Dalai Lama versus Paul McCartney,Buddha & Satvic food

[Guest guest]

" Vegetarianism is not merely a

code of eating habits. There is a grand philosophy behind it which

demands deeper understanding.  Vegetarian food can develop the

finer structure of the mind which is helpful in the realisation of

the final end of humanity. The capacity of  the mind to grasp

purer ideas and develop on subtler lines is amply increased by the

intake of Satvic food. The mind itself is the reflected  experience

of life in the body. Purity of the mind depends on the purity of the

body also. Hence the relevance of Satvic food is implied. The  mind

grows steadfast and is never shaken by evil impulses. The relation

of the mind to the cosmic purpose of creation is evident from the

 following paragraph. Indian philosophy attempts to reconcile

every movement in the world with the cosmic purpose. "

Lord Buddha was a great advocate of Satvic Food and this question comes on the

path to salvation.

 

The following has been taken from a 2003 Interview with The Dalai Lama by a

journalist from Reader's Digest.

 

RD-Your assistant says that you are half-vegetarian.How can that be?

 

Dalai Lama-(laughs) In the early 1960's I became a vegetarian,and for almost two

years remained so.But then i developed Hepatitis,my body turned yellow-my

eyes,my nails all turned yellow.I became,really,truly a living Buddha-but from

sickness not spirituality!

 

So i returned to my previous diet,then for a while it would be vegetarian one

day,non-vegetarian the next day.

 

He adds- Since last year,my main kitchen is totally vegetarian,but that doesn't

mean i am completely vegetarian,for when i visit places and hotel puts meat on

the table i take it.So occasionally i take non.veg food but otherwise I'm

vegetarian...that seems to help reduce the size of my stomach.(laughs..)

 

 

 

--- On Sat, 10/1/09, wrote:

 

Re: Dalai Lama versus Paul McCartney

aapn

Saturday, 10 January, 2009, 7:50 AM

 

*Dear Jigme,*

* Many thanks for posting this. Catherine Clyne makes many good

observations. I want to share with you two sayings, one from Buddhism and

another from Jainism: *

 

http://www.meaninginmylife.com/

 

* " Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not

believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not

believe in anything because it is found written in your religious books. Do

not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders..

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many

generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find anything that

agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all,

then accept it and live up to it. " -Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha),

563-483 B.C.*

 

* Or this from Jainism : " Once when he sat [in meditation]…they cut his

flesh…tore his hair…picked him up and…dropped him…the Venerable One(

Vardhamana Mahavira) bore the pain. " (from the Acaranga Sutra) *

 

* Gautama Buddha may not have been a vegetarian, but modern day

rationalists would be hard pressed to produce something as eloquent and

relevant to civilised living as what he proclaimed. No wonder Buddhism is

such a great religion and so is Jainism. I am not religious, but when I

first read the Dhammapada, I wept like a baby, it is so incredibly moving.

The Tibetan Conservation Awareness Campaign of the Wildlife Trust of India,

**launched by the Dalai Lama, has evoked an emotional response from the

Tibetan community, which has begun giving up using illegal animal products

and publicly burnt their dresses lined with tiger, leopard and other furs.

Regardless of his diet, if he is preaching the compassionate tenets of

Buddhism to save lives, that should be appreciated in my opinion.*

 

* Best wishes and kind regards,*

**

* *

 

 

 

On Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 9:21 PM, Herojig <herojig wrote:

 

> Hi Shub. At some point most debates move from interesting to boring to

> inane. That is another example. Here is a bit of an editorial from July of

> 1999, written by Catherine Clyne, who was editor of now defunct Satya

> magazine (vegetarianism * environmentalism * animal advocacy * social

> justice):

>

> *Why is the diet of a Tibetan holy man so important? As an ethical vegan,

> I am disappointed that the Dalai Lama does not choose to be vegetarian,

but

> I give him credit for discussing the issues and find it hypocritical that

> Western non-Buddhists devote so much energy to his " conversion " .

We don't

> demand that Western religious leaders, peacemakers and heads of state go

> vegetarian. Why aren't people outraged by the diets of the Reverend

Jessie

> Jackson, President Bill Clinton, the Roman Catholic Pope, Prime Minister

> Tony Blair and Jerry Falwell—even of those very influential people who

have

> passed away, such as Mother Teresa and Princess Diana? These people have

and

> had more of a direct effect on the lives of Western vegans and vegetarians

> than does the Dalai Lama. Moreover, unlike His Holiness, no significant

> Western leaders have ever publicly acknowledged the ethics of a vegetarian

> diet. The occasional fanfare over Boca Burgers served at the White House

> amounts to very little when compared with the statements of the Dalai

Lama.

> If we don't confront our own leaders, peacemakers, etc., is it not

> hypocritical and self-righteous for Westerners to determine what the Dalai

> Lama must eat and which doctor he should trust?

