How the principles of Pythagoras and Buddha met

As a result of his campaigns, Alexander created a true revolution in world culture. His influence often reached far beyond what we might imagine or hope for today. 

Take, for instance, vegetarianism, which has become popular in recent years and has been presented as a new aspect of our eating habits. It may be shocking to learn this very concept goes back to the days of Buddha and Pythagoras. 

The Greek philosopher lived in the late 6th century BC and is best known for his theorem and teaching that our soul is immortal. Buddha was an ascetic and religious teacher from the 6th-5th century BC. Both men could have met were it not that Pythagoras spent most of his life in Magna Graecia and Buddha in Nepal and India – two opposite poles of the then known world! 

Surprisingly, they both promoted a vegetarian diet, although for different reasons.

Pythagoras was a purist stating that we should avoid eating fish, fowl, and meat to live a healthy life. However, Buddha’s reason for abstaining from eating fish or meat is based on his concept of rebirth, i.e., reincarnation. 

We owe it to Alexander’s conquests that, eventually, both concepts met. The followers of Pythagoras added a more spiritual doctrine to their vegetarian meals. On the other hand, the adepts of Buddha would reinforce their diet ideas with the scientific foundation of Pythagoras. 

Over the centuries, these two concepts led many people to concentrate their diet on fruits and vegetables, which, in turn, spread the broader exchange of varieties from east and west.