Any query...(Food and eating habits)
santosh mahapatra
santosh_mahapatra at YAHOO.COM
Sun May 19 07:13:10 CDT 2002
Dear All,
I am not a qualified person to opine on the subject of
role of food and eating habits in spiritual practice.
However, I feel appropriate to mention the following
about the importance of food and eating habits in
Sadhana. Sri Aurobindo (Or Vivekananda, I don't
remember exactly who) has commented on it drawing the
example of a cow.
According to him a cow does not and can not eat meat
or such food because its body rejects them. So the
message is if holy thougts and (mental)practice become
one's nature then tamasic food will be automatically
rejected by the person's phsiological system. So one
must first emphasize on such thoughts and practices.
Infact, Shri Aurobindo, one of the seers of recent
past had commented about his exprience of Sadhana by
saying that he observed a definite natural
tendency/urge to abstain from tamasic food as he
progressed spiritually (in yogic practice) although he
himself never made a precondition of not eating
fish/meat in the initial days of Sadhana.
Hopefully, these observations of some of the
accomplished seers would be of some use to the list
members.
Regards,
Santosh
--- Swarna Venkateswara Swamy
<truthseeker123x at YAHOO.COM> wrote:
> I too have been reading with interest and a little
> agony at the several mails flying about what we
> should
> eat. And I am happy that Sri Ravishankar Venkatraman
> has come up with more or less what I wanted to say.
> I
> too am being guided by Sri Datta, Sri Sai and Sri
> Sankara and other Saints.
>
> It all comes to this. Listen to your inner voice
> about
> desires. Eat for protecting the body, not to satisfy
> the mind. And eat such foods which help you go
> forward
> in your spiritual journey. Sri Sai could eat onion
> and
> garlic, without it effecting him. But to a Sadhaka
> in
> Yoga, a beginner probably, He advised indirectly not
> to eat onion, since it is known to stimulate the
> sexual desire in addition to upsetting the digestive
> system.
>
> If we really accept that the same Brahman pervades
> all, animate and inanimate, the eater and the eaten
> are One. This concept is echoed in Sri Vishnu
> Sahasra
> Nama and other scriptures too. But when we feel
> separate, i.e are limited by our egoes, we should
> minimise Himsa in eating, since we cannot totally
> avoid. And certainly take the food as Prasad of God,
> given to us for our survival, and not enjoyment.
>
> Swamy SV
>
>
> --- Ravishankar Venkatraman <sunlike at HOTMAIL.COM>
> wrote:
>
> <HR>
> <html><div style='background-color:'><DIV>
> <P>A great deal of why we should be vegetarian has
> been discussed here. Based on my readings I want to
> add something more to this - but will not reply to
> any
> messages (as is requested by ADMIN to stop this
> topic).</P>
> <P>Scriptural injunctions are different for differnt
> classes of people based on karma. Kshtriyas are
> allowed to eat meat, and it is not considered to be
> sinful. Doing the duty of a Kshtriya (being strong
> and
> protecting people) is more important than it
> is
> to be a vegetarian. At the same time, they are also
> asked to abstain from meat eating during certain
> times
> of the year, like pitru paksham, amavasya and
> Navaratri days etc., Interestingly, similar things
> are
> followed by other religions also. Devout
> Christians (in America today) give up eating meat
> during lent (40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday until
> Easter as a season of fasting and penitence).
> This means that indulgance in food is not accepted
> while we try to evolve spirirtually.</P>
> <P>If we read Sri Sai Satcharitra, it is said that
> Sri
> Shirdi Baba ate meat on occasions. The same book
> mentions that he used to beg for food, leave it open
> for animals and birds to eat first, and then eat. He
> did not have any desire for tasty food. Shirdi Baba
> was a fully realized soul, and for Him it did
> not
> matter what He ate. The same Shirdi Baba did not
> allow
> some of his followers to eat meat. It does matter
> for
> people like us what we eat. Shirdi Baba further
> asked
> people to recite Sri Guru Charitra (life history of
> 2
> incarnations of Sri Dattatreya in this Kali yuga) in
> seven days. </P>
> <P>I have been reciting Sri Guru Charitra for
> several
> times, and you will find there what dharmas one
> should
> follow. It is really a great work dedicated to Sri
> Narasimha Saraswati (3rd incarnation of Sri
> Dattatreya). It contains everything what we need to
> know (Dharma Sastras, Bhakti Yoga and Gnana
> Yoga). You will find the same dharma
> detailed by
> Sri Vaidyanatha Dixitar in this book.</P>
> <P>I have been able to appreciate Sanatana Dharma
> more
> after I read the book. I have not really followed
> most
> of the things written there, but still Lord Datta
> has
> been very kind to me in several ways.</P>
> <P>This forum discusses basically about Sri
> Sankaracharya and his philosophy. Lord Datta, in his
> third incarnation as Narasimha Saraswati took
> sannyasa
> ashama, and preached Advaita philosophy. </P>
> <P>I feel that the purpose of our lives is
> to find the divinity in us. Eventually we would
> find that divinity to be the same as Brahman. We
> should avoid anything (words, deeds, food, emotions
> and anything else) that would be antagonistic to
> this
> pursuit. So, think for yourselves what would lead
> you
> to this goal, and orient your life activities
> towards
> that. It is more important that we do not lose track
> of the goal than getting involved in secondary
> things.</P>
> <P>My 2c worth.</P>
> <P>Ravi</P>
> <P><BR> </P></DIV>
> <DIV></DIV>
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>
> =====
> in search of truth and with prayers to Govinda to
> help reach that goal in this life itself, and with
> best wishes to you that your goals may be reached,
>
> yours sincerely,
>
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