Clinchers for the the Macrobiotic modus vivendi......

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Vegetarianism As Spiritual Practice

by Tom Sperry

 

WHEN ONE THINKS OF A VEGETARIAN, he may visualize anything from a

skinny girl picking at sunflower seeds to someone slaving for hours

over a stove creating some " bean-delight. " We in America are probably

less familiar with vegetarianism than any other people in the world.

Most of the world is on a vegetarian-centered diet and may not have

the choice that we do in our prosperous country. I find it curious

that of the many people I know who have undertaken a vegetarian diet,

very few return to their former meat-eating ways.

 

When people determine to be vegetarians, it is normally because of

one of four rationales - health reasons, moral reasons, political/

ecological reasons, or " spiritual " reasons. There is much evidence to

indicate that a well-balanced vegetarian diet is superior to a

meateater's diet. Meat contains trace quantities of several toxins

and poisons and is generally harder on the digestive system than a

vegetable, seed and fruit diet.* Morally, some people object to a

meat diet because they do not believe in the " unnecessary " killing of

animals, and especially the manner in which they are killed in

slaughterhouses. Politically and ecologically, a vegetarian diet is

the only alternative if there is any hope of adequately feeding the

entire population of the globe. The world passed the point at which

its population could be fed by a meat-centered diet over a century

ago.

 

Most simply stated, beef cattle must be fed 21 pounds of vegetable-

protein to produce one pound of beef-protein.

There are several valid reasons for becoming a vegetarian, but the

most arcane of any reason is its practice in hopes of producing some

spiritual or beneficial change in the psyche.

 

* The reason that meat contains undesirable poisons such as uric acid

is that for a few hours after the slaughter of the animal, its body

cells still continue to function and produce waste products, even

though the blood is no longer circulating to remove the wastes.

 

In a basic sense, all rationales for becoming a vegetarian are

spiritual in nature. A person attempting to improve his health is

also trying to improve his whole being and mind. A person who is

vegetarian for moral reasons is drastically altering his life for a

spiritual conviction, and a person who becomes vegetarian for

political reasons interprets spirituality in terms of social concern.

Some, however, practice vegetarianism for directly psychological

and " spiritual " reasons, because of the beneficial effect it has on

refining and calming the mind.

 

Numerous spiritual teachers, especially from the East, recommend

vegetarian diets. The ground given for this is to make one more

receptive to subtle mental and spiritual influences. The Indian sage,

Ramana Maharshi, has this to say: " Regulation of diet, restricting it

to 'satvic' food, taken in moderate quantity, is of all the rules of

conduct the best; and it is most conducive to the development of

the 'satvic' qualities of the mind. These, in their turn, assist one

in the practices of Atma vichara or inquiry in quest of the Self. "

(3) Satvic foods are described as " simple and nutritious food which

sustains but does not stimulate the physical body. " Satvic qualities

of mind are " purity of heart, self-restraint, evenness of temper,

tenderness towards all beings, fortitude and freedom from desire,

hatred and arrogance. "

 

How is it that a vegetarian diet makes a person more receptive to

spiritual influences? Prerequisite in all schools of yoga is a

control of the body. The mind seems to be divided into two halves,

one " half " or level deals with all the input of the senses and the

restlessness and feelings of the body. The " second half " or higher

level of the mind deals with subtle mental realms like intuition,

abstract logic and spiritual perceptions. If the attention is

constantly occupied with the lower mind in dealing with a chaotic

body and constant sensory stimulation of some sort, then

concentration cannot be held in the higher and more spiritual

portions of the mind. The first step in yoga is to calm the body so

that the concentration can be directed to spiritual matters. Hatha-

yoga develops control over the body through diet and exercise so that

the mind can be undisturbed in meditation.

 

Many who practice vegetarianism for spiritual purposes claim that

animal hormones contained in meat products and eggs stimulate the

body by arousing baser animal drives and emotions. Most spiritual

disciplines attempt to gain control over sexual and aggressive drives

(to control them and not to be controlled by them.) An excess of

animal hormones in the body only makes this attempt more difficult.

This is why many Indian gurus recommend " satvic " foods that do not

goad the body with an overabundance of influential hormones. The mind

can be trained to control the body, but the state of the body has a

definite effect in the perceptions and decisions of the mind. It

could be argued that, once the instinctual desires are fully in one's

control, a vegetarian diet would no longer be of much practical aid.

All this is very difficult to prove objectively, since science does

not think in these terms and is not directed toward this type of

study. The only way it can be possibly " proven " is by reference to

spiritual teachers or by the evidence of subjective and direct

personal experimentation.

