Guest guest Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 I have bumped into many, many references on Hinduism stressing the practice of vegetarianism. In fact, some of the forums have a few extremists condemning people eating meat. Though I hold a great amount of respect for those who have the discipline to practice vegetarianism, I never been able to do it myself. This is just me, though. I am interested in everyone's input on the validity of the belief that "vegetarianism is a must." I know that not all people in the Hindu faiths practice vegetarianism, but I would like to hear what you all have to say on the matter. Thanks and blessings, _______________ Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Hi Anya: There has been a lot of discussion on this topic in the group; it comes up fairly frequently. If you click on "Messages" at left, then search "vegetarian" and/or similar terms, just keep going back in time and you'll find a lot of interesting posts. My personal advice to you would be: Don't worry about it. Listen to your body. Give it what it wants. Don't make vegetarianism the focus of your efforts at the expense of broader sadhana. Having said that, I'd note that a serious practice of hatha yoga tends to naturally reduce one's desire for heavier foods, including meats and animal products. It also tends to reduce the desire for cigarettes if you're a smoker, and alcohol if you're a drinker. But in general, I'd say just let that process happen. No need to place restrictions on such desires before your body is ready, because it's likely to undercut your entire spiritual effort. Just as the guru appears when the shishya is ready; the vegetarian urge appears when the sadhak is ready. But I'd argue that one's vegetarianism (or otherwise) is not, by itself, a very reliable indicator of one's spritual seriousness or potential. It's much more complicated than that. As a matter of dogma, you are right: Hindus are all over the map on this issue. For every guru who says it's a must, you'll find one who says it's not that important. As a broad generalization, I'd say that Vaishnavism (the largest school of Hinduism by far, in terms of pure quantity of adherents) stresses vegetarianism the most; and that Shaktism (the smallest school of the four major schools of Hinduism, I think) stresses it the least. One possible approach is partial vegetarianism; i.e. eating some but not all meats. Most Hindus would instinctively say that beef is the one meat that even secular, non-vegetarian Hindus should drop (the cow being considered a sacred symbol of Hinduism). But as Nora has noted, even very devout Hindus in Bali regularly consume beef; and I know of a few very devout Hindus in India (albeit of a Tantric slant) who are not completely averse to eating beef on occasion. Hope that helps? DB , "Anya Mortiis" <angelusmortiis@h...> wrote: > I have bumped into many, many references on Hinduism stressing the practice > of vegetarianism. In fact, some of the forums have a few extremists > condemning people eating meat. > > Though I hold a great amount of respect for those who have the discipline to > practice vegetarianism, I never been able to do it myself. This is just me, > though. I am interested in everyone's input on the validity of the belief > that "vegetarianism is a must." I know that not all people in the Hindu > faiths practice vegetarianism, but I would like to hear what you all have to > say on the matter. > > > Thanks and blessings, > Anya > > _______________ > Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! > http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Hello Devi Bhakta, I found your post not only enlightening, but one that puts things in perspective - I like that. And yes, it helped a lot. Thank you for your insight! I will be sure to also check the message history for more thoughts on the topic. Blessings, >"Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta > > > Re: Vegetarianism. >Fri, 17 Sep 2004 13:50:55 -0000 > >Hi Anya: > >There has been a lot of discussion on this topic in the group; it >comes up fairly frequently. If you click on "Messages" at left, then >search "vegetarian" and/or similar terms, just keep going back in >time and you'll find a lot of interesting posts. > >My personal advice to you would be: Don't worry about it. Listen to >your body. Give it what it wants. Don't make vegetarianism the focus >of your efforts at the expense of broader sadhana. > >Having said that, I'd note that a serious practice of hatha yoga >tends to naturally reduce one's desire for heavier foods, including >meats and animal products. It also tends to reduce the desire for >cigarettes if you're a smoker, and alcohol if you're a drinker. > >But in general, I'd say just let that process happen. No need to >place restrictions on such desires before your body is ready, >because it's likely to undercut your entire spiritual effort. Just >as the guru appears when the shishya is ready; the vegetarian urge >appears when the sadhak is ready. But I'd argue that one's >vegetarianism (or