Guest guest Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Namaste Sri Ram! Your discussion of food is making my mouth water. I have indeed been surprised at how good vegetarian food can be, but not when I prepare it! Several questions arise: (1) Indians like spices in their foods. Spices are rajasic. Does this indicate a lack of spirituality in the 'classical' Indian diet? (2) Isn't there a Hindu tradition that warriors (kshatryas) need some rajasic food, including meat (other than beef of course), for the energy needed for combat? (3) Is bread a fermented (tamasic) food? (4) Where does chocolate fit in?! I do love butter and honey. I must confess that I love onions too. (My local Indian restaurant makes a delicious onion kulcha.) I thought tomatoes were as healthy as anything, right up there with apples. A curious and interesting thing happened to me several years ago, when I started to meditate seriously. I do not in any way consider myself 'enlightened', but I do believe that my elementary neophyte meditation has made me more calm. I used to often feel frustrated and angry with life, and I drank a fair amount of alcohol as an escape. Over the course of a year or so, and with no effort or intention on my part, my anger mysteriously disappeared, and I also lost interest in alcohol. But I still do feel that I need fish for my brain. Maybe that is a Western superstition. And frankly, I don't mind eating chicken, because they are such stupid and noisy creatures, with no beautiful feelings whatsoever. (I know that's a silly thing for me to say!) I do feel guilty eating any meat from an animal that seems to love its young, i.e. mammals. But I wouldn't overemphasize vegetarianism to ordinary Americans, or you may never get them to love and appreciate Hinduism. Now is the time to make friends with people who, whatever their faults, are basically intelligent and law-abiding. There are so many demented barbarians in the world, some of them breathing down the neck of India. Om! Benjamin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Namaste Sri Benjamin: As you always do, you have raised several interesting but complex questions. I am not going to provide you a complete answer to all your questions but certainly provide you with some clues. As I have indicated in the last paragraph of my previous post, we do need to redefine the food requirements with appropriate changes that suit the present time ("In ancient times, our Rishis decreed that a Satvik diet was best suited to all-round human development. That was thousands of years ago. Times change. Our understanding of what a Satvik life is mustchange too. Can one live like the rishis did in a stressful, urban environment? Of course not. But one can gain the same health, the same equanimity, the same tranquility by making appropriate changes that suits the modern time.") Given your scientific background and approach, I am confident that you would be able to do some research on the Internet and find the appropriate answers to your questions. I am sure that you are aware that there are always ifs and buts in any prescription. Also we know that it is almost impossible to provide a prescription that satisfies everyone. First we shouldn't try to identify spirituality with respect to specific food. As we become more spiritual, we are able to learn from the experiences of our life and undertake appropriate corrections and revisions. We use our knowledge to guide our life. For example, when Yudhistra went to the battle field, he can't show his compassion and kindness but just to fight and kill the enemies. At the time of war, Yudhistra applied the knowledge of the intrisinc relationship between food and behavior and accordingly ate the Rajasik food to fight his enemies! As I have stated many times, Gita just describes only varies options along with the associated consequences. Gita is a just a reference manual and one has to use their own intellect to evaluate the options and choose the one that is appropriate. As someone pointed out recently, everyday we do progress spiritually because we have many opportunities to learn through our daily experiences. Logically speaking, everyone (both good and evil) exhibits Satvik, Rajasik and Tamasik qualities. By knowing the advantages and disadvantages of these qualities, rational people are likely adopt from their experiences. The Upanishads describes the behavior of human beings beautifully: In the Upanishads, it is no longer a question of rewards and punishments meted out by an external judge. The human beings become the architect of their own spiritual fortunes, no longer subject to chance or the will of others. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states that the actions of the human beings decide the outcome. The doer of good becomes good, the doer of evil becomes evil. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action and sinful by sinful action. As is his desire so is his will, as his will so is the deed, he does, and whatever deed he does, that he will reap. Ultimately, being Brahman, he goes to Brahman! Warmest regards, Ram Chandran advaitin, Benjamin Root <orion777ben> wrote: > Several questions arise: > > (1) Indians like spices in their foods. Spices are rajasic. Does > this indicate a lack of spirituality in the 'classical' Indian diet? > > (2) Isn't there a Hindu tradition that warriors (kshatryas) need some > rajasic food, including meat (other than beef of course), for the > energy needed for combat? > > (3) Is bread a fermented (tamasic) food? (In all probability, fresh baked bread will qualify as a Satvik food. The South Indian delicacy, Idly (steamed rice cake) needs fermentation and considered Satvik. > > (4) Where does chocolate fit in?! (Conduct a small empirical analysis of one's behavior after a over dosage of choclates!