Guest guest Posted July 13, 2003 Report Share Posted July 13, 2003 My dearest friends and siblings, Modern science teaches that plants take water and minerals from the earth and carbon dioxide from the air. With the help of energy from the sun, they combine the minerals and the water and the carbon dioxide into plant material. In this manner, a plant can grow and add more plant material to its being, creating a large amount of life where only a little bit existed before. Animals eat the plants and transform the plant material into bones and muscles and nerves and skin. This may seem different from plant matierial, but the are merely rearranging the atoms in the plant material in a manner that better suits them. We humans eat plants and animals and do the same thing. There is a saying here in the United States "You are what you eat." This is very true. You think that you are eating lettuce or cherries or chicken or whatever, but in reality you are consuming the same minerals, water, and carbon dioxide that the plant took from the ground and the air some time earlier. So in a very real sense you are the earth and the water and the air. Your energy is that of the fire in the sun. Without the sun, the plant could not make its plant material, and you would have nothing to eat. Western religions view humans as being something apart from the natural world. They believe that we are somehow superior to nature and able to dictate our wishes to the rest of Creation. With this we disagree. We humans are a part of nature, in the same manner as the rocks and the trees and the fish. We are made of the same substance and subject to the same rules. The creatures with whom we share this pretty blue planet (plants, animals, mushrooms, and all the rest) are not our slaves. They are not objects to be used if we find them useful, destroyed if not. They are our cousins, our kin to be respected and cherished as we would each other. The Great Mother decreed in her infinite wisdom that some of her children must eat each other to survive. Thus we must continue to absorb plant and animal material into our bodies. There is no other option. But we need not do this wantonly, destroying more than we need. We must kill plants and animals in order to survive, but we must always remember that these creatures are of the same matter as we are, worthy of our thanks for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf. Sister Usha Devi ===== Sister Usha Devi Founder, Divinely Female and worshipper of the Sacred Flame that shines inside every woman SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 13, 2003 Report Share Posted July 13, 2003 Hari Om Friends I read the article by Sister Usha Devi and would like to know that in the following paragraph of her message- "The Great Mother decreed in her infinite wisdom that some of her children must eat each other to survive. Thus we must continue to absorb plant and animal material into our bodies. There is no other option. But we need not do this wantonly, destroying more than we need. We must kill plants and animals in order to survive, but we must always remember that these creatures are of the same matter as we are,worthy of our thanks for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf." Would anyone inform me please that who are these "some of her children" ,and what does one means by "WE" in "....We must kill plants and animals......". When one says "....we must remember that these creatues..." then I am here safe to assume that "we" are indeed human beings as I have never heard of a rabbit thinking whether to eat a rat or carrot. How can you say that there is no other option than to consume plants and animals since it is decreed upon us. This is a misunderstanding of Hinduism. No religion of India(i.e which originated there Hinduism,Buddhism,Jainism,Sikhism)approve of our consuming animals.It is "natural" for a tiger to eat a deer,it is again "natural" for a cow to consume grass but it is like a rapist consuming a helpless woman when one consumes meat.I say that because when one kills an animal it is a forceful act,no chicken happily goes to the butcher table,if one sees any animal being butchered he is seeing huamanity getting killed before himself. No book of hinduism ever approved consuming animals, sighting there is not one option left.Even if you are to die you are not supposed to kill.This is not a repeatition of "thou shalt not kill" from the Bible but from the Vedas too.West may have taken an exception to this rule however. There are no compromises in The Ultimate realms. To grow in life spiritually one can follow any path but if the path lacks purity then you will end nowhere. Since this is in reply to the message "science confirms belief", I wonder if this science is what one knows or what exists,the one subscribing to the western approach is famous for a new "discovery" every other day!. When we are still discovering and re-analysing the existing fundas then it won't be wise to club science and belief together."Belief" is what has been felt by realised souls for centuries,and it should be noted that much of their "realisations" were the same,here is a cofirmation for belief. It is again mad to say- "...but we must always remember that these creatures are of the same matter as we are,worthy of our thanks for the sacrifices they have made on our behalf". Anyone thanked a chicken after killing it!.If animals were to rule this planet they would say-"kill those stinkin' humans, who wanted the bloody thanks",how about a tiger thanking a human after "no options left" meal. Here goes a story- Tim and Jerry were stranded on an island for days,they had nothing to eat,but.....