Question

The Buddha encouraged animal sacrifices.
a. True
b. False

Answer 1

Hint: The Buddha preached about how all beings deserve our compassion. There is a popular Buddhist saying, ‘Sabbe Satta Sukhi Hontu’, which is a Pali chant that can be spoken or sung. It literally means that may all beings be happy.

Complete answer: The Buddha was against animal sacrifice.
The concept of animal sacrifice or any other form of sacrifice was never preached and or propagated by Buddha.
a. He was against the killing of animals. Buddha speaks of four kinds of persons - those who (1) torture themselves, (2) torture others, (3) torture both self and others and (4) who do not torture themselves or others.
b. The first is the strict asceticism and the second the butchers, trappers, fishers and robbers, the third category include kings and powerful priests who, on some occasions like the opening of a public building, hold a great ritual or puja, which the Buddha explains as "with the sacrifice of many cattle, goats and rams, with wood-cutting and grass-strewing and with much bullying and hustling of servants and slaves, working in fear of chastisement”.
Thus, the correct option is (b).

Note: The Buddha was completely against animal sacrifice. He was also staunchly opposed to killing. Killing, not just human beings, but all beings without any discrimination.
During the time of the Buddha, many kinds of sacrifices were practised by Brahmins who were the priests of the Vedic religion and the upper classes like the Kshatriyas. The Buddha did not see any value in these sacrifices, mainly because they were entirely external rites. According to him, the only sacrifice one could make was spiritual or internal.