 

The regulation of the diet should be done with common sense and not

taken as a substitute for spiritual disciplines. The vegetarian diet

is only meant to be a foundation or aid to spiritual disciplines. The

Indian teacher, Vivekananda, said: " The manipulating and control of

the grosser is absolutely necessary to enable one to arrive at the

control of the finer. The beginner, therefore, must pay particular

attention to all such dietetic rules as have come down from the line

of his accredited teachers. " (4) He warns, though, of needless and

harmful fanaticism in regard to diet. A suitable diet aids one in

becoming " in tune " with spiritual dimensions, but dietary fanaticism

cannot be substituted for spiritual endeavor. A good diet aids

spiritual development but does not produce it automatically. " ...The

extravagant, meaningless fanaticism, which has driven religion

entirely to the kitchen, as may be noticed in the case of many of our

sects, ...is a peculiar sort of pure and simple materialism. "

 

Vegetarian diet is also recommended occasionally in the Western

spiritual tradition, but not so frequently as in the East. Actually,

in the East, the question is often not even for consideration, since

meat products are not readily available to the general population. In

Western ceremonial magic, a vegetarian diet is usually prescribed in

the purification rites before undertaking a magical ritual.

 

Gurdjieff, the famous Russian philosopher and teacher of the first

half of this century, writes nowhere in regard to diet, as far as I

am aware. The only reference to eating practices he makes is in his

fantasy-like autobiography, Meetings With Remarkable Men. In his

early life he maintained careful and fastidious eating habits,

chewing each mouthful an exact number of times. A " wiseman " observed

him eating and informed him that if he was so careful of his eating

habits now, in his old age he would have a very weak stomach. To

paraphrase the wiseman, " You should eat bones and rocks when you are

young so that when you are old your stomach will be very strong! "

Gurdjieff maintained that it didn't matter what you ate, but what

you " did " with it after you ate it.

 

Robert Leftwich is an interesting case of a Western psychic. Colin

Wilson devotes one-third of his book, Strange Powers, to this amazing

man. Leftwich has proven his ability to astral-project, dowse and,

apparently, even disperse clouds with an act of will. (5) According

to an account in the encyclopedia Man, Myth and Magic, " He is a

strict vegetarian, a tee-totaler, a non-smoker, and even abstains

from tea and coffee, explaining that any form of stimulant is capable

of interfering with his powers. " Wilson claims that Leftwich has

enough control of his abilities that he can " make " things happen

while the vast majority of psychics are merely passive experiencers

of phenomena.

 

There is a common belief that vegetarians cannot have as

much " energy " as persons with meat in their diets. Leftwich is

dramatic example of this fallacy. Wilson writes, " From my own

experience of him, I can vouch that he never seems to get tired - at

least, not noticeably. At seven in the morning, as Joy (Wilson's

wife) was sleepily switching on the kettle and preparing to get the

children's breakfast, Robert would appear outside the kitchen window,

as chirpy as if he'd been for a ten-mile walk, looking for the

shredded wheat and eager to elaborate on some point he'd overlooked

the night before. " Some even claim that a vegetarian diet can provide

more strength and endurance than a meat diet.

 

The state of our mentality can be drastically affected by the

chemical balance of the body-system. One usually thinks of himself

as " unchangeable " and stable in some vague manner but therapeutic

experience indicates that chemical imbalance or deficiencies can

alter a person's attitude toward life and even mental capacity.

George Watson in Nutrition and Your Mind relates the case of a man

who so dramatically improved his mentality through taking a B-complex

supplement that he left his mundane job and achieved a doctorate in

mathematics in a few years. Dr. Watson writes, " Psychochemical

behavior ranges from simple moodiness to extreme abnormality. In

between lie a large number of conditions, such as lack of confidence,

lack of ambition, vague fears, shyness, apathy, sadness, anger,

irritability, and feelings of distrust and suspicion that puzzle and

disturb the person who experiences them because he can neither

understand nor control them. "

 

The whole field of nutrition is truly " muddy water. " The old

adage, " One man's meat is another man's poison, " seems to be true.

George Watson postulates that there are " psychochemical types " and

that chemicals, vitamins, and minerals may have drastically contrary

effects on different types. The source escapes me, but I read

recently of a case in point. It seems that a deranged young man was

trying to " do-in " his father-in-law who was an unwanted member of his

household. The young man set up a lab in his basement and fed the

father-in-law everything from typhus to botulism germs. All this had

absolutely no effect on the father-in-law and, if anything, his

health improved. The desperate son-in-law finally resorted to a

dependable arsenic compound, which turned the trick. (He was

discovered and picked up by the police.) Some people seem to thumb

their noses at all health rules and live to ripe old ages. I am

acquainted with a 93 year-old man who had been an alcoholic for 50

years of his life, but is still as " sharp " and intelligent as anyone

you could meet.

