Part 20 (1/2)
Hinduism and Vegetarianism.
HINDUISM is ONE OF THE RELIGIONS that has maintained its vegetarian perspective, perhaps from the beginning of written history. There are about 550 million Hindu vegetarians. It is clearly part of the spiritual path as described in the Vedas, ancient spiritual scriptures somewhere between six and eight thousand years old. The wisdom of the Vedas underlies a wide variety of spiritual paths related to the practice of Hinduism. Also involved in the practice of a vegetarian diet is the science of Yoga and the science of Ayurvedic medicine that itself originates from the Vedas. As pointed out earlier, Ayurveda describes three diet types. One of them, called the sattvic diet, enhances inner peace and spiritual development; it is a simple vegetarian diet. Ahimsa is another primary force behind vegetarianism in India. Ahimsa may be broadly defined as nonviolence or a dynamic compa.s.sion for all of life. Mahatma Gandhi, a vegetarian, taught that the two pillars of ahimsa are truth and compa.s.sion.
The following quotes represent the Vedic teachings on vegetarianism. They emphasize compa.s.sion, respect, and nonviolence for all of G.o.d's creation: Having well considered the origin of flesh foods,
And the cruelty of fettering and slaying corporeal beings, let man
entirely abstain from eating flesh. (Ma.n.u.smriti 5.49)
You must not use your G.o.d-given body for killing G.o.d's creatures,
whether they are human, animal, or whatever. (Yajur Veda 12.32)
By not killing any living being, one becomes fit for salvation.
(Ma.n.u.smriti 6.60).
Ahimsa.
THE PRINCIPLE OF AHIMSA can also be found in the Buddhist Eightfold Path, which has been a guide to living a harmless, compa.s.sionate life for thousands of years. In Ahimsa, by Nathaniel Altman, Buddha is quoted as saying: Him I call a Brahmin who is free from anger, who gladly endures reproach, and even stripes and bonds inflicted upon him without cause. Him I call a Brahmin who slays no living creatures, who does not kill, or cause to be killed, any living thing Often translated as ”nonviolence” in the West, the principle of ahimsa has a broader meaning in the East. Ahimsa incorporates an active stance in the world with a dynamic compa.s.sion for all of life. Nonviolence, without the dynamic aspect, has more of a pa.s.sive, restraining-from-violence connotation. Ahimsa is acting from a compa.s.sionate awareness and empathic identification born of a reverence for life that affects every facet of daily existence. It involves a personal responsibility to respect, and work for, the well-being of all sentient creatures. Although often thought of as compa.s.sion between humans, ahimsa is compa.s.sion for all of the Earth and its life forms.
One consideration that arises in the discussion of ahimsa and vegetarianism is the killing of plants. Ever since the publis.h.i.+ng of The Secret Life of Plants, which scientifically doc.u.ments the pain plants experience in being harvested and cut up, I have been aware that plants do experience some pain. For most of us, it is necessary for our survival to eat plants. Our very existence causes some sort of pain on the planet, but there is a relativity to it. For those who want to equate all pain as equal in order to justify their flesh-centered diet, I find it hard to compare the blood slaughter and eating of a sentient being, such as a cow, with the simple harvesting and eating of a carrot. To even the most callous observer, the experiences are magnitudes different in pain and violence.
A vegetarian also creates less pain than a nonvegetarian because he or she is not partic.i.p.ating in the systematic slaughter and pain of billions of animals every year. The US Department of Agriculture reports that 4.5 billion cattle, calves, sheep, lambs, hogs, chickens, ducks, and turkeys are slaughtered yearly in the US. A vegetarian also causes less overall death to plants than a meat-eater because the animals the flesh-eater raised for consumption have eaten thousands of plants before they themselves are slaughtered. There is a significant difference between the gross exploitation of animal life because of greed and a flesh-centered diet, and living simply and relatively harmlessly on a vegetarian diet so that others, including the planetary organism Gaia, or Mother Earth, will simply live and survive.
It is possible that there may be no perfect state of nonviolence while we are in a physical body. Although vegetarians cause significantly less pain and global ecological destruction than flesh-eaters, fruitarians cause even less pain than vegetarians because they do not destroy the life of the plant when they pick fruit off trees. Those rare few who live on just water and air cause even less pain than fruitarians.
Ahimsa is a practice that strives to create less and less disorder and pain in the world as we do our best to live our lives with ever-increasing harmony, compa.s.sion, and love. Theoretically, since there is no cut-off point where we stop causing pain by our very existence, the guilt about causing pain could be endless. Perhaps we were given the grace of Genesis 1:29, G.o.d's command to be vegetarian, as a way to establish a relatively peaceful, guilt-free way of living on the planet.
Because our planet offers herself for our survival, I feel humble and grateful for the pain she endures. We would do well to take the minimum from Mother Earth and cause the least amount of pain and destruction so that the mutual survival of all life on the planet will be harmoniously ensured.
Transition to Vegetarianism.