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 Namaste Sri Benjamin: To add to the excellent thoughtful comments, Spices in food serve two purposes as explained to me by people from India: 1) They make bland food taste more interesting. 2) Many of the spices are natural bacteriocides and make the food, especially meat safer to eat in areas of high heat and humidity and lacking refrigeration. Interesting enough when locally grown, freshly harvested produce is served it doesn't need to be highly cooked, and as one's diet becomes more regular with such food, the desire for seasonings goes down because one begins to really taste the food instead of eating for flavor. Home grown is best and the Rajasic element is naturally reduced and the natural harmony and balance occurs. John L. advaitin, "Ram Chandran" <rchandran@c...> wrote: > Namaste Sri Benjamin: > > As you always do, you have raised several interesting but complex > questions. I am not going to provide you a complete answer to all > your questions but certainly provide you with some clues. > > As I have indicated in the last paragraph of my previous post, we do > need to redefine the food requirements with appropriate changes that > suit the present time ("In ancient times, our Rishis decreed that a > Satvik diet was best suited to all-round human development. That was > thousands of years ago. Times change. Our understanding of what a > Satvik life is mustchange too. Can one live like the rishis did in a > stressful, urban environment? Of course not. But one can gain the > same health, the same equanimity, the same tranquility by making > appropriate changes that suits the modern time.") > > Given your scientific background and approach, I am confident that > you would be able to do some research on the Internet and find the > appropriate answers to your questions. I am sure that you are aware > that there are always ifs and buts in any prescription. Also we know > that it is almost impossible to provide a prescription that satisfies > everyone. > > First we shouldn't try to identify spirituality with respect to > specific food. As we become more spiritual, we are able to learn from > the experiences of our life and undertake appropriate corrections and > revisions. We use our knowledge to guide our life. For example, when > Yudhistra went to the battle field, he can't show his compassion and > kindness but just to fight and kill the enemies. At the time of war, > Yudhistra applied the knowledge of the intrisinc relationship between > food and behavior and accordingly ate the Rajasik food to fight his > enemies! As I have stated many times, Gita just describes only varies > options along with the associated consequences. Gita is a just a > reference manual and one has to use their own intellect to evaluate > the options and choose the one that is appropriate. As someone > pointed out recently, everyday we do progress spiritually because we > have many opportunities to learn through our daily experiences. > Logically speaking, everyone (both good and evil) exhibits Satvik, > Rajasik and Tamasik qualities. By knowing the advantages and > disadvantages of these qualities, rational people are likely adopt > from their experiences. > > The Upanishads describes the behavior of human beings beautifully: In > the Upanishads, it is no longer a question of rewards and punishments > meted out by an external judge. The human beings become the architect > of their own spiritual fortunes, no longer subject to chance or the > will of others. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states that the actions > of the human beings decide the outcome. The doer of good becomes > good, the doer of evil becomes evil. One becomes virtuous by virtuous > action and sinful by sinful action. As is his desire so is his will, > as his will so is the deed, he does, and whatever deed he does, that > he will reap. Ultimately, being Brahman, he goes to Brahman! > > Warmest regards, > > Ram Chandran > > advaitin, Benjamin Root <orion777ben> > wrote: > > > Several questions arise: > > > > (1) Indians like spices in their foods. Spices are rajasic. Does > > this indicate a lack of spirituality in the 'classical' Indian diet? > > > > (2) Isn't there a Hindu tradition that warriors (kshatryas) need > some > > rajasic food, including meat (other than beef of course), for the > > energy needed for combat? > > > > (3) Is bread a fermented (tamasic) food? > (In all probability, fresh baked bread will qualify as > a Satvik food. The South Indian delicacy, Idly (steamed rice > cake) needs fermentation and considered Satvik. > > > > (4) Where does chocolate fit in?! > (Conduct a small empirical analysis of one's behavior after a > over dosage of choclates!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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