(assuming they felt as "optionless" with trees or plants around) ,....and Jerry ate Tim. After returning home Jerry went to Tim's wife and said-"Mary we were stranded on an island,we had absolutely nothing to eat,in this hour of need we stayed together in all circumstances untill I was left with no option but to eat your husband, I did and I am here to pay my greatest thanks to Tim who "...worthy of my(our) thanks for the sacrifices he(they have) made on my(our) behalf". Both in this case happen to be " the children decreed by The Great Mother in her infinite wisdom to eat each other". This article was just to drive home a point and may be lacking in concrete arguments,but I suppose I have conveyed the message that "Life" of no being is different from any other being,we differ only in our consciousness.When did anyone approve of killing a spastic who had no more brains than a chimp. Yours truly Hiranyak Som Hari Om Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 14, 2003 Report Share Posted July 14, 2003 Hello: I think that native American traditions have involved thanking the spirits of the animals that were hunted and killed for food, such as buffalo. There are other options to eating meat, but many do not feel they get enough of what their bodies need from a vegetarian or vegan diet. It's a process of evolution to move from animal consumption to vegan/vegetarianism. Meanwhile, I think it IS better if animals are treated more humanely, such as in the case of free range chickens. I have seen an organic farm in Mendocino California on which the farmer named his chickens, and they would come when he called. It makes it all the more incongruous to kill such an animal, and maybe this is part of the evolution to vegan/vegetarianism. One thing: I read that eggs are considered "tamasic" and I wondered about that. If they are unfertilized, no creature is being harmed when the eggs are eaten, again as long as the hens are treated humanely. The white is good protein. Only the yoke, which contains cholesterol, can be harmful, but it's possible to eat the whites only, or limit yolk consumption. Could the rule of eggs as "tamasic" be based on anti-animal consumption, rather than how the egg nourishes the body? Does anyone know? Another thought I have had recently is that it isn't necessary to believe in anything. God/dess is, and requires no belief to be so. Belief can color our perceptions and take us off-center when fueled by pain or need or fear. Mary Ann , Hiranyak Som <heeranyak> wrote: > Anyone thanked a chicken after killing it!.If animals were to rule this planet they would say-"kill those stinkin' humans, who wanted the bloody thanks",how about a tiger thanking a human after "no options left" meal. > > Here goes a story- > > Tim and Jerry were stranded on an island for days,they had nothing to eat,but.....(assuming they felt as "optionless" with trees or plants around) > ,....and Jerry ate Tim. After returning home Jerry went to Tim's wife and > said-"Mary we were stranded on an island,we had absolutely nothing to eat,in this hour of need we stayed together in all circumstances untill I was left > with no option but to eat your husband, I did and I am here to pay my greatest thanks to Tim who "...worthy of my(our) thanks for the sacrifices he(they have) > made on my(our) behalf". > > Both in this case happen to be " the children decreed by The Great Mother in her infinite wisdom to eat each other". > > This article was just to drive home a point and may be lacking in concrete arguments,but I suppose I have conveyed the message that "Life" of no being is > different from any other being,we differ only in our consciousness.When did anyone approve of killing a spastic who had no more brains than a chimp. > > Yours truly > Hiranyak Som > Hari Om Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 14, 2003 Report Share Posted July 14, 2003 >When one says "....we must remember that these >creatues..." then I am here safe to assume that "we" >are indeed human beings Of course. >How can you say that there is no other option than to >consume plants and animals since it is decreed upon >us. >This is a misunderstanding of Hinduism. Don't be silly. Even if you do not eat animals, you nevertheless eat plants, correct? Plants are living beings just as are animals. You can choose to eat nothing but plants, or nothing but animals, or some combination of the two, but consuming neither and subsisting on water alone is not an option regardless of your religious preferences. My comments were not aimed exclusively at Hindus but at everyone of any faith. We are of the same physical substance as the plants and animals. We and they are manifestations of the earth and the water and the air and the sun. Sister Usha Devi ===== Sister Usha Devi Founder, Divinely Female and worshipper of the Sacred Flame that shines inside every woman SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 15, 2003 Report Share Posted July 15, 2003 Hari Om everyone Dear Ushaji i didn't intend to hurt you or start a "word-by-word" argument contest by any means. Do not get into the physical aspects too much,when you are sure that We (combining all living)are made up of same physical substance,then don't forget that WE are made up of the same Soul too.You cannot bestow a choice upon yourself whether to eat an animal or not,because he is not just an "animal",you would know it if you ever owned a pet. I had already written that I just wish to convey that there is no moral behind eating non-vegeterian no matter what arguments one produces. One who wishes to have his/her way about anything, will do that presenting any argument. You have held my message by the wrong thread. Hari Om Hiranyak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted July 16, 2003 Report Share Posted July 16, 2003 >Dear Ushaji i didn't intend to hurt you or start >a "word-by-word" argument contest by any means. ... >You have held my message by the wrong thread. I was not hurt, nor did I misinterpret anything. You disagreed with something that I said, so I replied. Very simple. >Do not get into the physical aspects too much, But this was the point that I was making. I was commenting on the physical. The fact that on this particular day, I chose to comment on the physical, does not mean that I do not believe in the spiritual or might some other day choose to comment on it. >when <you are sure that We(combining all living)are made up >of same physical substance,then don't forget that WE >are made up of the same Soul too. Of course. >You cannot bestow a >choice upon yourself whether to eat an animal or >not,because he is not >just an "animal",you would know it if you ever owned >a pet. This part I do not understand. Each person has a choice of being a vegetarian or not. And on each particular day, a person has a choice of whether to buy beef or dahl at the market to cook for supper. There are many arguments on each side, but it was not my purpose to discuss these the other day. My point was merely that we humans must eat other organsism. We are not green and therefore cannot sit in the sun and photosynthesize. Therefore we eat. Sister Usha Devi ===== Sister Usha Devi Founder, Divinely Female and worshipper of the Sacred Flame that shines inside every woman SBC DSL - Now only $29.95 per month! http://sbc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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