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Buddhist

The Wisdom Podcast

Geoffrey Barstow: Was the Buddha Vegetarian? (#177) episode 177 / season 1

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This episode of the Wisdom Podcast features Geoffrey Barstow. Geoff is an assistant professor of Philosophy and Religion at Oregon State University. He has been a student of Choky Nyima Rinpoche for more than 20 years and he spent over six years conducting research in Nepal, China, and Tibet. His studies focused on animal ethics, the relationship between humans and animals, and what that can teach us about Tibetan Buddhism. In this episode, Daniel and Geoff discuss vegetarianism in Tibetan Buddhism, as well as, a common topic of debate in Buddhist circles, should all Buddhists be vegetarian? Additionally, they also discuss: Geoffs book The Faults of Meat ; the origins of Geoffs interest in Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism; vegetarianism and its relation to the threefold purity; and much more! Remember to subscribe to the Wisdom Podcast for more great conversations on Buddhism, meditation, and mindfulness. And please gi ve us a 5-star rating in Apple Podcasts if you enjoy our showits a great support to us and helps other people find the podcast. Thank you! The post Geoffrey Barstow: Was the Buddha Vegetarian? (#177) appeared first on The Wisdom Experience.

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episodes

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche: The Nalanda Approach (#243)

Venerable Bhikkhu Anlayo: The Perfection of Wisdom (#242)

H. E. Gyalwa Dokhampa: The Restful Mind (#240)

Thupten Jinpa: Illuminating the Intent – An Encore Presentation (#236)

Venerable Robina Courtin: Discovering Your True Nature (#234)

Elijah Ary: The First Western Geluk Tulku

Bhikkhu Bodhi: Translating the Buddha

H. H. the Karmapa: Vegetarianism, Online Education, and Nuns’ Ordination

David Loy: Modern Buddhism

Ven. Thubten Chodron: An American Buddhist Abbess

Jamyang Rinchen 1: Translating for the Dalai Lama

Jamyang Rinchen 2: My Guru, the Dalai Lama

Deborah Schoeberlein David: The Meaning of Living Mindfully

Stephen Batchelor: After Buddhism

C.W. Huntington and Francisca Cho: Emptiness and Fiction

Jeffrey Hopkins: The Life of a Buddhist Scholar

Elsie Walker: The Dalai Lama and the Presidents Bush

Robert Thurman: A Life in Buddhism

Lama Alan Wallace: Dzogchen and the Science of Mind

Pascal Auclair: Living Buddhism from the Heart

Jet Li: Beyond Life and Death (#229)

Brendan Barca and Pema Sherpa: The Daily Buddhist (#220)

Jeffrey Hopkins: In Remembrance: The Life of a Buddhist Scholar (#190)

Anne C. Klein: Being Human and a Buddha Too (#174)

Lama Alan Wallace: Meditation for Balanced Living

Alan Wallace: Solitude and Resilience (#118)

Chris Ives: Meditations on the Trail (#115)

Bhikkhu Bodhi: The Buddha on Social Harmony

Alan Wallace: Dzogchen and the Science of Mind

Christina Feldman: Meditation as Cultivation

Shaila Catherine: Mastering the Jhnas

Gerry Stribling: Buddhism for Dudes

Sharon Salzberg: Faith and Doubt

Steve Armstrong: Insight Meditation in America

Khenchen Konchog Gyaltshen: Drikung Teachings

Joseph Goldstein: Bringing the Dharma from the Masters to the West

H.E. the 7th Ling Rinpoche: The Training of a Tulku

Jay Garfield: Engaging Buddhist Philosophy

Koshin Paley Ellison: Zen and the Art of Caregiving

Dan Harris: 10% Happier

Mingyur Rinpoche: Stories of Wandering and Awakening

Bhikkhu Anlayo: The Satipatthana Sutta

Guy Newland: A Buddhist Grief Observed

David Nichtern: Awakening from the Daydream

Geshema Kelsang Wangmo: Becoming the First Female Geshe

Kamala Masters: Dhamma in Daily Life

Malcolm Smith: Translating Dzogchen Texts

Jan Westerhoff: Ngrjuna and Madhyamaka

Barbara Bonner: Reimagining Courage and Generosity

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: In Praise of Spiritual Teachers