otherwise) is not, by itself, a very reliable >indicator of one's spritual seriousness or potential. It's much more >complicated than that. > >As a matter of dogma, you are right: Hindus are all over the map on >this issue. For every guru who says it's a must, you'll find one who >says it's not that important. As a broad generalization, I'd say >that Vaishnavism (the largest school of Hinduism by far, in terms of >pure quantity of adherents) stresses vegetarianism the most; and >that Shaktism (the smallest school of the four major schools of >Hinduism, I think) stresses it the least. > >One possible approach is partial vegetarianism; i.e. eating some but >not all meats. Most Hindus would instinctively say that beef is the >one meat that even secular, non-vegetarian Hindus should drop (the >cow being considered a sacred symbol of Hinduism). But as Nora has >noted, even very devout Hindus in Bali regularly consume beef; and I >know of a few very devout Hindus in India (albeit of a Tantric >slant) who are not completely averse to eating beef on occasion. > >Hope that helps? > >DB > >, "Anya Mortiis" ><angelusmortiis@h...> wrote: > > I have bumped into many, many references on Hinduism stressing the >practice > > of vegetarianism. In fact, some of the forums have a few >extremists > > condemning people eating meat. > > > > Though I hold a great amount of respect for those who have the >discipline to > > practice vegetarianism, I never been able to do it myself. This >is just me, > > though. I am interested in everyone's input on the validity of >the belief > > that "vegetarianism is a must." I know that not all people in the >Hindu > > faiths practice vegetarianism, but I would like to hear what you >all have to > > say on the matter. > > > > > > Thanks and blessings, > > Anya > > > > _______________ > > Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! > > http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ > _______________ Check out Election 2004 for up-to-date election news, plus voter tools and more! http://special.msn.com/msn/election2004.armx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Transitioning to a vegetarian diet can take a longer time. Once you start you will become sensitive to eating meat, and in the long run even sensitive to people around you eating meat. Just try it for sometime and see how it affects your mind, meditation, your peacefulness and just notice the energy of the other people who eat meat. Many hindu's because they are born hindus practice the religion as a routine thing. To know the real benefits of vegetarianism you have to associate with people who practice hinduism by really going in depth by the practice of Yoga and such. , "Anya Mortiis" <angelusmortiis@h...> wrote: > Hello Devi Bhakta, > > I found your post not only enlightening, but one that puts things in > perspective - I like that. And yes, it helped a lot. Thank you for your > insight! I will be sure to also check the message history for more thoughts > on the topic. > > Blessings, > Anya > > > >"Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta> > > > > > > Re: Vegetarianism. > >Fri, 17 Sep 2004 13:50:55 -0000 > > > >Hi Anya: > > > >There has been a lot of discussion on this topic in the group; it > >comes up fairly frequently. If you click on "Messages" at left, then > >search "vegetarian" and/or similar terms, just keep going back in > >time and you'll find a lot of interesting posts. > > > >My personal advice to you would be: Don't worry about it. Listen to > >your body. Give it what it wants. Don't make vegetarianism the focus > >of your efforts at the expense of broader sadhana. > > > >Having said that, I'd note that a serious practice of hatha yoga > >tends to naturally reduce one's desire for heavier foods, including > >meats and animal products. It also tends to reduce the desire for > >cigarettes if you're a smoker, and alcohol if you're a drinker. > > > >But in general, I'd say just let that process happen. No need to > >place restrictions on such desires before your body is ready, > >because it's likely to undercut your entire spiritual effort. Just > >as the guru appears when the shishya is ready; the vegetarian urge > >appears when the sadhak is ready. But I'd argue that one's > >vegetarianism (or otherwise) is not, by itself, a very reliable > >indicator of one's spritual seriousness or potential. It's much more > >complicated than that. > > > >As a matter of dogma, you are right: Hindus are all over the map on > >this issue. For every guru who says it's a must, you'll find one who > >says it's not that important. As a broad generalization, I'd say > >that Vaishnavism (the largest school of Hinduism by far, in terms of > >pure quantity of adherents) stresses vegetarianism the most; and > >that Shaktism (the smallest school of the four major schools of > >Hinduism, I think) stresses it the least. > > > >One possible approach is partial vegetarianism; i.e. eating some but > >not all meats. Most Hindus would instinctively say that beef is the > >one meat that even secular, non-vegetarian Hindus should drop (the > >cow being considered a sacred symbol of Hinduism). But as Nora has > >noted, even very devout Hindus in Bali regularly consume beef; and I > >know of a few very devout Hindus in India (albeit of a Tantric > >slant) who are not completely averse to eating beef on occasion. > > > >Hope that helps? > > > >DB > > > >, "Anya Mortiis" > ><angelusmortiis@h...