Vegetarianism has been increasing in popularity and the debate about whether to eat meat or not seems to be never-ending. According to Buddhists and Hindus, vegetarianism is the key to peace and happiness.
A Meat Diet and the Emotions
Charles Fillmore in his article written in 1903 for Unity Magazine cites a discovery made in San Francisco by physicians treating a group of people who had become violently ill after eating the meat of a certain steer.
At first it was presumed that the steer was diseased. But later it was found that it was perfectly healthy and vigorous enough to fight the butcher for over an hour. It occurred to the physicians that the meat was poisoned by the terror of the animal, just as the milk of a mother is poisoned by anger and can make her baby sick.
The Hindu View of Vegetarianism
Hindus place the highest value on 'ahimsa' (non-violence). The murder of animals for meat causes bondage which ties us to the wheel of rebirth. What a person eats affects the emotions, consciousness and learning patterns. Therefore, if one wishes for a higher consciousness, peace of mind and happiness, one must avoid eating meat, seafood, eggs or fowl.
The Vedic scripture, Manu Smirti, has this to say on the subject: "By not killing any living being, one becomes fit for salvation."
The Buddhist View of Vegetarianism
In the Lankavatara Sutra about meat eating, The Buddha says that meat eaters are filled with fear whether asleep or awake and ghosts and spirits often disturb them. The emotions of anger, jealousy, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of death burden the eater of flesh. A meat eater’s mind tends to confusion more readily. He experiences a higher degree of hate, greed, lust and jealousy.
The hatred and resentment of slaughtered animals building up for thousands of years is the cause of disasters which are becoming ever more catastrophic and increasing in number.The Venerable Master Hua, in a lecture at the University of Hawaii in July, 1989, said "As soon as we kill them, the one thought of hatred that those cows, sheep, and pigs give rise to will lead them to seek revenge in the future. This leads to disasters such as world wars and all kinds of accidental deaths."
What Meat Eaters Say about Vegetarians
On the other hand, many non-vegetarians believe that diet has nothing to do with the psyche and that they know aggressive vegetarians as well as peace-loving non vegetarians. Many meat eaters are irritated and angered by the moral high ground adopted by vegetarians.
The website 'Vegetarians Are Evil' cites violent vegans like Charles Manson, the assassin and murderer Volkert Van der Graaf (an animal rights activist) and Pol Pot, the despot and mass murderer. Many meat eaters are irritated and angered by the moral high ground adopted by vegetarians.
The only way to ascertain whether eating vegetarian food affects the psyche in a positive way is to give vegetarianism a chance for a month at least. It's helpful to remember that adopting this diet does not make one superior to meat eaters.
The International Vegetarian Union for more on how various religions view vegetarianism.
Related Articles: Moral Dangers of Eating Meat - A Buddhist View, Vegetarianism - Every Woman's Responsibility
Sources:
- A Buddhist Case for Vegetarianism – Roshi Philip Kapleau.
- 'Asto Meat Eating' – Charles Fillmore (first published in the October 1903 issue of Unity Magazine, Volume 19, number 4).
- The Yoga of the Nine Emotions – Peter Marchand, Harish Johari.
- Vajra Bodhi Sea, January 1995, pp. 29-31 – Venerable Master Hua.
 |
 |
