Theos-Talk Archives (December 1993 Message tl00134)

Here is another article on Vegetarianism that may be of interest

In article 58m@pdx1.world.net, srinivas@eng.umd.edu (Nagulapalli
Srinivas) writes:

>      Can anyone survive without eating the many micro-organisms
> and hence their full-meat whenever they inhale air for breathing?
> How can anyone who is rational and not a hypocrite, ever avoid
> admitting such killing of living entities and silently digesting them?
>
>      Yet, Hinduism does *advise* that it *helps* not to eat meat.
> It does not *MANDATE* that one should NOT eat meat! Furthermore,
> just because one does *not* eat meat, he is NOT a Hindu, and also
> equally just because one *eats* meat does not prevent him by being
> devout Hindu or make him any lesser Hindu. Why???
>
>      Because, Hinduism is NOT a weight-reducing, diet-controlling
> commercial programme!! It is not even a Nutritional Science either!!
> It has nothing to do with people's bellies or their belly pots!
>
>      In Gita (Chpt 17) it clearly explains how our "Thought-process"
> is linked to our "consuming process" which includes eating-habits.
> Whenever our thoughts are nobler and calmer, the type of food we
> demand and enjoy is also of that type. Why do (relatively) many people
> who are *strict* NON-vegetarians, don't eat steak or lamb-curry for
> breakfast and prefer cereals instead? If you disagree here, look at
> statistically large American population - many of whom are meat-eaters
> what they eat for morning breakfast!! But, why is it so?? Isn't it
> true that during fresh mornings when our thoughts are *relatively*
> calmer and tender, the food we eat is also *relatively* less violent
> and more tender?? Our thoughts determine the type of food we eat and
> sadly it is NOT the other around! Nothing stops me from being a crook
> just because I just like and eat vegetarian food!!
>
>      Gita only dictates that whatever we *digest* not just by our
> mouth, but also by our *minds* is only an indication and expression of
> our own thought-patterns. And it further adds that it is important to
> train ones mind to become "Saatvic". But, our pundits notorious for
> their mis-interpretations, made an inference from it saying
> "Eating vegetarian food makes you Satvic", as if "Satwa Guna" is a
> diet-controlled chemical compound!!! It is the recurring scream of
> our heritage that "Attitudes decide the goodness of actions, and NOT
> the actions themselves", which we refuse to listen!!
>
>      The alcohol drunk by a vulgar drunkard, is also drunk by a child
> as a cough-syrup when he is sick. Does it make the child a drunkard,
> and even worse an aclohol-addict? Note that, regular dosage of
> drinking of cough-syrup still does not make a child drunkard! It is
> the attitude that child has for it as a medicine, and the attitude
> drunkard has for it as an espcaping-maja-maja, which makes him addict!
>
>      So, in Hinduism there are towering personalities like
> Vivekananda who also ate fish, but with an attitude to make the
> body-equipment sustain the torments of weather such that he continues
> to SERVE better, and not to live and expect and demand another
> delicious fish-curry from nearest devotee!!
>
>      That is also the reason why our military-people called
> "Kshatriyas" (again, not those who are born into certain community!)
> were fully allowed and encouraged to have non-vegetarian diet, which
> is necessary for their job and excercises. But we dragged that
> concept into ugly situations of caste and its customs, is another
> sad story.
>
>      But, we also know that before an important exam or interview,
> can anyone like to eat bellyful of heavy lamb-curry with all
> spiced-chicked legs?? We are careful then not only in what menu we
> order, but also in the quantity of how much we eat, so as to not fall
> asleep in interview or exam, or at best become dull then. Now, is it
> tough for us to imagine the spiritual seekers who whole-heartedly
> with all devotion wants to experience the Higher-Truths, in thier
> own meditative minds, have least liking for meat and also recommend
> others in that situation to desist from it, not because the
> "vegetarian stock-market" is going down, but only because it is
> harmful for their efforts itself?? So, when Hinduism says don't eat
> meat to them, it is just a loving suggestion for their own help, and
> not a commandment to eat away from them what they like!!!
>
>      How can Hinduism, which prods and pushes people to strive to
> live their "Dharma" and fulfill their duties to the utmost ability,
> ask its children not to eat something, which is necessary for their
> tasks and efforts???
>
>      -Srinivas Nagulapalli