Friend --

We all pick our path, and we all walk that path.

«I have no judgment on meat eaters... (But) Meat eating is out of balance with the Earth.»

This sounds like a judgment. Does that mean that the Native Americans and Tibetans are and were out of balance with the Earth? And the Maori? And the Inuit? And the Aborigines? Factory farming is atrocious, and there is zero reason to support it. Just like conventional cotton is environmentally devastating, and there is zero reason to support it. I buy organic. I buy animals that are humanely treated and humanely killed. Who do not live in fear, and do not die in fear. Read my book, the appendix on the Jolly Ranchers for specifics. (at www.alQmy.info). I eat them and do not live in fear or anxiety. Far, far from it.

There is truth in your supposition: we do take on the emotion of what we eat. I bought all natural veal liver once and could not swallow it because the karma was bad. It actually burns. This happened to a friend of mine too. I watched him making these horrible faces, trying to eat conventional meat.

What a horrible, horrible dilemma. To have to eat food which sustains us, and frequently, having access only to that which comes to us thru suffering. It's like buying clothes. So many are made of Earth-deadly conventional cotton. And so many are sewn by children and prisoners and others on starvation wages. The very standard of living of the first world is built on the exchange rates determined by the World Bank which devalues the third worlds' goods horrifically. It's mercantilism (colonialism) and feudalism, but with a sterile veneer. How do we factor that into our karmic awareness? Or the fact that our nominal government arms and supports death squad dictators all over the globe -- are we responsible? Who else, in what foreign country?

«I have no judgment on meat eaters.... (But) We will not transcend the realm of suffering as spiritual beings as long as we participate in the murder of other beings.»

This sounds like a judgment, or a fundamentalist religious law. Does this apply to abortion too? What is murder and what is just killing, as when a wolf kills a deer. Is the wolf sinful or karmically constrained? Are we? Every enlightened master of Tibet for the past x-thousand years has eaten meat, though Milarepa did his time on the rice bowl for sure. Are all of these glowing beings... false prophets? Please...

The belief about not taking animal life is a Hindu one. Hindu dietary restrictions vary according to region, local custom, caste, and acceptance of outside practices. There have been great prophets in many religions. The belief that taking no animal food will promote enlightenment is a belief, a choice of perception, that may be productive. It is a belief we can live in personally without holding it as a truth for others -- or imagining it as a universal law. Look around. Read. Find a broader truth before pronouncing absolute law.

I did without meat gladly for ten years as a vegetarian, tho with a slightly different phrasing: «If the suffering of animals is unnecessary for my sustenance, I will avoid that suffering.» I found out that mycells could not live on vegetable food indefinitely, and that seven pounds of grain protein do not equal one pound of beef. Others of us have more physical reserves. I know people who made it twenty years, but eventually the same symptoms showed up. I wrote my book, with an emphasis on food isolating and aboriginal practices, so that those of us who choose to be vegan can get thru the emotional issues of eating and come out the other side with clarity before going back to the animal kingdom.

Eventually, some of us realize that existential abstinence by doing no harm does not give us a positive karmic balance. Doing good, and as little harm as possible, gives us a positive karmic balance. I and my friends realized that we were suffering, and the spiritual utility of that suffering had ended. To alleviate our own suffering and empower ourcells to share with the world was more important than drawing as little juice as possible from the family of life. We discovered that we are all strands in the web of life, part of the cycle of life, and that animals are really happy to give their bodies to us if we will use their gift appropriately. That is not a rational argument or an absolute statement. It is an emotional realization that one can have only if and when one is ready. Just because primitive people all over the world say that animals «give us their bodies happily» does not mean we can hear the truth of it until we are ready. Or that the truth of it is appropriate for all of us at all points in our journey of learning.

I realize the futility of suggesting to a vegan that eating meat is a good idea -- I was a vegan! And that suggestion was pointless! My initial comment to you, not knowing if you were vegan or veggie or what, had to do with candida -- to beat the yeasties give up grain and sweets. I offered a bunch of alternatives not knowing which would appeal to you. There's always sprouted nuts and seeds, greens, non-starchy vegetables and sea vegetables. I did that for about a year. No fruit. No sweeteners. No carrots. How about that for a spiritual practice? Giving up the craving for sweetness, and embodying sweetness?

For an all vegan approach to this I reiterate: Check out «Healing With Whole Foods» by Paul Pitchford, who deals with this right up front. «Dampness» is the Taoist construct.

I've dealt with lots of folks with candida professionally, and I mycells had the symptoms. That's why in my book I say that dairy and fruit and even sweet tubers are way too sweet for candida recovery (and yeast and alcohol certainly). Dealing with that as a spiritual battlefield is the same as any other daily practice -- almost. It seems to hit the root of our nurturance issues, our feeling of being supported by the universe. It seems to hit our pleasure issues right between the thighs -- where do I get my pleasure, if not in my mouth? How about in my heart? It is a sadhana for some of us.

I hear the stories about Swami Vishnu Devananda taking out his disciples for pizza and ice cream and I understand. I understand why he looked terrified and old and sad at the end of his life. Cheap thrills, quick fixes, social approval and sugar induced oblivion have nothing to do with karma yoga and channeling the all encompassing divinity. They seem to have everything to do with numbing ourselves and escaping intensity.

So much spirituality these days seems to be within the container of being sweet, happy, agreeable and non-threatening. Intensity of feeling is an area of learning many of us shun. Eating fruit and sweets and dairy and pleasant spices keeps us safely happy and smiley. Some of us get past this with the help of candida -- and then does a different challenge emerge.

Namaste

Mo

I am outraged by your comment! (I just ate 10 pounds of meat :)

In my experience with raw beef, I do not feel anxious, angry, or frightened. Since incorporating raw animal foods in my diet, my meditation has been as peaceful as ever and I continue to experience positive shifts in awareness. Sometimes I do feel very stimulated though. It's my guess that the natural hormones in my humanely treated, organic cow give me the boost. For example, I've been cramming for finals all week. One night, I studied all night, finally crashing at 3 AM. I woke up 3 hours later to study more. I wasn't feeling up to it, my eyes felt sunken in; then I thought about the raw muscle in my refrigerator. After chewing a couple bite-size cubes, I was beginning to wake up and my eyes felt fuller. I crammed to all the way until 11 AM on a cup's worth of raw muscle. It feels like a miracle to me, considering that I've never experienced anything like it before.

I appreciate this statement: "If my body needs something, I'll give it to her."

But this statement seems very religiously rooted: "We will not transcend the realm of suffering as spiritual beings as long as we participate in the murder of other beings." Who told you this?