Pranams,
I looked throughout this thread (well, I tried to skip the pages of brickbats being tossed back and forth about HOW the discussion was presented rather than the discussion itself, so I may have missed it, sorry if so) for the rationale for vegetarianism which Sri Yukteswar (Sri Yogananda's guru) advanced in his work "The Holy Science." I know there is disagreement between him and well, basically the rest of the scholars, on which
yuga we are currently in, but let's not go there, it's not germane to the discussion.
The fact that it is a waste of the world's resources to produce meat for human consumption is basically irrefutable. I'm quite satisfied with the math and science on it. Posters speak here about luxuries and rights to meat-eating, etc. Yes, if you live in a country where you have that, mazeltov, you have rights and the means to indulge this "luxury." But as an aside, I'd like to point out that the Masters speak of
shreya and
preya (the good and the pleasant) on our journey to enlightenment. One can read between the lines about where I'm headed with this. When Natchiketas approached Yamadharmaraj to get the straight skinny on
atma and
Paramatma, it wasn't granted right away. God of Death demurred and first sought to qualify his disciple.
“Natchiketas, you are so young, you are so beautiful, you have to grow, you have to marry, you should enjoy this life. If you want, millions of celestial nymphs I will make dance and sing for you. If you want to live for millions of years in this body, I will have it be so. You will live as long as you want. You will have every type of bhoga (enjoyment), but please Natchiketas, do not ask me this one question and that is to know the nature of the soul and its goal.”
Natchiketas answers and this is so beautiful, tens of thousands of years before Christ Jesus said, “man cannot live by bread alone, but by the Word of God,” Natchiketas says the utterance, “Material wealth (bread), nothing in this world, can permanently satisfy the human being but the wisdom of the Self. Therefore, all which you promised—celestial ladies dancing, millions of years of life span, wealth, all that which you offered, why don’t you have all those? Because even after thousands or millions of years of enjoying these things, I will still have the fear of death. With fear, how can anyone enjoy? That is why I want the wisdom which makes man fearless. For I know that someday, you will be the ender of everything impermanent. I want that wonderful plenitude where you do not have jurisdiction, where death cannot penetrate, the citadel of immortality. Kindly teach me that wisdom of Atman, knowing which a man while living in this body could remain always peaceful and happy, realizing his immortality. Like a snake sloughing his skin, he will be capable of giving up his ego and remain in the truth of his own Self. Teach me that Atmajnana (wisdom of the Self), Paramatma Sakshatkara, Self-realization.”
Yamadharmaraja blessed Natchiketas and said, “My son, I tested you and you have passed. You only want the truth.” The god of Death continued. “Two are the ways, one is the good, another is the pleasant. In the beginning, everyone claims they prefer the way of goodness. Later, because good need not be pleasant, one undergoes several torments and feels, ‘I am not yet ready.’ He may take to the way of the pleasant. Pleasant need not be always good. Good may not always be pleasant, even though good could be absolute bliss and peace with a lot of agony and crucifixion to the ego and the flesh.
“These two paths are known as shreya (the good) and preya (that which is enjoyable and pleasant). You have taken the way of shreya, the supreme good, the way of Self-realization. As you are deeply interested, I have decided to tell you the nature of the soul and its goal....
To continue, Sri Yukteswar invited seekers to examine the construction of the human body, it's teeth and digestive structures, compare them to the structures of true carnivores and then perhaps they would agree with him that a plant-based diet is the one most suited to the human body. He pointed out that true carnivores have long, sharp incisors for ripping and tearing the muscle fibers to get to the jugular vein or spine and dispatch the prey by exsanguination or snapping the spinal cord. The true carnivore salivates, gets excited and ENJOYS the sight of all the blood and carnage before eating. Ask yourself, as a human, how many times you've hopped on your bike to go get a front row seat for the purpose of enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of a slaughterhouse? Hmmmm? Another poster pointed out the same thing. Human beings hide from the hunt (killing) today. There's a complete disconnect of conscience and understanding about exactly how that "food" is acquired.
Sri Yukteswar also pointed out that carnivores have short colons. Meat goes in, blood gets licked off the jaws and paws, the digestible parts get digested and the waste is out in pretty short order. Human beings have, by comparison, quite long colons. The meat goes in, the parts that can get digested do and the waste then spends an inordinate of amount of time putrefying in the intestines before exiting. That's a health issue; that's a buildup of toxins in the body temple.
Lastly, Sri Yukteswar points out that the quality of Nature in meat is predominantly
rajo guna. In an email to a newly vegetarian devotee who inquired about feeling cold and not wanting to lose iron, I opined:
Sw. V. responds,
Greetings, F. Your body is probably experiencing a transition phase as you alter your eating habits. Fish is the least of the “meats” which interfere with the purification process. In ascending order of “not to eat,” it is fish, poultry, lamb, beef, pork.
Part of the issue involves the level of consciousness in the animal. Higher up the ladder, the animal knows when the butcher approaches that death is at hand. It may have heard its slaughterhouse mates cry out. What happens at that moment is the animal, in its fear, squirts a shot of adrenaline into its bloodstream—the fight or flight hormone which mammals were given for their protection. It is pure rajo guna [a quality of Nature—energetic activity].
Unfortunately, the animal being slaughtered can neither fight nor flee, thus that hormone stays in the blood and tissues which is then consumed by the human. If you’ll note the ascending order list above, generally the “redder” the meat (bloodier), the more the yogis have said to avoid it. In the case of pigs, they are the more intelligent of the lot and it is considered that their terror is more.
That hormone, adrenaline, running in the human’s system, is not peaceful. If you also study the cultures of the world, the more warring (or energetic) nations are also the bigger meat eaters. It is difficult enough to maintain equanimity on the path in the world. We add or avoid additional anxiety by the foods that we choose to consume.
To eat or not to eat meat is a personal choice, of course. But remembering that aligning our thoughts, words and deeds with our ultimate goal--Self-realization--includes a purification process that can be circumvented only at the devotee's peril. Be smart about this. At least, hold your own ego's predilections accountable for any delays and/or upset you might be experiencing on your chosen path. Ask yourself, does or could this wisdom apply to me? Then act accordingly.
