Vegetarianism as a Way to Compassion and Non violence
- “Man is what he eats” – Ludwig Feuerbach. The foods we choose to eat go far beyond our physical well-being. They affect the way we feel emotionally and mentally and how we perceive the universe in general. They mirror our level of development, both mental and spiritual. Yoga and Ayurveda both advocate eating sattvic or pure vegetarian foods. Such foods allow the seeds of peace, love and spiritual awareness to grow and blossom. Eating natural healthy foods promotes the development of prana or life force and spiritual awareness. “When food is pure, the mind is pure, when the mind is pure, concentration is steady, and when concentration is achieved one can loosen all the knots of the heart that bind us.” - Chandogya Upanishad D II 26.2.
- Those who practice Bhakti Yoga see the Divine in everyone and everything. The practice of Bhakti Yoga encourages us to develop love, acceptance and compassion for all living creatures. In Bhakti yoga devotion goes beyond simple vegetarianism. Eating food that is first offered to God becomes the ultimate perfection of a vegetarian diet.
- Ahimsa or non-violence dwells at the heart of yoga. For many journeying on the spiritual path, the vegetarian lifestyle corresponds to the peaceful existence they aspire to live. A pure and health-enhancing plant-based diet leads to peaceful behaviour. Humanitarian vegetarians refrain from eating meat because they believe that the killing of animals is unnecessary or cruel; they consider all life as sacred. Many Seventh-Day Adventists, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Muslims and Christians favour healthy eating and are careful about what they eat even if they are not strict vegetarians/vegans.
- Among the many notable people who have advocated restraining from eating animal flesh, is Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most fervent believers of ahimsa: “Ahimsa means not to injure any creature by thought, word or deed”
Vegetarianism as a Way to Protect the Earth
A meat-based diet puts a lot of strain on our land and water resources and the ecological cost we pay to satisfy the demands of the meat-eaters of the Western World is absolutely huge.
A vegetarian diet can greatly help reduce global warming, one of the biggest environmental threats to our planet:
Acres upon acres of forest land (in Central America especially) has been destroyed to make way for pastures. With deforestation many creatures are losing their habitat and are under threat of extinction.
Fertilizers used to grow cattle feed emit nitrous oxide, another contributor to global warming.
The main greenhouse gas, after carbon dioxide is methane. Animal agriculture is mostly responsible for the increase in methane emission. So each time we abstain from eating meat, we can be certain that we are doing our little bit for our planet.
Vegetarianism as a Way to Help End World Hunger
A meat-based diet puts a great strain on natural resources. This is why more and more people are turning to vegetarianism as a way to solve some of the planet’s shortages. It is now a well-publicized fact that the grain that would help solve the problem of the hunger in the world is fed to livestock just to satisfy the demand of the meat-eaters. Many of us are finding it increasingly difficult to live happily with the knowledge of such unfair distribution of resources. Can we justify feeding a few at the expense of many? The cycle will perpetuate itself until we stop eating meat…
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