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This article examines the relationship between folk knowledge of subsistence and the reformist Buddhism movement, focusing on unique suffocation method of slaughtering for the purpose of self-consumption among Tibetan pastoralists in Amdo. In the suffocation method, the animal selected for slaughter is tied to a rope and one end of the rope is then pulled toward the head and tied around the muzzle, and the animal is suffocated for 10 to 20 min. People describe meat from animals slaughtered in this way as rich in blood, tasty, and nourishing. However, reformist lamas, who follow vegetarianism, have been concerned about the violence of this method, and have been campaigning for a fundamental change in the pastoralists' livestock management and diet system. By approaching this controversial issue of "the proper treatment of animals," this article depicts a condition in which the holistic nature of subsistence folk knowledge that has been formed to survive the harsh highland environment is being undermined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]