Buddhist Vegetarian Fasting and the "Five Pungent Vegetables": Why So Many Temples Avoid Onion and Garlic

What Are the "Five Pungent Vegetables"

In the "jing zhai" (pure vegetarian fasting) tradition of Han Chinese Buddhism, practitioners avoid not only meat but also five strong-smelling plants: onion, garlic, Chinese chives, shallots, and asafoetida. Together these are known as the "five pungent vegetables" (wu xin).

Why They're Avoided

According to tradition, eating these vegetables raw is thought to stir up anger, while eating them cooked is thought to arouse desire — both of which disturb the calm state of mind that spiritual practice requires. Another explanation holds that their strong smell disrupts the atmosphere during group sutra chanting. This is a matter of religious practice rather than a conclusion from modern nutritional science.

How It Differs from Ordinary Vegetarian Diets

• Ordinary ovo-lacto/vegan diets: restrict only animal-derived ingredients
• Buddhist jing zhai: does that, plus excludes the five pungent vegetables

This is why devout Buddhists will still ask "does this have onion or garlic in it?" even at restaurants that advertise themselves as vegetarian.

A Note for Beginners

If you're vegetarian purely for health or ethical reasons, there's no need to deliberately avoid the five pungent vegetables. But understanding the concept helps you make sense of temple vegetarian menus, and shows respect for different vegetarian traditions. If you ever get the chance to eat at a temple, it helps to learn the local customs beforehand — standards around the five pungent vegetables vary somewhat between temples and regions, so when in doubt, the safest approach is simply to ask the dining hall staff directly.