Diet for Transcendence: An Interview with Steven J. Rosen
Integral Yoga Magazine: How did you start writing about vegetarianism, what inspired you? Steve Rosen: When I was a teenager, I was looking for dharma, or “essential truth,” which is found at the core of all religious traditions. This led me to perceive certain unifying threads in the world religions, like the soul, or how the inner living being is different from the material body; it’s related idea of...
Meat and the Environment
By Kurma Dasa "Today, millions of people are consuming countless hamburgers, steaks, and roasts, oblivious to the impact their dietary habits are having on the biosphere and the very survivability of life on earth. Every pound of grain-fed flesh is secured at the expense of a burned forest, an eroded rangeland, a barren field, a dried-up river or stream, and the release of millions of tons of carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide,...
The New Carnivores
[Meat eating gets REALLY bad!] At first I thought it was my imagination: Walking New York City streets, I heard more than a few people talking about newfound flesh delicacies, from brains to brisket. “Maybe it’s a coincidence,” I thought. “Perhaps I just happened to hear the ramblings of some highly experimental meat eaters.” Looking in several restaurant windows, spying their fancy menus, I saw other...
Why eat prasadam?
Prasadam The Power of Sacred Food On the spiritual path those that are most inclined to lead a peaceful existence that respects the value of all life often adopts the vegetarian lifestyle. It is in accordance with the yogic principle of ahimsa, which is to observe nonviolence and abstain from injuring any being in any way. However, in the process of bhakti-yoga, devotion goes beyond simple vegetarianism, and food becomes a method of...
Sanctify
On the spiritual path, there are several reasons why a person is recommended to be vegetarian. One primary reason is that we need to see the spiritual nature within all living beings, and that includes the animals and other creatures as well. Universal brotherhood means nonviolence to both humans and animals. It consists of understanding that animals also have souls. They are alive, conscious, and feel pain. And these are the...
Beyond Ethical Vegetarianism
At a recent hearing about gun control legislation in Hartford, Connecticut, Mark Mattioli, whose 6-year-old son James was killed at the Sandy Hook Elementary School, urged lawmakers to address America’s culture of violence. “It’s a simple concept. We need civility across our nation,” he said. “What we’re seeing are symptoms of a bigger problem. This is a symptom. The problem is not gun laws....