On becoming a vegetarian

Adopting a vegetarian diet is an important part of tantra yoga path. It would be astonishing if it were otherwise: any tradition concerned with well-being must insist on a healthy diet because of its importance to physical and mental health as well as to peaceful and contemplative orientation of the mind. It is no wonder a vegetarian diet is one of the firm stipulations for most tantra yoga practices. This time I would like to explore general reasons for being a vegetarian as opposed to a specific diet traditionally prescribed for tantra yoga practices.

I am delighted we are beyond that horrific ‘epoch’ when, upon learning that someone is a vegetarian, an average person would outwardly ask about his or her health while inwardly thinking that he or she would benefit from a visit to psychiatrist. Yes, we vegetarians have traveled a long way. Nowadays, no well-informed person doubts the benefits of a healthy, vegetarian life-style—there are just too many scientific reports on the benefits of high fiber, vitamin and nutrient rich plant based food.

Almost every week we hear media reports about scientific investigations either confirming benefits of a vegetarian diet or reporting on the latest evils of a non-vegetarian diet. High cholesterol, low fiber, high level of pesticide residue, etc. are the ‘virtues’ of modern-day meat eating. Scientific research consistently shows that vegetarians are healthier, have greater endurance and are significantly less prone to heart disease, cancer and diabetes.

And no wonder! From the biological point of view, it is not natural for humans to eat meat. The human digestive system is similar to that of primates (monkeys) who eat mostly fruits and leaves and is ill suited for digesting animal flesh: our intestinal tract is too long — meat does not have enough time to leave it without decomposing. (If you doubt this, smell your feces.) The acidity of the human stomach is about ten times weaker than that of carnivorous animals—not enough for proper digestion of meat. Poorly digested meat pollutes every system of the human body, eventually augmenting doctors’ incomes.

Let us for a moment focus on the environmental harm caused by meat consumption. Meat production requires five to twenty times more in resources than growing vegetable proteins of similar nutritional value, such as wheat, rice, soy and other grains and legumes. Run-off water that leaves livestock farms is seldom adequately treated and pollutes creeks, rivers and other downstream waters with not only animal feces and urine residues with all corresponding bacteria (e. coli is one of them) but also with all the antibiotics, hormones and other substances that are being fed to commercial livestock. That is why people who care for the environment avoid commercial meat and poultry.

And to make this meat affair more disgusting and unhealthy, commercial livestock and poultry are not only fed with growth hormones, antibiotics and other drugs to make them grow faster and keep them from dying in the morbid conditions of the commercial animal farms but their feed often includes processed chicken manure, sawdust and plastic. (No—I am not making this up!) Fish is frequently caught in contaminated waters. Butchers regularly find tumors on the flesh of fish, poultry and red meat and cut them out. Even commercial milk products may contain dangerously high amounts of agrochemical residues. People who care about their physical health should avoid commercial animal products.

If you care about your emotional health, do not eat meat either. In the hands of a butcher God’s creatures naturally experience fear, anger and resentment toward the people whom they trusted in vain. Therefore, on a psychic level meat is naturally permeated with the negative emotions caused by such unjust violence. Hormones that accompany these emotions poison the feelings of those who eat meat. Surely you have noticed how your emotional state changes after such meal. Such needless slaughter also pollutes the emotional atmosphere of our entire planet.

People who are concerned with their spiritual development should categorically reject meat. Seekers of enlightenment and the Divine strive for harmony inside and outside: they try to cause as little harm to others as possible. Although it is true that to live means to eat and to eat means to kill, they try to kill less. Fish, birds and beasts have a more developed consciousness than plants. They have nerves and they can feel pain. Therefore, travelers on the spiritual path choose the lesser of the two evils—they eat only vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, and milk products. Such a diet not only allows for less violence and thus less karma but also is conducive to spiritual development because it brings harmony and radiance (ojas) to your mind and body.

Personally, I have firmly abstained from playing a part in the murder of animals and have not eaten their carcasses for all my adult life. Even before I met my Master, I sensed that consuming flesh as food would not be a good choice for my physical and emotional health and certainly would not be conducive to my spiritual evolution. At the first opportune moment (read: safe distance from my folks) I switched to a healthier diet. Today I am a living proof that vegetarianism does not kill you, make you sick or numb your brain. Neither does veggie food turn you particularly pale, unhappy or frail. (Oh, yes, all that was prophesized to happen to me…)

If you are not already a vegetarian, I hope I have convinced you to consider a meatless diet. If you are not convinced, definitely take a trip to a local slaughterhouse soon. May you be healthy, wealthy and enlightened!