> wrote: > > > I have bumped into many, many references on Hinduism stressing the > >practice > > > of vegetarianism. In fact, some of the forums have a few > >extremists > > > condemning people eating meat. > > > > > > Though I hold a great amount of respect for those who have the > >discipline to > > > practice vegetarianism, I never been able to do it myself. This > >is just me, > > > though. I am interested in everyone's input on the validity of > >the belief > > > that "vegetarianism is a must." I know that not all people in the > >Hindu > > > faiths practice vegetarianism, but I would like to hear what you > >all have to > > > say on the matter. > > > > > > > > > Thanks and blessings, > > > Anya > > > > > > _______________ > > > Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! > > > http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ > > > > _______________ > Check out Election 2004 for up-to-date election news, plus voter tools and > more! http://special.msn.com/msn/election2004.armx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 "Hindus Do Eat Meat I was turned off by Dr. S. Jayaraman's My Turn [October, 1994]. Particularly by his "holier than thou" attitude toward non- vegetarians. While I respect the preferences of vegetarians, it is well to remember that a vast majority of Hindus are not vegetarians. Fortunately, our religion permits a variety of food choices for people. Lord Rama and Sri Krishna were both meat eaters and their greatness is in no way diminished by that fact." Dr. Mukunda Rao, Buckhannon, West Virginia, USA Hinduism Today, January 1995 "A further characteristic of Hinduism is the ideal of ahimsa. Ahimsa, "non-injury" or the absence of the desire to harm, is regarded by Indian thinkers as one of the keystones of their ethics. Historically, ahimsa is unrelated to vegetarianism; in ancient India, killing people in war or in capital punishment and killing animals in Vedic sacrifices were acceptable to many people who for either reasons refrained from eating meat. However, the two movements, ahimsa and vegetarianism, reinforced one another through the common concept of the disinclination to kill and eat animals, and together they contributed to the growing importance of the protection and veneration of the cow, which gives milk, without having to be killed. Neither ahimsa nor vegetarianism ever found full acceptance." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica (1992.) "The accepted vegetarianism of present-day India is very much the result of Shri Mahavira and Jainism, that is, from the third century B.C. Prior to that it was probably practised on a very limited scale. Ahimsa (non-violence) formed the central core of the Jain moral discipline, along with truthfulness, non-stealing, non- possession, and sexual purity. Their scriptures vehemently deplored the eating of meat, attaching great importance to dietary regulations. This strict doctrine contrast sharply with existing Brahmanical schools which condoned animal sacrifices, even allowing meat on certain occasions. Meanwhile, Buddhists were freely consuming meat." Geoffrey Parinder, World Religions, The Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. 1983, p. 248 Shri Rama, the seventh incarnation of Shri Vishnu, even hunted animals while in exile and was not a vegetarian. Shri Krishna, His eight incarnation, who came nearly six millenniums ago performed horse sacrifice ceremonies and was not a vegetarian. Shri Buddha, His ninth incarnation, who came more than two millenniums ago also consumed meat. Shri Jesus went fishing in the Sea of Galilee with Simon and his brother, Andrew. None of them advocated vegetarianism. Given the above facts on what basis do yoga gurus insist on vegetarianism for spiritual progress? If they are to be believed can we assume that Shri Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Jesus were all in the mode of ignorance? But if they are wrong can we presume they are ignorant of more than meets the eye? As a disciple of Shri Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Jesus i have not found a single sentence in the scriptures that advocate vegetarianism. Who are these gurus asking their followers to perform austerities not ordained by sacred books? Krishna: The faith of men, born of their nature, is of three kinds: of light, of fire and of darkness. Hear now of these. Men of light worship the gods of Light; men of fire worship the gods of power and wealth; men of darkness worship ghosts and spirits of night. There are men selfish and false who moved by their lusts and passions perform terible austerities not ordained by sacred books: fools who torture the powers of life