AT THIS POINT YOU HAVE BEEN EMPOWERED by the knowledge of how to individualize your diet, learned about acid/base balance, const.i.tutional type, psychology of eating, and process of a.s.similation, and addressed doubts and fears about becoming vegetarian. You understand the impact of diet on the ecology of the planet, cruelty or compa.s.sion for animals, individual health, feeding the hungry, and peace in the world. You understand the connection between diet and spiritual life. You have had a chance to contemplate food as a love note from G.o.d and may have even tried taking the time to read some of these daily notes. If you are already vegetarian and have done all these, you might have already become a-sensitive, aware, alert, and compa.s.sionate-conscious eater. For others for whom this book is a bridge into this new world of health and spirit, there is one more major step in the process: learning how to make the transition to a vegetarian diet.
There are many ways to become a vegetarian. This section outlines the changes and steps one often takes. Questions about the transition are explored. The reader is given guidance regarding how to move from the present diet to lactovegetarian to vegan to a live-food, vegetarian diet. Enjoy the walk, take your time, and be gentle with yourself. Vegetarianism is about peace, and the first place to start is to be peaceful with yourself during the transition. Once you have made the major change to vegetarian, the individual diet that suits your own lifestyle and health needs will gradually emerge. Those who move too fast do not always last.
Before moving further, it is important to condition your body, mind, and spirit. Perhaps part of you has even wanted to give up reading the rest of the book because you do not feel ready to become a conscious eater. That may just be your flesh-eating and culturally ingrained old habits fighting back as your intuition, intellect, and spirit are working to guide you to the highest level of conscious eating you can attain. Don't let your resistances control you.
Before moving forward in this section, I suggest you focus on yourself for a few moments. See yourself as strong and healthy, free of pain or sickness, with a pure spirit and G.o.d-like mind. Now close your eyes and breathe in radiant health and exhale all negativity and sickness. Do this seven times. Now, see the new you as a-conscious eater. Take as long as you need to pray or meditate until such a vision of your Divine potential appears. Feel the experience of this vision in your body as you are filled with health, spiritual power, and sensitivity. Experience the emotions and thoughts a.s.sociated with the new you as a conscious eater. How does it feel to align yourself with the Divine intention of thousands of years? How does it feel to prepare yourself for the promised Golden Age? Write down your experience and date it. As this vision grows with your experience, continue to record your goals. Enjoy!
Preview of Chapter 20.
FOR MANY PEOPLE, CONVERTING TO A VEGETARIAN DIET is a major lifestyle change. Without an understanding of the subtleties of the process it is easy to become confused and discouraged. This chapter speaks to those physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual issues. I also put vegetarianism in perspective spiritually by making the point that although a vegetarian diet helps the spiritual process, one cannot eat one's way to G.o.d. As you read this chapter, try to see where you experience your own resistances. Are you ready to let go of these resistances? Are you ready to adopt a diet that will most likely make you more sensitive to the presence of G.o.d in your life?
I. The change to vegetarianism A. Reasons for the transition B. Outstanding people who are vegetarians II. Physical detoxification A. Physical symptoms of detoxification B. Healing crises C. One becomes cleaner and more vital III. Psychophysiology of dietary change.
A. How we look, how we feel.
B. Anti-aging research.
C. Releasing old thoughts in the process of healing.
IV. Perspectives on dietary change.
V. Four transition stages.
The Change to Vegetarianism.
WHEN ASKED ABOUT SWITCHING TO VEGETARIANISM, some people respond, ”Why bother? I like my charbroiled steak. All this stuff about becoming vegetarian makes me feel guilty Why not just ignore it?” Unfortunately, in this case, ignorance is not bliss. To ignore the harmful effects of diet is nothing less than an accelerated path to physical degeneration, pain, misery, and disharmony with self and nature. This is especially true with the present state of the world. A vegetarian diet helps one attune to the worldwide evolutionary change that is occurring in the direction of peace and harmony for all of creation. The information and ideas that have been shared about vegetarianism are not meant to make anyone guilty, but to educate so that one can begin to make intelligent, informed choices for one's life, health, and happiness. Guilt comes from knowing what is most appropriate for one's well-being and choosing not to follow the dictates of one's conscience. Guilt is one's own creation stemming from resistance to change. It comes from not being able to let go of old habits and addictions that one intuitively knows do not serve one's ultimate well-being and that of the planet.
There is an intuitive ”yesness” that many people have found works for them as they apply these concepts in their transition to vegetarianism. The information I have presented is best used as guidelines, concepts, and tools to empower and enhance well-being. There is no single answer for everyone, but there are compelling reasons to make such a change in one's life. The following is a review of some of those reasons.
Reasons for Transitioning to a Vegetarian Diet.
A vegetarian diet, developed in a conscious, gradual, and scientific way, is an overwhelmingly superior diet for health, vitality, endurance, and general well-being.
Vegetarian food tends to create a calmer, more centered, and clearer emotional and mental state.