Have you turned to vegetarianism lately? If yes, please share your thoughts.

[Govind Joshi]

I was a regular meat eater till about 5 years ago. But the thought of trying to be spiritual and eating meat did not somehow appear alright. Then I came across the views where vegetarianism was considered a prerequisite to seeking. And this view made me think about stop eating meat. It took a while, but I am happy to say that today I consider myself to be a pure vegetarian.

There was a time when my wife used to say, "When there is no egg for breakfast, your face drops". Today I have a life style totally egg and meat free.
I feel great, spiritually. Having benefited health wise from all the adverse effects of a meat eating diet has been a bonus.

I now feel I am not responsible for the meaningless killing of any of His creatures.
Taking it to the next level, I have decided to stop using leather products. I would be implementing this in my lifestyle gradually.
Thanks.

[Abominable Snowman]

When I first came to the dharma 10 years ago, I also became vegetarian but at the time it was more on ethical grounds than spiritual grounds since then it's because of both. I also believe that I don't think people fully grasp the full weight of killing and eating something until they have to resort to cannibalism until then most people don't really get it. That's another sentient being just like you or I, it's crazy when you really think about it. What's even more crazy is hunting.

[Govind Joshi]

Yeah Snowman, you are right. My question is if you are eating meat, why cannibalism is so bad while killing other animals for the pleasure of your senses is alright.
Just a supplement, a friend of my wife who has been a vegetarian throughout says, whenever there is conversation about meat, that she doesn't want to have a cemetery inside her.
Thanks.

[prithvi]

me veggie from age 5 lol ..... az everyone in my home stop eating at the time, so ..and really after seeing brutual killing of animals no one will want again to be non-veg...:o

[sunyata07]

Namaste Govind Joshi,

Those are some noble sentiments. I think the decision to become vegetarian proper is best experienced through this idea of awakening to the reality of life as One creature, and not wanting to contribute to any of its suffering in any way. And yes, hunting is just insane altogether. I understand its purpose in tribal countries where people are literally surviving off a harsh land, but hunting for sport is abominable (haha, not you Snowman!). It is even worse than eating meat, in my opinion.

We still have fox-hunting in my country, not just the animal-friendly kind where there is running around on horseback for a few hours in the country for some fresh air and exercise. Some places still practice this barbaric sport with real hounds and a fox chased for miles without rest until weak from exhaustion he tries standing his ground, only to be torn to shreds by dogs who don't know better themselves. These kind of practices, where animals are killed for no reason other than for the entertainment and pleasure of a few "cultured" individuals, sickens me most.

I almost envy some of you, like Prithvi, for having everyone in the family be vegetarian. It would really encourage you onto veganism, and a heightened awareness of ahimsa against all living creatures, and not just animals slaughtered for their meat. My mother will still try and persuade me to eat a bit of meat sometimes and I'm proud to say she hasn't succeeded yet.

[Govind Joshi]

@Prithvi

so ..and really after seeing brutual killing of animals no one will want again to be non-veg...:o
Yeah !! you are right Prithvi. I guess you had your good karmas in place that you started in this path early. Mine were not so good. Any way I too have joined your league now. And it's really lovely.

@Sunyata07

It would really encourage you onto veganism, and a heightened awareness of ahimsa against all living creatures, and not just animals slaughtered for their meat. My mother will still try and persuade me to eat a bit of meat sometimes and I'm proud to say she hasn't succeeded yet.
I couldn’t agree with you more Sunyata07. In my endeavor to stop all kind of violence against all creatures, I have stopped swatting flies and mosquitoes, and stopped killing roaches. I have found my own ways to avoid them and handle them without having to kill them.
I am happy for you that you have refrained from the slavery to the sense of taste.
Thanks

[Einherjar]

As a result of my being re-introduced to Hinduism through a Comparative Religions class I'm taking, I've decided I'm at a point in my life where I should start being more serious about my spirituality.

I first began by doing more serious meditation, and then I spent a day fasting and meditating multiple times throughout the day. I spent a lot of time thinking about becoming vegetarian. Now up until this point in my life I had been an avid carnivore and was known to make statements along the lines of "I could never be a vegetarian, animal carcass is delicious!" Haha.