in their bodies and me who dwells in them. Know that their mind is darkness. " Juan Mascaro, The Bhagavad Gita 17:2-6 So how do we chose a guru? i quote: Many are the gurus who are proficient to the utmost in Vedas and Shastras; But rare is the guru who has attained to supreme Truth. Many are the gurus on earth who give what is other than the Self; But rare is the guru who brings to light the Atman. Many are the gurus who rob the disciple of his wealth; But rare is the guru who removes the disciple's afflictions. Many are they who are given to the discipline and conduct according to caste, stage, and family; But he who is devoid of all volition is a guru rare to find. He is the guru by whose very contact there flows the supreme bliss; The intelligent man shall choose such a one as the guru and no other. Kularnava Tantra 13 peace to all, jagbir http://www.adishakti.org/index.htm , "Devi Bhakta" <devi_bhakta> wrote: > Hi Anya: > > There has been a lot of discussion on this topic in the group; it > comes up fairly frequently. If you click on "Messages" at left, then > search "vegetarian" and/or similar terms, just keep going back in > time and you'll find a lot of interesting posts. > > My personal advice to you would be: Don't worry about it. Listen to > your body. Give it what it wants. Don't make vegetarianism the focus > of your efforts at the expense of broader sadhana. > > Having said that, I'd note that a serious practice of hatha yoga > tends to naturally reduce one's desire for heavier foods, including > meats and animal products. It also tends to reduce the desire for > cigarettes if you're a smoker, and alcohol if you're a drinker. > > But in general, I'd say just let that process happen. No need to > place restrictions on such desires before your body is ready, > because it's likely to undercut your entire spiritual effort. Just > as the guru appears when the shishya is ready; the vegetarian urge > appears when the sadhak is ready. But I'd argue that one's > vegetarianism (or otherwise) is not, by itself, a very reliable > indicator of one's spritual seriousness or potential. It's much more > complicated than that. > > As a matter of dogma, you are right: Hindus are all over the map on > this issue. For every guru who says it's a must, you'll find one who > says it's not that important. As a broad generalization, I'd say > that Vaishnavism (the largest school of Hinduism by far, in terms of > pure quantity of adherents) stresses vegetarianism the most; and > that Shaktism (the smallest school of the four major schools of > Hinduism, I think) stresses it the least. > > One possible approach is partial vegetarianism; i.e. eating some but > not all meats. Most Hindus would instinctively say that beef is the > one meat that even secular, non-vegetarian Hindus should drop (the > cow being considered a sacred symbol of Hinduism). But as Nora has > noted, even very devout Hindus in Bali regularly consume beef; and I > know of a few very devout Hindus in India (albeit of a Tantric > slant) who are not completely averse to eating beef on occasion. > > Hope that helps? > > DB > > , "Anya Mortiis" > <angelusmortiis@h...> wrote: > > I have bumped into many, many references on Hinduism stressing the > practice > > of vegetarianism. In fact, some of the forums have a few > extremists > > condemning people eating meat. > > > > Though I hold a great amount of respect for those who have the > discipline to > > practice vegetarianism, I never been able to do it myself. This > is just me, > > though. I am interested in everyone's input on the validity of > the belief > > that "vegetarianism is a must." I know that not all people in the > Hindu > > faiths practice vegetarianism, but I would like to hear what you > all have to > > say on the matter. > > > > > > Thanks and blessings, > > Anya > > > > _______________ > > Don't just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! > > http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2004 Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 I was a strict vegetarian until I went to India! Living in Bengal for a year with people in villages and things, I decided not to be rude and refuse food. Also I was just too damn hungry not to eat the fish curry and felt healthier after I did. I love animals and rarely consume flesh otherwise, but I would not call it a must. I think most Kali devotees eat meat and goats are sacrificed to her. I have some pictures on my site if you want proof! SO I would say like in all things follow your heart. a message dated 9/17/2004 9:23:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time, angelusmortiis writes: practice vegetarianism, I never been able to do it myself. This is just me, though. I am interested in everyone's input on the validity of the belief that "vegetarianism is a must." I know that not all people in the Hindu faiths practice vegetarianism, but I would like to hear what you all have to say on the matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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