Article-The Spirituality of Veganism.
Kristhin
Posts: 442 Member
I love hearing people’s success stories about switching to a vegan diet … how they lost the weight that had chained them down for years, or overcame their battle with diabetes or cancer by turning to a whole-foods, plant-based diet.
But more than those stories, I love to hear how people feel – perhaps for the first time in their lives – like they have found spirituality through their diet. I am one of those people.
While it may sound far-fetched that spirituality can come from your diet, it actually makes perfect sense. When you start learning about the vegan diet, you’ll eventually learn about how the animals we call “food” essentially live their lives in concentration camps called “factory farms.” The cruel and inhumane conditions that only end for these animals upon their slaughter touch in many of us a deep-rooted sense of humanity that we may not have known existed. A sense of what’s right and what’s wrong springs forward, and we know beyond a shadow of doubt that we will never again contribute to the senseless cruelty and death that befalls millions of animals every year.
And as we go forward into this new vegan life, many of us realize over time what has really happened … we have come to recognize the preciousness of life – all life in its many forms – and we become a steward of life. We realize that some greatness, call it God or whatever you want, runs through all life equally, and a human is not “better than” or “worthier than” or “more important than” a dog, a cow or a chicken. We may have more cognitive abilities, but it doesn’t make us any more worthy of life.
Interestingly, reverence for life is at the heart of Buddhism, which tells us that no sentient being should have to suffer, and that our mission on earth is to reduce the suffering of others. Christianity, Judaism and Islam have love and peace at the heart of their doctrines – how better can one show love and peace to another creature than to choose not to let it live an entire life of hell, just for your lunchtime pleasure?
So, whether we go vegan for health reasons, animal cruelty reasons or environmental reasons, many of us discover perhaps the best benefit of all – one that we never expected in a million years – that we have found God through our choice of diet. We see it in the eyes of a cow, feel it when we pet a sheep, hear it in the peep of a baby chick. And we know we have come home, to a place where love is at our core.
“Wings cannot carry you to God.
Only love can carry you there.”
~ Rumi
http://www.vegsource.com/sarah-taylor/the-spirituality-of-veganism-1.html
But more than those stories, I love to hear how people feel – perhaps for the first time in their lives – like they have found spirituality through their diet. I am one of those people.
While it may sound far-fetched that spirituality can come from your diet, it actually makes perfect sense. When you start learning about the vegan diet, you’ll eventually learn about how the animals we call “food” essentially live their lives in concentration camps called “factory farms.” The cruel and inhumane conditions that only end for these animals upon their slaughter touch in many of us a deep-rooted sense of humanity that we may not have known existed. A sense of what’s right and what’s wrong springs forward, and we know beyond a shadow of doubt that we will never again contribute to the senseless cruelty and death that befalls millions of animals every year.
And as we go forward into this new vegan life, many of us realize over time what has really happened … we have come to recognize the preciousness of life – all life in its many forms – and we become a steward of life. We realize that some greatness, call it God or whatever you want, runs through all life equally, and a human is not “better than” or “worthier than” or “more important than” a dog, a cow or a chicken. We may have more cognitive abilities, but it doesn’t make us any more worthy of life.
Interestingly, reverence for life is at the heart of Buddhism, which tells us that no sentient being should have to suffer, and that our mission on earth is to reduce the suffering of others. Christianity, Judaism and Islam have love and peace at the heart of their doctrines – how better can one show love and peace to another creature than to choose not to let it live an entire life of hell, just for your lunchtime pleasure?
So, whether we go vegan for health reasons, animal cruelty reasons or environmental reasons, many of us discover perhaps the best benefit of all – one that we never expected in a million years – that we have found God through our choice of diet. We see it in the eyes of a cow, feel it when we pet a sheep, hear it in the peep of a baby chick. And we know we have come home, to a place where love is at our core.
“Wings cannot carry you to God.
Only love can carry you there.”
~ Rumi
http://www.vegsource.com/sarah-taylor/the-spirituality-of-veganism-1.html
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Replies
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This article rings very true to me! Before going vegan, I considered myself to be agnostic/borderline atheist.
My diet has actually helped me to realize that I am neither of those things, but am actually Pagan at heart. It took me forever to realize that I do have some religious beliefs, and going vegan did help me to get in better touch with those beliefs.
Thanks for posting this!0 -
beautiful!0
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I have been a vegetarian for seven years - gave up meat the same time I gave up cigarettes! I wouldn't say it was exactly a 'spiritual' experience but I do believe there is a relationship between what you eat and the bodies energies i.e. a healthy diet encourages balance in the bodies energy.
Not only does vegetarianism represent a more sustainable lifestyle - you are also opting out of the system of regarding the creatures of our wonderful world as being something you can simply exploit. If you want to change the way you interact with the world and bring yourself into greater harmony with the planet then, cutting out the meat is a great first step. I am not (yet) a vegan however.
Following my conversion to vegetarianism my blood cholesterol dropped, and I felt more healthy. Also I began to exercise again and feel like taking exercise - of course cutting out the cigarettes obviously contributed to this too - but the diet definitely helped me.
Thanks for the posting. PS my spirituality has also developed post becoming a vegetarian0 -
Awesome article. For me, what I eat is very political and spiritual. I think that's often part of the divide between omnivores and even veg/vegans who eat the diet for their health but not for reasons bigger than themselves. What we eat is very political, IMHO, and pretty much tells me not only what you think of yourself, but also how you relate to the rest of the world.
My diet comes from a path of non-violence and the teachings of the Buddha. And I live a vegan LIFE, not just eat a vegan diet. So don't give me any crap about it or I'll kick your @$$! :flowerforyou:
(But seriously, I love the article! Thanks OP!)0 -
Love this.
I couldn't imagine not being vegetarian. I really want to be vegan someday soon....maybe I will make that one of my MFP goals.0 -
Any ritual that sets you apart from society and places you within a "special" community will do this. Dietary restrictions are particularly useful this way. That's why Jews are Kosher, Muslims Halal, Buddhists often vegetarian, etc. . Veganism is a type of religious experience. So is prayer. So are Mormon potlucks with all their Jello and no freakin' coffee. Not to mention flagellants, for a non-food example.0
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Any ritual that sets you apart from society and places you within a "special" community will do this. Dietary restrictions are particularly useful this way. That's why Jews are Kosher, Muslims Halal, Buddhists often vegetarian, etc. . Veganism is a type of religious experience. So is prayer. So are Mormon potlucks with all their Jello and no freakin' coffee. Not to mention flagellants, for a non-food example.
PLEASE mention the flagellants - it gets me so hot!! :devil:0 -
Very well written article! I had top copy it and send it to some of my friends. I think your words ring true, especially for those that go through a process to get to a vegan life. For me, it has made me feel more connected to to Earth, and it has given me a deep respect for what nature offers us. I find that the further I go, the more I find my old views on food, and life, so strange, and that the choices I make now make so much more sense. There is definitely a clarity. Modern culture has us so out of tune with our natural instincts, and I think that as we adopt a vegan diet and start listening to what our body tells us and becoming in line with our instincts, we can see how far out of tune we really were. And as we nurture our natural instincts about food, we start to notice other things too, like how we're connected to the things around us, and how we all fit together in this grand system of life.0
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thank you for sharing0
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