Mummy, why are we vegetarian? (3)

 

 

The greatest human goal is not feeling good, but striving to develop the best version of ourselves, realizing one’s potential.

Aristotle

In the previous post https://littlesteps2freedom.wordpress.com/2020/03/08/mummy-why-are-we-vegetarian-2/…..we looked at the history of vegetarianism in India which dates back at least over ten thousand years. Introduction of agriculture by sages like Manu took people from an animal diet to growing food for consumption.

Their aim was to take people towards a higher level of consciousness, through purification of the mind. Among the many other changes in lifestyle, work culture, devotion, one of the most important was FOOD!

According to Vedic scriptures, all of the the material universe including people and food, is shaped by the 3 energies – gunas – namely Rajas, Tamas and Sattva in different degrees.

Consciousness being the same in all beings, the intelligence of individuals differ on account of the proportion of Rajas and Tamas functioning in their personalities.

Adi Shankaracharya – Vivekchudamani

Rajoguna – creates agitations in the mind from which all activities are born. As a result we experience desire, passion, lust, then joy or sorrow. Desire, anger, greed, hypocrisy, arrogance, jealousy, egoism, envy, etc. are all attributes of Rajas. We get caught up in the mad pursuit of objects of pleasure.

Tamoguna– is the power that veils Reality– (the spirit within), affecting our capacity of right judgement. Ignorance, laziness, dullness, excessive sleep, stupidity, etc are the attributes of Tamas.

Sattva-guna – There is no veiling or agitation. The mind becomes steady and the intellect is illuminated by the light of consciousness. Faith, devotion, absence of pride, fearlessness, control of senses, compassion to beings, truth, etc. are the qualities of Sattva.

Food is also shaped by the above three gunas and the quality of food that enters our body affects the mind and intellect. A person’s innate gunas are affected by the gunas of the food he eats.

It is also true that people tend to have preferences for foods that match their dominant guna. For example, Sattvic foods enable us to move closer to Sattva guna and a person with a predominantly Sattvic disposition is naturally attracted to Sattvic foods.

Food also, which is agreeable to different men according to their innate disposition is of three kinds…

The Bhagavadgita – (17.7)

Sattvic foods are pure, full of life force and easily digestible. Fresh fruit, vegetables, herbs, milk, ghee, nuts, mung beans are some examples of Sattvic foods.

Rajasic foods tend to make the mind restless, create desires and drive us towards action. Spicy, salty and sour foods, onion, garlic, chicken, eggs, coffee, chocolate, etc fall into the rajasic category.

Tamasic foods are devoid of any life force. Such foods deplete your vitality, produce harmful toxins and weaken the immune system. Red meat, alcohol, highly processed foods, refined sugars, are all tamasic for the body.

When Sattva guna is dominant, the mind and intellect are steady. To move towards balance, harmony and inner progress it is considered desirable to eat foods that take you closer to Sattva guna.

Thus, vegetarian food was one of the tools that helped people to move from Rajas and Tamas towards Sattva. The concept of a Sattvic diet was introduced through vegetarian food for the development of spiritual awareness.

The human body has reached the highest point of evolution. We have already lost that tail and are unlikely to grow an extra arm. The best we can do is grow a ‘third eye’ – the eye of the intellect which burns all ignorance. A sattvic intellect is capable of connecting to the light of the inner spirit.

A vegetarian diet took people closer to Sattva guna. The ancient sages encouraged people to develop compassion through non killing of animals. Love, trust and peace was built with the establishment of communities. An outlook of appreciation and gratitude was developed with the philosophy of the existence of soul within all living creatures.

That’s the catch! A friend suggested, eating the unfertilised egg shouldn’t be a problem, after all there’s no potential life or soul in it.

The only problem is, science still doesn’t know what came first, the chicken or the egg? What if it was the egg? (which of course, would have been unfertilised, remember there would have been no hen and rooster, yet?) Just in case it was the egg, then there would have been a chick inside! So, why risk it?

Vegetarianism is not such a grey area after all, especially if we try to understand that the motive of the ancient philosophers was the spiritual well being of humanity. The aim of a plant based diet was to make conscious human beings and a safer and happier planet to live on.