I had read it somewhere (who knows) where he ate meat that was placed before him in a home he visited, but it was not butchered for him. His monks were a little annoyed but I guess they got over it. I can't remember exactly why he thought it was okay except that it had to with balance and the state of mind.

I found this;


The act of being vegetarian has been associated to the development of high moral and ethical values. To this the Lord Buddha Gotama remarks :

"Neither meat, nor fasting, nor nakedness
Nor shaven heads, nor matted hair, nor dirt,
Nor rough skin, nor fire-worshipping,
Nor all penances here in this world,
Nor hymns, nor oblations, nor sacrifice,
Nor feast of the season,
Will purify a man overcome with doubt"

(Amagandha Sutta)

In the Jivaka Sutta, The Lord Buddha Gotama touches upon this subject:

"Taking life, beating, cutting, binding, stealing, lying, fraud, deceit, pretence at knowledge, adultery;
This is uncleanliness and not the eating of flesh."

"When men are rough and harsh, backbiting, Treacherous, without compassion, haughty, ungenerous and do not give anything to anybody;
This is uncleanliness and not the eating of flesh."

"When men are of bad moods, refuse to pay their debts, slanderers, deceitful in their teachings, pretenders, when the vilest of men commit foul deeds;
This is uncleanliness and not the eating of flesh."

"When men attach living beings either because of greed or hostility, and are always bent upon evil, they go to darkness after death and fall headlong into hell;
This is uncleanliness and not the eating of flesh."

These statements clearly illustrate that partaking meat will not make a person impure. Rather, it is the mindset, the attitudes and mental makeup and eventual behavior of a person that eventually determine the moral and ethical status of the person.