddha's emphasis was on avoiding intentional harming and killing. Therefore, it would be worse to swat a fly than to eat a dead animal.

According to the Jains, whether a person has the intention to kill or not does not make any difference, because the act is the same - intent has nothing to do with consequences.

Buddha thought the opposite and placed a premium on intention. Doing something in ignorance does not have the same effect as an action performed with intent. Along with this line of logic come notions related to intention: the sense of deliberateness with which one does something, the degree of planning and premeditation. Buddha was very clear on the importance of these factors, and many Western scholars have praised him for bringing this idea fully into view.

The Buddha generally agreed with the Jains on ideas of rebirth and non - violence, but their theory on karma was seen as too rigid. While it may be virtually impossible to go through life without stepping on a single ant, Jains have at least put much effort into minimizing animal suffering.

The traditional view of Buddha's teachings is that he allowed monks to eat "blameless" meat, which means the monks had not seen, heard or suspected an animal was killed specifically for him. Since monks lived off alms, they should not pick and choose food that was acceptable, or deprive laypeople of the good karma of donating food to monastics.

Regarding laypeople, killing animals to give their meat as alms generates bad karma, because of the pain and distress inflicted upon the animals. Buddhism's "right livelihood" prohibits "trading in flesh," as applies to butchers, hunters and fishermen. No serious Buddhist would engage in these occupations, and in Buddhist societies, butchers are commonly non - Buddhists.

In the Mahayana, the Lankavatara Sutra states that Buddha did not allow "blameless meat"  for monks, and the sutra takes a strong stance against meat - eating. The sutra postulates that all beings have been relatives in a previous life; meat smells bad; eating it hinders meditation and causes bad health. Meat - eating causes rebirth as a carnivorous animal or low - class human, according to this sutra.

In China, the Brahmajala Sutra contains Bodhisattva precepts that require vegetarianism. These teachings are used as a supplemental code of conduct for monastics and serious laypeople, with vegetarian feasts common at Buddhist celebrations.

Before 1872, in the Japanese tradition, no beef was eaten and vegetarianism was required of monks. However, in 1872, as part of Japan's modernization and desire to learn from Western societies, the formal ban on meat - eating in monasteries was abolished by the government.

From the book "Contribution of Jainism to Indian Culture":

Page 144) The Jain teachings of The Sutrakrtanga exhorts us to regard ahimsa as the quintessence of wisdom. Nirvana is nothing else than ahimsa. Therefore, we should not injure living beings. All beings from one - sensed to five -sensed ones are basically like oneself.

Page 136) 'One does not become noble (ariya) when one kills living beings. By harmlessness (or non-violence) towards all beings, one is called 'noble.'

In verse 300 of the Dhammapada, disciples of Gotama are shown as delighting in non - violence:

yesam diva ca ratto ca ahimsaya rato mano

Another concept, which is allied to Maitri is karuna (compassion), which also is one of the brahmaviharas. The whole Mahayana Buddhism is saturated with the concept of karuna.

According to the Prajnaparamita - sastras, Siksasamuccaya and other Mahayana texts, bodhisattvas show karuna chiefly by resolving to suffer the torments and agonies of the dreadful purgatories during innumerable
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Many Buddhist sutras, sacred texts, hagiographies and moral injunctions clearly condemn the killing and eating of animals, while these teachings commend a vegetarian diet for "all practioners of the Dharma," including monks and lay persons.

After all, the first basic precept of Buddhism is ahimsa or non-harming of sentient beings. This precept is not compatible with killing and eating animals. Indeed, it was centuries after the foundation of Buddhism that Buddhist practices varied from country to country and school to school regarding vegetarianism.

A well - known Mahayana Sutra, the Lankavatara Sutra, contains ethical injunctions strictly prohibiting the consumption of animal flesh by anyone who claims to follow the Path of the Buddha. The Lankavatara "no meat" injunction is unconditional: monks on their alms rounds are not exempt from this rule.

The compassionate heart, states this sutra, cannot be reconciled with the eating of tortured and murdered animals. This sutra states that meat is an "unnatural food," and all members of the Dharma are advised to view animals as no different from their own children.

Indeed, the Buddha is quoted as stating in the Lankavatara Sutra: "Meat eating is forbidden by me everywhere and for all time for all abiding in compassion." The sutra also notes that meat is "repulsive" and meat "stupefies the mind" while it involves one in the "habit - energy of evil karma."

Other sutras, besides the Lankavatara, also condemn meat eating: Anglimalika, Mahaparinirvana, Mahamega, Hastikakshaya, and the Surangama. The last sutra states that anyone desiring to escape from karmic bondage should find meat eating totally abhorrent.