yogic basis and importance for vegetarianism - Follow Up Q

[Guest guest]

Jaya Guru Datta

 

Just to add my two cents to the brilliant explanations,

 

1) It is said that the human body is a gift of God with potential for taking the

soul staright to God by yogic practices. It has subtle spiritual centres

(chakras) that can be awakend by various methods. Hence, in the cycle of

creation, a human body has the HIGHEST evolutionary value followed by animals

and then plants. And the pupose of creation is to become one with God. So

logically the sustenace of human body is of paramount importance.(a) 

 

2) For this sustenance, plants have been recommended. It has been proved that

the arragement of teeth in humans is specifically designed for  eating of plants

and rather ill designed for eating of animals.(b) 

 

3) Ahimsa is more about the attitude/intention that one takes in doing an action

rather than the action itself. In fact all yoga is more about the attitude first

& action next. The best of actions with bad intentions give only negative

results. So, the right way is to perform the act of eating plants + roots as a

means of sustenance of the body temple. Anything beyond that is AHIMSA.

 

4) The argument FOR vegetarianism - it involves the least amount of himsa for

the express purpose of sustaining the body temple engaged in the act of seeking

union with God.

 

For all other purposes I dont think it really matters why you eat and what you

eat.

 

References 

a) The Autobiography of a Yogi - Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, YSS

b) The Holy Science - Swami Sri Yukteshwar Giri, YSS 

 

Shailendra

--\

----

Kriya Yogo Vivardhatam / Sachchidanada Roopam Shivoham Shivoham

 

--- On Mon, 8/3/09, Dattatreya Hare Krishna <oneinfinitezero wrote:

 

 

Dattatreya Hare Krishna <oneinfinitezero

Re: yogic basis and importance for vegetarianism -

Follow Up Q

" Ramakrishna V " <ramakip

Cc: jaigurudatta

Monday, August 3, 2009, 10:46 PM

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaya Guru Datta!

 

Someone wrote:

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

a friend of mine is a jain and he is pretty strict with even vegetables.. .

basically he does not eat roots and his point of view is they don't want to kill

the insects when they remove the roots and thus concur with you point - " don't

hurt the meek " ... so are vegetarians who eat roots doing anything wrong... and

also some non veg eating people always counter argue saying veggie eaters are

also killing the plants...

 

your thoughts on these points...

------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

 

Very salient points.  I began my argument describing vegetarianism from a yogic

point of view for this very purpose.  Ahimsa is a difficult thing in practice -

that is one of the reasons why even in Hinduism, we have purifactory rites to be

performed before taking food.  It is physically impossible to be perfectly

non-violent from a dualistic point of view.  The very act of separating one's

self from God, is violent by nature - it involves denial of God (or limitation

of God).  It is the rebellion that led to  " original sin " in the christian

parlance.

 

That said, my argument is centered on the concept that it is natural and right

from a pranayama perspective for animals to partake of plant foods, and

vice-versa.  If you note that O2 breathers make use of CO2 breathers, and

vice-versa, you will see that plants are a natural food for man, and man's waste

are natural food for plants.  So, it is natural to take food that increases your

prana (plant material).  By eating plant material, you are taking in tissues

containing their chlorophyll, thus increasing your internal absorption of their

pranic energy.  In the grand scheme of things, it is not that you are killing

the plant that is of importance.  Life goes on in a myriad of forms, some seen,

some unseen.  That is all part of nature.  What isn't natural is for you to

ingest material that was designed to convert prana to apana (animal tissue). 

Even before eating, that is why you say the mantras " Om Pranaya Swaha, Om

Apanaya Swaha, Om Vyanaya

Swaha, Om Udanaya Swaha, Om Samanaya Swaha... "   You are equalising and

surrendering the 5 pranas into the internal jataraagni, and allowing Shiva (in

the form of Jatar-agni) to purify the foods you partake, by taking on the

poisonous reactions onto himself.  This turns the food you partake of to be

eaten as prasadam.  This is why christians do their prayer " Thank you lord for

this food.  Give us this day our daily bread. etc. "   In the end, the point is

the same, to partake of the food as a gift from God.  It is God Himself who

purifies the food that is eaten, making it allowed or unallowed.  It is not the

Law that matters, but the Lawmaker.  As long as the lawmaker is respected, the

law is respected.

 

Pranic energy should be differentiated from O2 and CO2 in that Pranic energy is

directly tied to movements of consciousness itself; it is not a molecular

process that can be studied using a " micro " scope (no matter the resolution). 

So, don't waste your time proving things - it ain't gonna happen - and once

proven, you get no credit for following it - you only get credit for doing

something extraordinary (unproven, " on faith " ).  The differences in the

consciousness  of plants and animals leads to their respective use of prana /

apana.  You have to accept the words of Rishis (seers) on this point, because

its something they know intimately from first-hand experience, and not from some

book somewhere.  The difference between prana and apana also have to do with the

direction of the movements of the energy.  They flow counter-current to one

another, if you will.  So the pranic energy of plants is in the opposite

direction ( " polarity " ) than that of

animals.

