Depending on each of our own conditions and capacity, all of us should at least try to be vegetarian from now on.  Our motivation, though, should be different from that of the non-Buddhists, whose primary concerns are mostly health related rather than for their future lives or compassion for other sentient beings. We should not only stop eating meat but should also vow never to eat meat again. Absent the vow, simply stopping eating meat would not be considered a virtuous deed on its own. The vow should go like this: “By the merit of ceasing to eat meat now, may I never eat meat again in all my future lives.”

~ Luminous Wisdom : 1