Eating Flesh of Plants

[Guest guest]

Hey there,

I find that as a vegetarian, I am bombarded with questions about my vegetarianism.

How do other folks respond to the question of: Well, you don't eat meat because it is a flesh of an animal (a living being)...Isn't a plant a living being...Aren't you killing a plant to eat?

---Nova

 

Message: 2 Mon, 17 Oct 2005 05:29:27 -0700 (PDT) "Yogacharya Dr.Ananda Bhavanani" <yognat2001Fwd: Tirukural Installment 26GURUDEVA <gurudeva-kural wrote:gurudeva-kural (GURUDEVA)Tirukural Installment 26Chapter 26 -- Abstaining from Eating MeatKURAL 251How can he practice true compassionwho eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own flesh?KURAL 252Riches cannot be found in the hands of the thriftless,nor can compassion be found in the hearts of those who eat meat.KURAL 253He who feasts on a creature's flesh is like he who wields a weapon.Goodness is never one with the minds of these two.KURAL 254If you ask, "What is kindness and what is unkindness?"It is not-killing and killing. Thus, eating flesh is never virtuous.KURAL 255Life is perpetuated by not eating meat.The jaws of Hell close on those who do.KURAL 256If the world did not purchase and consume meat,no one would slaughter and offer meat for sale.KURAL 257When a man realizes that meat is the butchered fleshof another creature, he will abstain from eating it.KURAL 258Insightful souls who have abandoned the passion to hurt otherswill not feed on flesh that life has abandoned.KURAL 259Greater than a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificialfires is to not sacrifice and consume any living creature.KURAL 260All life will press palms together in prayerful adorationof those who refuse to slaughter or savor meat.~~~~~~~~~To send an empty message, with any subject header, togurudeva-kural-Then just "reply" to the confirmation request and you will be d.~~~~~~~~~Forward the Kurals to a friend! To they may write togurudeva-kural-Everyone is welcome.~~~~~~~~~

[Guest guest]

Hello !!!

 

I do not know why you are a vegetarian.

 

In my case, my body just started not to like meat

anymore, as it did also with other foods like coffee,

some sorts of cheese etc. I must say that after I also

felt happy to be able to look my animal friends

straight in the eyes without afterthought ... but I

must admit that I could not have managed to stop

eating meat just based on the ethical or moral ground.

And I must say that although I feel now also morally

happy, basically my vegetariansim is rooted in the

fact that my bodies feels more happy with this diet.

 

For the anecdote : when I stopped eating meat, when I

had dinner with my friends I told them " we just have

to look for also some food not containing meat, I

don't eat meat " . They would ask : " are you a

vegetarian ? " And I would answer : " no, it is just

that I do not eat meat " . I did not identify with a

particular philosophy or whatever. It took me a year

to just think " well, in fact yes, I am not eating meat

so I am a vegetarian " .

 

So, that is what I tell friends or other people who

are intrigued. It is very simple. Also I am not

telling them to also become vegetarian. So usually

they just accept it like that. And they understand

that you may have a different diet. Some people have

different allergies and also cannot eat just anything

they would like to. It seems that in the last years

there is even wider and wider support for a vegetarian

diet, due to the " mad cow " and other diseases and also

because people start to get more aware of the bad

effects of the overconsumption of meet. And I feel

that some people are really just curious with their

questions. Even their remarks sometimes just reveals

their puzzlement or their interest in the subject. So

if you just answer them simply and honestly they often

accept what you say. What may be tricky is if you feel

agressed by the question and if you feel that you must

defend your point of view, or vegetarianism ... then

it may become a big debate or even a fight ...

 

To me it really seems, and this holds true not only

for being vegetarian, but for many other " strange " or

" alternative " behaviour " one may have, that the

easiest thing is just to be simple and honest about it

and receive people's comments with an attitude of

dialogue. If the other person is really just

interested he/she will be happy with your testimony.

And you may be interested to learn about his/her

pereceptions. If he/she just wants to argue, well you

do not have to enter the argument.

 

Plenty of good energies from Paris !!!

 

 

Christoph

 

 

--- Nova Scheidt <nova_scheidt a écrit :

 

 

 

 

Hey there,

 

I find that as a vegetarian, I am bombarded with

questions about my vegetarianism.

 

How do other folks respond to the question of: Well,

you don't eat meat because it is a flesh of an animal

(a living being)...Isn't a plant a living

being...Aren't you killing a plant to eat?

 

---Nova

 

 

 

 

Message: 2

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 05:29:27 -0700 (PDT)

" Yogacharya Dr.Ananda Bhavanani "

<yognat2001

Fwd: Tirukural Installment 26

 

 

 

GURUDEVA <gurudeva-kural wrote:

gurudeva-kural (GURUDEVA)

Tirukural Installment 26

 

Chapter 26 -- Abstaining from Eating Meat

 

 

KURAL 251

 

How can he practice true compassion

who eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own

flesh?

 

KURAL 252

 

Riches cannot be found in the hands of the thriftless,

nor can compassion be found in the hearts of those who

eat meat.

 

KURAL 253

 

He who feasts on a creature's flesh is like he who

wields a weapon.

Goodness is never one with the minds of these two.

 

KURAL 254

 

If you ask, " What is kindness and what is unkindness? "

It is not-killing and killing. Thus, eating flesh is

never virtuous.

 

KURAL 255

 

Life is perpetuated by not eating meat.

The jaws of Hell close on those who do.

 

KURAL 256

 

If the world did not purchase and consume meat,

no one would slaughter and offer meat for sale.

 

KURAL 257

 

When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh

of another creature, he will abstain from eating it.

 

KURAL 258

 

Insightful souls who have abandoned the passion to

hurt others

will not feed on flesh that life has abandoned.

 

KURAL 259

 

Greater than a thousand ghee offerings consumed in

sacrificial

fires is to not sacrifice and consume any living

creature.

 

KURAL 260

 

All life will press palms together in prayerful

adoration

of those who refuse to slaughter or savor meat.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

To send an empty message, with any subject

header, to

gurudeva-kural-

Then just " reply " to the confirmation request and you

will be d.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

Forward the Kurals to a friend! To they may

write to

gurudeva-kural-

Everyone is welcome.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

 

 

" Health and Happiness are your birthright, claim them

through Rishiculture Ashtanga Yoga " -Yogamaharishi Dr

Swami Gitananda Giri