Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*
Namaste,
I think I brought this up as a subject some years ago and the conclusion many members came to was much the same as it is now. And that is that while adhering to a vegetarian diet is the best way to follow the basic tenet of Sanatana Dharma which is ahimsa and showing compassion for sentient beings, this does not mean that plants are to be considered a lesser life-form or soul-less beings. If anything, they can be considered the highest contributor to life because it is from them that we receive our energy from life-giving Surya. And as Devotee says you need energy to survive. No physical body on this planet can live for very long with sustenance from another lifeform. This is why the Vedas claim "jiva jivasya jivanam" - life depends on and exists on life (via nourishment). Before the Buddha attained enlightenment he had taken ahimsa far too literally and nearly died from starvation and malnourishment, before he seen for himself how pointless this was. As with all things virtuous and harmonious, there is a middle path to tread here. Plants feed all other creatures on earth. Even carnivores indirectly (and directly when they need help with digestion) eat from plants to survive. The fate of every creature on earth depends on plants, flowers, trees. I think it's a good topic to consider it while becoming used to a vegetarian lifestyle. IMO, it shows thought, compassion and sensitivity that is starting to extend itself beyond humans and animals. The key really is in the attitude. A respect for what we eat, even if it is plants.
Not to turn this subject off its track, but another point I'd like to discuss. I'll be the first to say that I'm no expert when it comes to the scriptures, but I believe firmly that all beings have a soul, and that all beings make up the pieces that form Universal Consciousness, i.e. Brahman, regardless of whether or not they have sentience in the meaning that they possess active thought. Even a rock contains consciousness. How else does it interact with gravity and adhere to the law of physics? With this in mind, how can one claim so boldly that plants do not have souls? It's most strange when you consider that most of us believe that there is nothing the Self does not pervade!
Last edited by Eastern Mind; 04 May 2012 at 02:44 PM.
"Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny."
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye namah
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु ।
Lokaah SamastaaH Sukhino Bhavantu
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