H. E. the 12th Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche: The History of the Zurmang Kagyu Tradition

Kathleen Dowling Singh: Grace and Awakening

Joanne Cacciatore: Bearing the Unbearable

Alan Wallace: Meditation for Balanced Living

Harold Talbott: Remembering Thomas Merton’s Encounters with the Dalai Lama

Josh Korda: Honoring Transparency and Disclosure

Andy Rotman: The Divine Stories of Early Buddhism

Marcus Perman: Translation and Transmission of Tibetan Buddhism in the West

Ross Bolleter: The Intimacy of Zen Koan Practice

Sharon Salzberg: Loving-Kindness: More than Just a Concentration Practice

Janet Gyatso: Tibetan Buddhism, Animal Ethics and Compassion

Sumi Loundon Kim: Mindfulness for the Whole Family

Karl Brunnhlzl: Stories of Translation and Transformation

Leonard van der Kuijp: Discovering Tibet with a Leading Scholar

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: Foundations for the Flourishing of Dharma in the West

Bhante Gunaratana: A Special Teaching on Mindfulness

Sonam Thakchoe: In the Laboratory of Meditation

Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche: Lineage and Transmission in the Nyingma Tradition

Karen Derris: A Professor and Her Students Engage H. H. the Karmapa

Dungse Jampal Norbu: A New Generation of American Buddhists

H. H. the Sakya Trichen: Learning from the Lives of Great Masters

Malcolm Smith: The Seventeen Tantras of the Great Perfection

Lama Tsultrim Allione: Path of the Sacred Feminine

Richard Salomon: Early Buddhism in Ancient Gandhra

Ani Choying Drolma: A Voice for Nepalese Buddhist Nuns

Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel: On Faith and Dependent Arising

Thupten Jinpa: Translating for His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Christopher Ives: Zen, Ethics, and the Wildness of Nature

Bhikkhu Anlayo: Rebirth in Early Buddhism

H. E. Dza Kilung Rinpoche: Jigme Lingpa and the Longchen Nyingtik Tradition

David Nichtern: Mantra and the Power of Pure Sound

Geshe Tashi Tsering: From Monk to Abbot at Sera Mey Monastery

Mark Van Buren: Actual Happiness

Charles Hallisey: Reimagining Buddhist Scripture

H. H. Karmapa: Vegetarianism, Online Education and Nuns Ordination

Narayan Helen Liebenson: The Immediacy of Freedom

Barry Magid: Psychologically Minded Zen

Robert Thurman: The Practice of Deity Yoga

Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche: Prioritizing Aspirations Along the Path

Ajahn Brahm: Letting Go, Stillness, and Vanishing

Ajahn Brahm and Shaila Catherine: Dialogue on the Deep States of Samadhi

Alejandro Chaoul: The Bn Tradition and the Art of Tibetan Yoga

Shohaku Okumura Roshi: Stories from Modern Zen Masters

H. H. the Sakya Trizin: Preservation of the Dharma and the Sakya Tradition

John Dunne: Dharmakrti, Perception, and Cognitive Science

Graham Coleman: Preserving Tibetan Culture in the Digital Age

Koshin Paley Ellison: How to Forgive

Cyrus Stearns: Translating for the Great Sakya Masters

Larry Rosenberg: Early Pioneer of Buddhism in the West

Tara Brach: Radical Compassion

Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche: Spiritual Heir to a Tibetan Master

Norman Fischer: A Poet’s Path to Awakening

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Toni Bernhard: Self-Compassion and the First Noble Truth (#98)

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David Nichtern: Buddhist Wisdom for Realizing Your Creative Vision (#101)

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Venerable Thubten Chodron: In Praise of Great Compassion (#102)

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Episode 111

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Episode 117

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Episode 132

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Episode 147

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Episode 148

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Episode 209

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Episode 210

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Episode 211

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Episode 216

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Episode 218

Dasho Karma Ura: The Pursuit of Happiness in Bhutan (#219)

Episode 219

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Wisdom Dharma Chat | Tenzin Choegyal – December 2025

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Episode 225

John Makransky: How Compassion Works (#226)

Episode 226

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Episode 227

Lama Justin von Bujdoss: Dark Retreat (#230)

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Gerardo Abboud: Translating the dharma (#231)

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Geshe YongDong Losar and Jesse Moussa: Becoming The Master On The Course And In Life (#232)

Episode 232

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