[world-vedic] Forbe's Message Perfect

[Guest guest]

>Steve Forbes <stevfrbs

>vediculture

>vediculture (AT) eGroups (DOT) com

>[world-vedic] Re: Dalai Lama and meat

>Sat, 01 Apr 2000 11:53:27 -0800

>

>

>In response to Laxmi N. Gupta's comments on the 'tenuous link between

>vegetarianism & spirituality' :

>

>Dear Ms. Gupta,

>Rather than look for examples of some contemporary religious groups & their

>leaders who may eat meat, perhaps we might approach the issue on a more

>personal & experiential level. If I may share the road which brought me to

>accept vegetarianism as an important landmark to

>realize in my journey....

>I was raised in a Canadian family with a strong tradition of hunting &

>fishing which I relished with my father, grand-fathers etc.. I recieved my

>first hunting gun for my 9th birthday- a single shot 4/10 shotgun. For

>several years I found the hunting experience to be

>exhilarating- & also a type of rite of passage into the adult world.

>The first experience which started to open my eyes to compassion, was when

>a rabbit ran into a snare I had set earlier, & I had to bludgeon it to

>death in spite of it's baby-like screams & the sobbing of my younger sister

>who was accompanying me on the 'snare route' that

>morning.

>Later events such as wounding animals, running out of bullets, & having to

>crush their head furthered my introspection.

>The final experience which encouraged my compassion was when I came upon a

>mother & baby porcupine in the oat fields of my grand-father . I was

>inspecting steel traps which I had set to control such varmints from

>ruining the feed crop. Since they were not aware of me

>initially, I was able to observe her scolding her child when it ventured

>too far, & the baby responding- the obvious verbal exchange floored me !

>She then saw me- she exapanded her body- the baby ran behind her- & I saw

>myself as the danger they percieved me to be. I

>believe there is a line from Robert Burns- "Oh what gift the giver gee

>(give) us, to see ourselves as others see us."

>I was humbled by the glimpse of my own brutishness afforded me by these

>little creatures. I walked back through the fields to the farmhouse in a

>thoughtful state. Within a few days I announced to my family that I was

>going to eat no more.

>I encourage anyone who is vascillating on the issue of vegetarianism, to go

>out & try killing a few animals with one's own hands. If that is too

>difficult, a visit to a slaughterhouse will probably be a good substitute.

>I believe the experience will be effective in one's

>determining if you are ready to accept the principle of compassion for all

>creatures as an important signpost on your personal journey.

>

>

>"Laxmi N. Gupta" wrote:

>

> > It is common knowledge that Dalai Lama and practically all Tibetans are

> > meat eaters. I remember reading in one of his books, that he gave up

> > eating meat for a time but then started again at his physician's

> > advice. A couple of years ago, Dalai Lama was invited to a Zen Buddhist

> > restaurant in NY city and was served a vegetarian meal. He was unhappy

> > with it; went to Waldorf Astoria and ordered steak. This was written

> > about in the New Yorker magazine. Generally a Buddhist will eat meat

> > if it was not specifically prepared for him and the animal was not

> > killed just for him. Practically all Thais, Cambodians. Laotians and

> > Vietnamese eat meat and they are predominantly Buddhists. Lord Rama was

> > a meat eater as any serious reader of Valmiki Ramayan knows. Swami

> > Vivekananda and Paramhamsa Ramakrishna were also meat eaters. I think

> > the link between vegetarianism and spirituality is very tenuous.

> >

> > Sincerely,

> > Laxmi N. Gupta

>

>

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