>

> More insulting is the repeated criticism that by eating meat His Holiness

> defies the Buddhist proviso of causing non-harm and the very ideals that

he

> embodies as the incarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. While the

> topic is controversial, there is no concrete evidence that the Buddha

> himself was a vegetarian. As an ascetic, he relied upon whatever food was

> offered, which may have been vegetarian but could possibly have contained

> meat. The majority of Buddhists are in fact not vegetarian, although there

> certainly are pockets of believers who are. For a man who has practiced

> Buddhism his entire life, who are we to criticize the religious adherence

of

> the Dalai Lama? Where is the compassion, tolerance and respect for a man

who

> is leading his own way of compassion? Can't we agree to disagree and

respect

> the personal decisions of others who are at least aware of the issues so

> that we might focus our energy and efforts on those in our society who do

> not even acknowledge the issues of a vegetarian diet, and who affect our

> lives more directly?

> Catherine Clyne

> *

>

> On 1/9/09 2:07 PM, " "

 

> wrote:

>

>

>

>

> I am not a great Paul McCartney fan, but found this debate on

vegetarianism

> interesting.

>

>

>

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/mccartneys%20meat%20row%20with%20da\

lai%20lama_1089529

> SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY - MCCARTNEY'S MEAT ROW WITH DALAI LAMA

> SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY tried to turn the DALAI LAMA vegetarian, insisting the

> famed Buddhist was " wrong " to eat meat.

> The Beatles legend wrote to the spiritual leader to point out that

> meat-eaters contribute to the suffering of animals, contradicting his

> statement that Buddhists " believe in not causing suffering to any

sentient

> beings " .

> And the Hey Jude hitmaker even disagreed when the Dalai Lama insisted he

> ate

> meat for health reasons.

> In an interview with Prospect magazine, MCCartney says, " I found out

he was

> not a vegetarian, so I wrote to him saying 'Forgive me for pointing

this

> out, but if you eat animals then there is some suffering somewhere along

> the

> line'.

> " He replied saying that his doctors had told him he needed it, so I

wrote

> back saying they were wrong. "

>

>

[Guest guest]

" Vegetarianism is not merely a code of eating habits. There is a grand

philosophy behind it which

demands deeper understanding.²

 

Sorry, can¹t buy that one, but if some people believe that, there are worse

delusions. Eating is eating and shitting is shitting. One can read anything

into and out of that. As far as the Dharma goes, at least in the Tibetan

tradition, there is a notion in the Vajrayana where one must turn poison

into amrita to benefit all beings. So that might explain why the Buddha

would not be so fussy about what he ate while on the road. Dunno. Cheers,

Jigs in Nepal

 

 

 

On 1/11/09 9:27 AM, " R.Abhed Kiran " <rakbhima wrote:

 

>

>

>

>

> " Vegetarianism is not merely a

> code of eating habits. There is a grand philosophy behind it which

> demands deeper understanding.  Vegetarian food can develop the

> finer structure of the mind which is helpful in the realisation of

> the final end of humanity. The capacity of  the mind to grasp

> purer ideas and develop on subtler lines is amply increased by the

> intake of Satvic food. The mind itself is the reflected  experience

> of life in the body. Purity of the mind depends on the purity of the

> body also. Hence the relevance of Satvic food is implied. The  mind

> grows steadfast and is never shaken by evil impulses. The relation

> of the mind to the cosmic purpose of creation is evident from the

>  following paragraph. Indian philosophy attempts to reconcile

> every movement in the world with the cosmic purpose. "

> Lord Buddha was a great advocate of Satvic Food and this question comes on the

> path to salvation.

>

> The following has been taken from a 2003 Interview with The Dalai Lama by a

> journalist from Reader's Digest.

>

> RD-Your assistant says that you are half-vegetarian.How can that be?

>

> Dalai Lama-(laughs) In the early 1960's I became a vegetarian,and for almost

> two years remained so.But then i developed Hepatitis,my body turned yellow-my

> eyes,my nails all turned yellow.I became,really,truly a living Buddha-but from

> sickness not spirituality!

>

> So i returned to my previous diet,then for a while it would be vegetarian one

> day,non-vegetarian the next day.

>

> He adds- Since last year,my main kitchen is totally vegetarian,but that

> doesn't mean i am completely vegetarian,for when i visit places and hotel puts

> meat on the table i take it.So occasionally i take non.veg food but otherwise

> I'm vegetarian...that seems to help reduce the size of my stomach.(laughs..)

>

> --- On Sat, 10/1/09, <journalistandanimals

> <journalistandanimals%40gmail.com> > wrote:

> <journalistandanimals

> <journalistandanimals%40gmail.com> >

> Re: Dalai Lama versus Paul McCartney

> aapn <aapn%40>

> Saturday, 10 January, 2009, 7:50 AM

>

> *Dear Jigme,*

> * Many thanks for posting this. Catherine Clyne makes many good

> observations. I want to share with you two sayings, one from Buddhism and

> another from Jainism: *

>

> http://www.meaninginmylife.com/

>

> * " Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not

> believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not

> believe in anything because it is found written in your religious books. Do

> not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders..

> Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many

> generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find anything that

> agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all,

> then accept it and live up to it. " -Siddhartha Gautama (The Buddha),

> 563-483 B.C.*

>

> * Or this from Jainism : " Once when he sat [in meditation]Šthey cut his

> fleshŠtore his hairŠpicked him up andŠdropped himŠthe Venerable One(

> Vardhamana Mahavira) bore the pain. " (from the Acaranga Sutra) *

>

> * Gautama Buddha may not have been a vegetarian, but modern day

> rationalists would be hard pressed to produce something as eloquent and

> relevant to civilised living as what he proclaimed. No wonder Buddhism is

> such a great religion and so is Jainism. I am not religious, but when I

> first read the Dhammapada, I wept like a baby, it is so incredibly moving.

> The Tibetan Conservation Awareness Campaign of the Wildlife Trust of India,

> **launched by the Dalai Lama, has evoked an emotional response from the

> Tibetan community, which has begun giving up using illegal animal products

> and publicly burnt their dresses lined with tiger, leopard and other furs.

> Regardless of his diet, if he is preaching the compassionate tenets of

> Buddhism to save lives, that should be appreciated in my opinion.*

>

> * Best wishes and kind regards,*

> **

> * *

>

> On Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 9:21 PM, Herojig <herojig

> <herojig%40gmail.com> > wrote:

>

>> > Hi Shub. At some point most debates move from interesting to boring to

>> > inane. That is another example. Here is a bit of an editorial from July of

>> > 1999, written by Catherine Clyne, who was editor of now defunct Satya

>> > magazine (vegetarianism * environmentalism * animal advocacy * social

>> > justice):

>> >

>> > *Why is the diet of a Tibetan holy man so important? As an ethical vegan,

>> > I am disappointed that the Dalai Lama does not choose to be vegetarian,

> but

>> > I give him credit for discussing the issues and find it hypocritical that

>> > Western non-Buddhists devote so much energy to his " conversion " .

> We don't

>> > demand that Western religious leaders, peacemakers and heads of state go

>> > vegetarian. Why aren't people outraged by the diets of the Reverend

> Jessie

>> > Jackson, President Bill Clinton, the Roman Catholic Pope, Prime Minister

>> > Tony Blair and Jerry Falwell‹even of those very influential people who

> have

>> > passed away, such as Mother Teresa and Princess Diana? These people have

> and

>> > had more of a direct effect on the lives of Western vegans and vegetarians

>> > than does the Dalai Lama. Moreover, unlike His Holiness, no significant

>> > Western leaders have ever publicly acknowledged the ethics of a vegetarian

>> > diet. The occasional fanfare over Boca Burgers served at the White House

>> > amounts to very little when compared with the statements of the Dalai

> Lama.

>> > If we don't confront our own leaders, peacemakers, etc., is it not

>> > hypocritical and self-righteous for Westerners to determine what the Dalai

>> > Lama must eat and which doctor he should trust?

>> >

>> > More insulting is the repeated criticism that by eating meat His Holiness

>> > defies the Buddhist proviso of causing non-harm and the very ideals that

> he

>> > embodies as the incarnation of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. While the

>> > topic is controversial, there is no concrete evidence that the Buddha

>> > himself was a vegetarian. As an ascetic, he relied upon whatever food was

>> > offered, which may have been vegetarian but could possibly have contained

>> > meat. The majority of Buddhists are in fact not vegetarian, although there

>> > certainly are pockets of believers who are. For a man who has practiced

>> > Buddhism his entire life, who are we to criticize the religious adherence

> of

>> > the Dalai Lama? Where is the compassion, tolerance and respect for a man

> who

>> > is leading his own way of compassion? Can't we agree to disagree and

> respect

>> > the personal decisions of others who are at least aware of the issues so

>> > that we might focus our energy and efforts on those in our society who do

>> > not even acknowledge the issues of a vegetarian diet, and who affect our

>> > lives more directly?

>> > Catherine Clyne

>> > *

>> >

>> > On 1/9/09 2:07 PM, " "

> <journalistandanimals <journalistandanimals%40gmail.com> >

>> > wrote:

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> > I am not a great Paul McCartney fan, but found this debate on

> vegetarianism

>> > interesting.

>> >

>> >

>> >

> http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/mccartneys%20meat%20row%20with%20

> dalai%20lama_1089529

>> > SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY - MCCARTNEY'S MEAT ROW WITH DALAI LAMA

>> > SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY tried to turn the DALAI LAMA vegetarian, insisting the

>> > famed Buddhist was " wrong " to eat meat.

>> > The Beatles legend wrote to the spiritual leader to point out that

>> > meat-eaters contribute to the suffering of animals, contradicting his

>> > statement that Buddhists " believe in not causing suffering to any

> sentient

>> > beings " .

>> > And the Hey Jude hitmaker even disagreed when the Dalai Lama insisted he

>> > ate

>> > meat for health reasons.

>> > In an interview with Prospect magazine, MCCartney says, " I found out

> he was

>> > not a vegetarian, so I wrote to him saying 'Forgive me for pointing

> this

>> > out, but if you eat animals then there is some suffering somewhere along

>> > the

>> > line'.

>> > " He replied saying that his doctors had told him he needed it, so I

> wrote

>> > back saying they were wrong. "

>> >

>> >