Quote:
Originally Posted by verklingen
why a "purely vegetarian dietary practice?" earlier in this article the inherent inter-dependence of all life-forms is hinted at. . . why limit human inter-dependence to vegetation? plants are no different from animals in that they both are grown only to die and both serve their use to those who will partake of them, why make a special case for either and demand everyone follow suit? the problem here i think is a problem of appreciation.
we must appreciate these beings which share their life with us, who live their life for us. we must appreciate that in the inter-connectedness of All, we too serve them in the balance of existence. in such a state of gratitude there is no victim, only energies influencing energies in an eternal symbiosis which is the development of Creation.
respect, love, and cherish the energies as YOU choose to engage them, and remember that to ridicule another's chosen method of engagement shows, above all, discourtesy to yourself in that you are mocking your relation to The One Great Family of Life.  |
Hi,
this is an excellent question, and definitely one that crossed my mind when posting. On answer is that the non-vegetarian foods perpetuate disturbing karmas and incarnation. such foods also lower the consciousness level and disrupt the deep connection and serenity required for successful meditation, samadhi, and awakening.
to explain why this is: although there is a definite natural aspect to non-vegetarian energy consumption and the various food chains and pyramids, the non-veg are to be considered as lower level. some beings may develop upon pure vegetarian lineages within multiple incarnations including animals or even insects...as well as humans. this is the science of subtle vibrations and energies.
The pure intelligent energy and warmth of life comes to us through the sun. coming from the sun the energy has all pure and 'divine' or wholesome qualities. the essence of the source carries the subtle qualities of intelligence, gentleness, high-level consciousness and awareness, love, kindness, etc... that energy is used by various plants in the slow and miraculous processes of life to create various plants, algae, fruits, flowers, vegetables, etc. Like the harmony and nice subtle qualities of a field of plants or a tree, these types of foods contain the pure source energies in their original form. those souls who desire kindness, gentleness, purity, wholesomeness, and good health will consume these preferentially and benefit from their pure qualities to grow in health, pure consciousness, kindness, understanding, and nonviolent qualities.
Various kinds of beings consume the pure plant foods for their sustenance, and they get the pure energies to nourish their life within themselves. But when we try to take this life energy from other highly sentient, conscious beings like ourselves (animals etc), the pure life energy becomes polluted and distorted by the subtle essences of fear, pain, panic, struggle, and cruel death. there is a much different vibe on plant vs animal foods for this reason. People must undertake all sorts of cruel, cunning, vicious, and violent behaviors to eat them as well including imprisoning, capturing/trapping, killing/slaughtering, and others. Thus, consuming non-vegetarian foods draws these dark, unsettled subtle essences into ourselves as well as original life energy. These polluted energies affect our minds, perception, volition, consciousness, behavior, personalities, bodily health, karma, and our entire life path. this is the subtle science to diet, karma, and life.
The path of surviving on foods closely associated with all types of conscious willful cruelness, violence, and grotesque sensory experiences puts us into a different mode of life that is akin to a type of vampirism...rather than taking from the pure original source, we are taking in an improper way that will ultimately bring us suffering and experiences like those of our unfortunate victims. this causes beings to perpetually reincarnate in various carnivorous forms, and also in the forms that are consumed by carnivores. This is a karmic cycle with no obvious exit. As carnivores, negative energy builds due to cruel and vicious behavior and negatively charged energies; as victims, beings experience all types of frustration, struggle, anger, and desire to fight off their attackers...a downward spiral...this cycle of dark incarnation continues until at some point the soul, tired of strife and violence... makes a conscious decision to turn away from violence and cruelty...at which time conditions will gradually manifest where an alternate path or fortunate situation will arise providing the opportunity for transition.
as humans we are fortunate to be able to contemplate these things and make a conscious decision toward the good, the light, kindness, gentleness, and nourishment that causes the least possible harm and suffering to other life forms. this path will benefit our health and all spiritual practices and qualities and lead to pure advanced worlds where the lower types of beings and activities are no longer present.
in conclusion, we should not be egoistic and claim violence and carnivorism as some intrinsic part of who we are. for all living beings dread cruelty, violence, fear, imprisonment, suffering etc. our true divine nature is one of kindness, gentleness, friendship, helping and consideration for all other life forms. in this mode of behavior, we are in harmony with the essence of the original source and will draw ourselves to higher forms and worlds of life where greater bliss, friendship, security, and happiness will be abundant. nor should we seek to imitate the beings in violent stages and phases of existence. this is just a natural stage of life that some--but not all--beings go through because there are infinite possibilities and many just have to go through the very hard and traumatic experiences to achieve true learning and understanding of gentleness, harmony, and nonviolence.
sorry know that was very long, but I hope that was informative and clarifies the full range of diverse considerations within the question.