DISQUS

Robyn · 1 year ago

Try spinning it this way: The very fact that you had the sincere inclination to become a vegetarian (whether for philosophical or moral reasons, or just because the idea of eating meat suddenly struck you as disgusting) is a good sign in itself, regardless of whether or not you are willing/able to keep up strict vegetarianism forever after. And the fact that you're now experiencing some kind of grief/confusion at having to go back to limited meat consumption is also a good sign, spiritually speaking. One's very awareness of a weakness or difficulty indicates that one is, well, AWARE. In any case, you'll probably never look at meat eating the same way again. And remember, the Buddha ate meat.

Wm. Bainbridge · 1 year ago

Hey Al,

Barb and I went veggie after hosting a Khenpo and his vegan translator a couple months ago, but I included a reservation about restaurants. Well, you know how I am about restaurants. So far, that's made it a painless transition with no health issues. I look for something tasty and vegetarian on the menu first, but we don't go out to eat salads all the time. Not ethically perfect, but better than we were.

nathan · 1 year ago

I was vegetarian for two years.. I don't ID as a "Buddhist" but my Theraveda practice informs much of what i do, at least as much as the time I spent reading the Frankfurt School or trying to figure out some of the problems of modern life. I also have spent a lot of time reading about nutrition and exercise, as well as toying with those things.

I think vegetarian diets work because most people don't regulate their diet at all. The moment they start to control what they eat and pay attention to it, their health improves. Likewise in the States, going vegetarian means cutting out pepperoni hot pockets and most fast food and garbage like that. Any system is better than no system.

That said, I feel much healthier now that I eat meat again. I'm not cold all the time and I have significantly more energy. The best I've ever felt was eating paleo-style, i.e., unprocessed meat, vegetables, nuts, berries, but no grains, beans or starchy plants. That can be difficult to manage, and, likewise, I can't justify eating 2 lbs of beef a day. It'd be different if I could buy a quarter-cow carved by a butcher and put it ina deep freeze, or knew someone who hunted, because then I know i'm only responsible for one dead animal, not the twenty-five that went into a hot dog. Right now almost all the meat i do buy is locally farmed.

It is a very difficult balance, because I have to respect my own omnivore nature and treat that with compassion, but that means harming something else.

Al Billings · 1 year ago

I hear what you're saying. I have already cut out as much processed food as possible because of general health and diet. That was part of the vegetarianism and I'm keeping it. I can't eat as much meat as you mention if only because there is a family history of heart disease on my dad's side and eating a lot of red meat is ill-advised for me. I figure some chicken and fish is a good compromise. I'm eating a lot of greens and grains and I've found that I generally feel better about my food than I used to because of it. My wife and I are starting to appreciate the whole "slow foods" movement a bit and knowing exactly what we're eating (which means it comes in identifiable pieces, probably cut up from its component plants ourselves).