 

The Theosophists have an interesting perspective on nutrition. They

believe in a literal sense that " you are what you eat " :

 

" Enquirer: I understand now your general idea; but let us see how you

apply it in practice. How about vegetarianism, for instance?

 

" Theosophist: One of the great German scientists has shown that every

kind of animal tissue, however you may cook it, still retains certain

marked characteristics of the animal which it belonged to, which

characteristics can be recognized. And apart from that, everyone

knows by the taste what meat he is eating. We go a step farther, and

prove that when the flesh of animals is assimilated by man as food,

it imparts to him, physiologically some of the characteristics of the

animal it came from. Moreover, occult science teaches and proves this

to its students by ocular demonstration, showing also that

this 'coarsening' or 'animalizing' effect on man is greatest from the

flesh of the larger animals, less for birds, still less for fish and

other cold-blooded animals, and least of all when he eats only

vegetables.

 

" Enquirer: Then he had better not eat all?

 

" Theosophist: If he could live without eating, of course it would.

But as the matter stands, he must eat to live, and so we advise

really earnest students to eat such food as will least clog and

weight their brains and bodies, and will have the smallest effect in

hampering and retarding the development of their intuition, their

inner faculties and powers. " (6)

 

Santanelli, the master 19th century hypnotist and psychologist,

took " you are what you eat " quite literally as well. In his book, The

Power of Suggestion, he cites a case in which a young child was

turned into a " little hog " in all her mannerisms and emotions because

her mother constantly stuffed her with food. He cites another case in

which some children were turned into " little animals " because of a

diet of predominantly meat.

 

" I know of a case of a very estimable lady who had two of the

handsomest and sweetest little children I had ever seen. She came to

me and said, 'Mr. Santanelli, I have two beautiful children, but they

are the two meanest young ones in the city, they are quarreling with

everybody; they are vicious. I have whipped them, I have punished

them in every manner, but I cannot cure them. What can I do with

them? Can they be cured?'

 

" 'Yes, madam; it is very easy. You simply have two little animals.

What do you feed them?'

 

" 'Oh, in the morning we have a little ham and eggs, bacon or a little

steak, at noon a little cold meat of some kind, and at dinner hot

meat of some kind.'

 

" 'And you wonder that your children are as they are? What can you

expect. You are feeding them on flesh. Their bodies are one mass of

concentrated energy. Their digestive organs are all worried,

irritated and overtaxed; they are in a naturally vicious mood. Take

meat from their bill of fare, particularly the pork, and you will

find you have no trouble with your children.' " (8)

 

Santanelli says that meat is too concentrated a form of energy for

the body to easily handle without being overly stimulated and

agitated. This tallies closely with the guru's warnings against meat.

It definitely is not a " satvic " food.

 

From my own experience I think that a vegetarian diet has a calming

and clarifying effect on the mind. I do notice a small loss of

energy, but the energy I have is more of a constant and steady-

flowing type, as opposed to the " protein rush " I get from eating a

steak. I once impulsively broke a six month vegetarian " fast " at the

local McDonald's with two " Big Mac's. " The effect was uncanny and I

felt like taking on the world with my two fists! It was a very high-

strung and irritable state. A meat diet provides me with a more

explosive energy, but also an energy which is more difficult to

direct and often results in a case of the " fidgets. "

 

A vegetarian diet is not necessary to improve yourself spiritually.

However, it may be of great aid to those people who want to develop

their intuitions, " spiritual sight " or psychic abilities. Some

teachers, such as the " Mahatmas " of the early Theosophical Society,

taught that vegetarianism is an absolute necessity in this process.

(9) In the world of nutrition one must always consider individuals

and their unique psychologies and body-make-ups, and realize that

each person must experiment and determine what is best for himself.

 

 

 

 

Notes

 

The New Vegetarian, Gary Null, William Morrow & Co., New York, 1978,

350 pages, p. 87.

Diet for a Small Planet, Frances Moore Lappe, Ballantine, New York,

1971, 301 pages, p. 6.

Words of Grace, Ramana Maharshi, Jupiter Press, Madras, India, 1969,

68 pages, p. 7.

Bhakti-Yoga, Vivekananda, Vedanta Press, California, 1974, 113 pages,

p. 57.

Strange Powers, Colin Wilson, Vintage Books, New York, 1976, 163

pages, pp. 32-33.

The Key to Theosophy, H.P. Blavatsky, Theosophical University Press,

California, 1972, 426 pages, pp. 260-61.

The Law of Suggestion, Santanelli, Pyramid Press, Benwood, West

Virginia, 1982, 163 pages, pp. 102-104.

Ibid, page 104.

The Mahatma Letters, A. Trevor Barker, Theosophical University Press,

1975, 540 pages, p. 122.

 

 

 

more and more I want to be as vegitarian as I can be............bob