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book: Food of Sinful Demons
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Food of Sinful Demons

Meat, Vegetarianism, and the Limits of Buddhism in Tibet
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2017

About this book

In this study of the place of vegetarianism within Tibetan religiosity, Geoffrey Barstow explores the tension between Buddhist ethics and Tibetan cultural norms to offer a novel perspective on the spiritual and social dimensions of meat eating. Barstow offers a detailed analysis of the debates over meat eating and vegetarianism from the first references to such a diet in the tenth century through the Chinese invasion in the 1950s, showing how nonreligious norms and ideals shaped religious beliefs and practices.
Geoffrey Barstow explores the tension between Buddhist ethics and Tibetan cultural norms to offer a novel perspective on the spiritual and social dimensions of meat eating within Tibetan religiosity. Barstow offers a detailed analysis of the debates over meat and vegetarianism from the tenth century through the Chinese invasion in the 1950s.

Author / Editor information

Geoffrey Barstow is assistant professor of religious studies at Oregon State University.

Reviews

Matthieu Ricard, author of A Plea for the Animals: The Moral, Philosophical and Evolutionary Imperative to Treat All Beings with Compassion:
In this first in-depth study of the history of vegetarianism in Tibet, Geoffrey Barstow clearly shows that vegetarianism has always existed in Tibetan culture and was essentially motivated by compassion for the animals. Food of Sinful Demons is a welcome contribution to the important debate over the relationships between and among vegetarianism, health, and religion.

Gray Tuttle, Leila Hadley Luce Associate Professor of Modern Tibetan Studies, Columbia University:
A very welcome and entirely novel work on the place of vegetarianism in Tibet, Food of Sinful Demons will make a solid scholarly contribution to religious studies, Buddhist studies, and Tibetan studies. Covering a topic of broad interest in fields from ranging religion to animal rights, it offers something new for specialists but is also accessible to undergraduates as well as educated Buddhists trying to understand the role of vegetarianism and meat eating in Tibetan Buddhism.

Andrew Quintman, Yale University:
A creative and nuanced exploration of an aspect of Tibetan religiosity that has heretofore remained largely in the dark. An important and exciting book.

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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
October 24, 2017
eBook ISBN:
9780231542302
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Other:
13 b&w photographs
This book is in the series
Downloaded on 28.4.2026 from https://www.degruyterbrill.com/document/doi/10.7312/bars17996/html?lang=en
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