Pseudo vegan (ism)

Veganism enjoys a current popularity among some. Its diet is held as exemplary throughout the nutrition world.

So, how well understood is this movement and its origins?

That is...in China where it grew since the 3rd century and became noted. That is with the Chinese PURELAND Buddhists. For thorough purity, not just fad. The Pureland school saw in the Buddhist Canon that it recommends NO HARM. That is its premise and source. The Chinese and Japanese Pureland schools and some others took this to mean to adapt a lifestyle which did not involve harming living creatures and so they adapted to avoid eating them and any animal products as part of their daily practice in Buddhism.

Back then they did not employ any such term as "veganism". The practice is part of their whole life. This was also said by one of the modern leaders of modern veganism decades back. To practice veganism involves not harming other living beings, not just the diet alone, that is a vegan.

However, it is seen that modern, popular, vegan practitioners adopted only the diet and not the whole practice they allude to.  It is a case where popular interpretation supplants by numerically overwhelming the original code and made it a different 'ism'. Creating a pseudo veganism.

Today, if one encounters a Chinese Pureland practitioner and others who likewise practice the same, as Vietnamese, it will be seen that they will not only strictly not eat meat, or use any animal products for anything including medicene, they refrain from doing harm to any being, mosquitos, flies, etc.

Note: the material herein is not necessarily a reflection of entropy of current societies.