 

It is true that some Jain sects even avoid root vegetables, because their

emphasis is entirely on ahimsa.  Hinduism isn't strictly focused on Ahimsa, per

se; it is a by product of jain influence in the later years.  Afterall, Krishna

told Arjuna to kill his kinsmen in a righteous war - because nothing ever truly

lives or dies (in reality) - nor can you kill or be killed (the soul is

immortal).  So Hinduism is by no means saying that ahimsa is the primary concept

of importance.  Hinduism's emphasis is purely yogic - and its practices are

entirely designed to support the evolution/involutio n of the individual soul

towards Godhead.  That said, when one approaches Godhead, the byproduct is that

one becomes more and more harmless.  That is why animals are not afraid of

Swamiji - why snakes freely play with Him.  He is the most harmless being (more

than a baby) on the planet, though He is the most powerful.  They sense that He

is their friend and

not

a threat, instinctually.  The same is true for any yogi who has attained a high

level of sadhana -  animals lose their fear of that Yogi.  It is why all the

different kinds of animals would take shelter in the premises of ancient indian

hermitages (ashramas) - the environment was so Satvic, that violence was

unsupported even in thought.  Those Satvic vibrations radiate outwards and calm

everything down.  Unconscious violence, is the kind of himsa that is caused by

virtue of the recipient's karma and natural processes; for that, you cannot be

considered responsible.

 

Whether you follow the Hindu approach, or the Jain approach, depends entirely on

your perspective and upbringing; what harms a person, is not necessarily harmful

for a bird (e.g., birds sit comfortably on high power voltage lines quite

routinely, ...because of the way they were designed, they are not affected). 

The psyche is very important when discussing such things - so if you were raised

a Hindu - your psyche is programmed a certain way from birth, and by virtue of

your karma.  So, if you are born a Hindu, be a good Hindu.  If you are born a

Jain, be a good Jain ...applies here.  Don't worry about other dharmas, if they

conflict with your own; but do follow your own to the best of your ability.  In

the end, it is your effort to merge with God, that God cares about.  Sin is that

state in which one is separated from God; the goal is to cleanse one's self

until one is no longer separated from Him (in thought, word, deed).

 

As to absolute ahimsa - from a Hindu perspective - one cannot avoid harming

things at all - every time you walk, you step on countless organisms - Hinduism

says this is part of the natural order - even your own body is comprised of

billions of individual organisms doing something on a very selfish basis - the

difference being that these cells work for a higher collective good (dharma)

which is why your body is able to function in a coordinated manner.

 

So, I would say that it is not killing per se that is wrong, it is the mentality

of killing (which internally requires that you perceive TWO, instead of ONE),

that must be avoided.  By engaging in acts of anger, one continues and

aggravates the delusion that you are one individual, and that the other (to whom

you are directing your anger) is another individual.  By thinking in this way,

you are making the grooves of your dualistic-perceptio n, deeper.  A yogi is

concerned with their own mental state, and not the world per se.  It is not the

world that we should be concerned with, it is our REACTION to the world.  One

who is a perfect Yogi, though he may destroy the whole world, is untainted by

sin.  This is the key.  So, from nature's perspective, the idea that " we are

killing " is nonsense, because we cannot by ourselves be the cause of anything,

" we " are not the body.  From a yogic perspective, we are slaves to our senses

(what we take in, how

we

take it in, and how we react to what we take in, will impact our progress) - so

we do all these things to gain mastery over ourselves, which in-turn leads to

the true freedom (moksha) from our senses.  From a " himsa " perspective, the best

one can do, and still not cause " self-himsa " is to be a vegetarian (at least you

are doing that much to avoid mischief, right?).  You cannot starve yourself

either - that would be self-himsa - and you would be a considered violent person

- you have no right to destroy " what God hath wrought. "   So the question is what

is the food required for my sustenance which will cause least harm/inconvenience

to others?

 

Hope that resolves the question.  Jaya Guru Datta!

 

---

Gurorangripadme ManaScenna Lagnam tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim!?

Sarva Kartha, Sarva Dhartha, Sarva Hartha, Mangalam!

Satchidananda, Satchidananda, Satchidananda Mangalam!

Tasmai Sri Guru-murthaye Nama Idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye!

 

Ata Nityo Narayanaha, Brahma Narayanaha, Sivascha Narayanaha, Kalascha

Narayanaha. Disascha Narayanaha, Vidisascha Narayanaha, Urdwamscha Narayanaha,

Adhascha Narayanaha, Antar-bahischa- Narayana. Narayana Eh Vedam Sarvam, Yat

BhootamYacchha Bhavyam.Nish- kalango Niranjano Nirvikalpo Nirakyadhas, suddhho

Deva Eko Narayanaha, Na dwiteeyosthi kaschit,ya evam Vedas Vishnu reva Bhavati,

Sa Vishnureva Bhavathi, Etat yajur veda sirodeeyathe.

 

Sundara Sundara Siva Siva! Karuna Bandhura Siva Siva! Karuna Rupa Spanda Siva!

Girisha Sat-Chit-Ananda Siva!

 

Jaya Jaya Jnana Bodha Sabha, ...Atma Tattva Bodha Sabha, ...Bhakthi Jnana

Vairagya Sabha, ...Namasankeerthana Dhama Sabha

 

Satchitananda Rupaya, Krishnayaa Aklishtakarine, Namo Vedanta Vedyaya, Gurave

Buddhi Saakshine

 

~*Om * Ayim * Hreem * Sreem * Siva * Rama * Anagha * Dattaya * Namaha*~

 

--- On Mon, 8/3/09, Ramakrishna V <ramakip > wrote:

 

Ramakrishna V <ramakip >

Re: yogic basis and importance for vegetarianism

" Dattatreya Hare Krishna " <oneinfinitezero@ >

Monday, August 3, 2009, 11:32 AM

 

JAYA GURU DATTA

 

Good article...

 

a friend of mine is a jain and he is pretty strict with even vegetables.. .

basically he does not eat roots and his point of view is they don't want to kill

the insects when they remove the roots and thus concur with you point - " don't

hurt the meek " ... so are vegetarians who eat roots doing anything wrong... and

also some non veg eating people always counter argue saying veggie eaters are

also killing the plants...

 

your thoughts on these points...

 

SRI GURU DATTA