But the more I thought about it the more I tried to look at it from the perspective of a knowledge of the true unitive state of the universe. All people and all animals are parts of creation blessed with life and should be respected. If the ultimate reality is we all came from the same primordial form then eating another creature is somewhat alike taking a big bite out of one of your fingers. It's just unnecessary (unless you're starving to death).

And now as I'm reading up more on the topic I'm learning the true health benefits of having a diet void of meat. I've been at it a week and I can actually alread feel my insides functioning better. Lol.

[Eastern Mind]

I've been at it a week and I can actually alread feel my insides functioning better. Lol.

Your whole post sounded like what I would have said ... 37 years ago, but the last part was the final good straw for me. Best wishes, welcome to the veggies.

Aum Namasivaya

[Einherjar]

Haha. Well, thank you for the welcome. It's actually nowhere near as hard as I thought it would be.

As a 23 year old college student I'm getting a lot of **** from my friends for it, but none of them have tried to tell me not to do it or get me to eat meat. Yet. So far so good :D

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam: Yes its very easy. With friends I used to just kid them back sarcastically with something like "you flesh-eating carnivores! No wonder you show such beast-like tendencies." But the ones that you do encounter that get serious actually aren't too bright or well read. They say silly things like "the body needs meat' or 'you'll die without it' or Where do you get your protein?' just exposing their own ignorance on the topic. lol

Aum Namasivaya

[Govind Joshi]

And now as I'm reading up more on the topic I'm learning the true health benefits of having a diet void of meat. I've been at it a week and I can actually alread feel my insides functioning better. Lol.

How are you doing with it and how do you feel now Einherjar. Please do update us if you have some time on you.

Thanks
Govind

[Ashoka]

I became vegetarian about two months ago, shortly before beginning serious study of Sanatana Dharma. I did it for ethical reasons, though I am pleased to find that Hinduism encourages vegetarianism as part of Ahimsa.
I am still eating eggs, but hope to phase them out in a while, eventually going completely vegan.

[Arjuni]

I started vegetarian nine years ago and was vegan for two of those...but a little while back, I needed to lose weight for a play. I'm not overweight, but had to look fae and delicate for this particular role. I was also burnt-out on being different, tired of people teasing me and bemoaning that we couldn't share the same dishes, sick of feeling separate from my husband, family, and friends; I grew up non-veg and still missed a lot of foods, too. So I flip-flopped: from complete veg to a low-carb Atkins sort of mess, from eating no animal foods to consuming almost nothing but.

Yes, I trimmed down for the play, enjoyed foods that tasted good, but felt like hell, lovely on the outside but empty and callous on the inside. It was only a few months, yet spiritually I felt like a pile of ashes. My new diet didn't noticeably improve my relationships with anyone, either, after the initial novelty of, "Here, try this!" wore off.

I'm back in the fold again and so much happier for it. I can eat without feeling guilty! I do have problems with shakiness and low energy if I don't watch my food very carefully, but I'm so elated to be making the choice again that it doesn't matter.

There was a line in an episode of The Simpsons that I laughed so hard upon hearing, because it felt so true: "I give up! The whole world wants me to eat meat!!" I think that's the hardest part of being veg - not the constant cooking, the restaurant visits, or the grocery shopping, but the social and cultural aspects of meal-sharing and what your rejection of certain foods implies to other people...And I'll stop here because I'm starting to ramble aimlessly at this point!

[ScottMalaysia]

Some Hindus eat eggs, especially in things like cakes and biscuits. I don't eat fried or boiled eggs, but that's because I don't like the taste. I eat eggs in other things, though. It is much easier to be vegetarian if you eat eggs.

Regarding milk though, according to Ayurveda milk is considered essential for the human body and therefore you should not become vegan. The local ISKCON devotees are vegan because they object to the cruelty in the dairy industry. However, we should still drink milk and at the same time educate people about cow protection. The slaughter of dairy cows is disgusting and completely unnecessary. If these cows have served you for years by providing milk, they deserve a retirement life in a nice pasture once they are too old to make milk. This is what is done for racehorses - Western culture has some taboo against horse meat.

[Eastern Mind]

This is what is done for racehorses - Western culture has some taboo against horse meat.

Vannakkam Scott: Sorry but I think the truth is somewhere else. Perhaps somewhere in between this http://www.hsus.org/horses_equines/issues/get_the_facts_on_horse_slaughter.html and what you said.

Aum Namasivaya