Notebooks of Paul Brunton > Category 5: The Body > Chapter 3: Diet

Diet
1
If he an shed the !u!!y "rappings of a#uired notions$ o!plaent bigotries$ and
superstitious usto!s$ and look at the proble! "ith fresh eyes$ he is !ore likely to
sueed in his #uest of truth% If he an re&e'a!ine the "hole !eaning of it as though it
"ere a ne"ly diso(ered proble!$ he is !ore likely to !o(e to"ards its orret
solution% If he "ill refuse to be inti!idated by dietary preedent$ and begin to rethink
the "hole !atter of eating)s "hy and "herefore$ he "ill reah astonishing results% *or
!uh nonsense about diet has o!e do"n to us by ignorant tradition and unthinking
inheritane%
+
,s one dra"s loser to the soul of things$ he o!es !ore into har!ony "ith Nature%
,nd if he is true to his instint$ he "ill eat his food !ore and !ore as Nature herself
produes it%
3
Inferior and e(en har!ful foods ha(e been eaten for so long that !ost people ha(e
beo!e addited to the! and$ through habitual use$ o!e to like the!% It is true that
se(eral of these foods ha(e been part of a i(ili-ed diet for generations$ but the duration
of an error does not !ake it less an error$ and does not .ustify its ontinuane% It is a fat
"orth speulating upon that !any groups of early Christians "ere both !ystial and
(egetarian% /ad they not been ousted by the 0!peror Constantine&&"hose i!perialisti
politial purpose they did not ser(e&&fro! the offiial Christianity "hih he 1and not
2esus3 established$ "e !ight today ha(e seen half the Christian "orld holding a faith in
!ystial beliefs and eating fleshless foods% The *rane of 4ouis 5II sa" so!e re!nants
of those early sets$ suh as the ,lbigenses$ 6ontanists$ and Ca!isards&&and no less
than one&third of the total population of the ountry&&li(ing as (egetarians% 4uigi
Cornaro li(ed to a hundred in Italy on a stritly li!ited daily #uantity of food% Dr% 2osiah
7ldfield "as nearing his hundred "hen I last (isited 0ngland and attributed the fat to
a(oiding eating too !uh$ "hih he ter!ed 8the great e(il%8 /e is also an enthusiasti
ad(oate of (egetarianis!%
9
:e are so !uh the (iti!s of usto! and usage$ of habit and on(ention$ that e(en
"here "e at one perei(e this "eakness in other persons$ "e fail entirely to perei(e it
in oursel(es% 0!erson$ the !an "ho "rote the finest essay on the (irtue of
nononfor!ity$ "ho prolai!ed$ 8thus ossifiation is the fall of !an$8 "ho bea!e the
outstanding ,!erian prophet of no(el (ie"s in religion$ "as o!pletely onfor!ist
and habitarian at ho!e$ "as still the follo"er of old (ie"s in diet% :hene(er he
enountered dieteti refor! (isibly in pratie before his eyes$ he al!ost lost his
serenity in the (ehe!ene of the sorn "hih it pro(oked in hi!% /is "as still the
o!part!entally di(ided !ind; he sought truth in the study roo! but not in the dining
roo!< /e ad!ired refor! in one field but despised it in another%
5
The greatest of all diet refor!s is the hange fro! !eat&eating to a !eatless diet% This is
also the first step on the spiritual path$ the first gesture that rightness$ .ustie$
o!passion$ purity are being set up as neessary to hu!an and hu!ane li(ing$ in
ontrast to ani!al li(ing%
=
If there is any single ause for "hih I "ould go up and do"n the land on a t"entieth&
entury rusade$ it is that of the !eatless diet% It !ay be a forlorn rusade$ but all the
sa!e$ it "ould be a heart&"ar!ing one%
>
:e hear often of those "ho li(e to a ripe old age in health and in strength$ but "ho eat
"hate(er they fany and drink "hat they like; they sin against the la"s of health and
li(e "ithout any health regi!es or disiplinary ontrols% This is used as an argu!ent
against the latter% But it is a poor argu!ent% *or anyone "ho follo"s their e'a!ple takes
risks and runs ha-ards "ith his health$ sine theirs is a "ay based on !ere hane and
o!plete unertainty% They "ere luky enough to be blessed by nature "ith bodies
strong enough to resist the ill&treat!ent thus reei(ed or fa(oured by destiny "ith
reuperati(e po"er to "ard off its bad effet% If anyone ould ollet the statistis$ they
"ould un#uestionably sho" that for eah person "ho esaped infir!ities and li(ed long
in this "ay$ a hundred failed to do so%
?
, !eatless diet has pratial ad(antages to offer nearly e(eryone% But to idealists "ho
are onerned "ith higher purposes it has e(en !ore to offer% 7n the !oral issue alone
it tends to lessen allousness to the sufferings of others$ !en or ani!als$ and to inrease
"hat @h"eit-er alled 8re(erene for life%8
A
, !eatless diet is ad(isable for aspirants$ "here iru!stanes per!it$ as the brain fed
on it is less resistant to !editation%
1B
The delusion that flesh food is essential to !aintain strength dies hard% I do not kno" a
stronger ani!al than an elephant% I ha(e seen it in the 0ast doing all the "ork that a
po"erful stea!&rane "ill do in the :est% Cet the elephant is a (egetarian% 6oreo(er it
outli(es !ost other ani!als%
11
:hy should "e abstain fro! !eat&eatingD 1a3 Culti(ated land if planted "ith
(egetables$ fruits$ and nuts "ill yield !uh !ore food for an o(erpopulated "orld than
it ould yield if left under pasture for attle and sheep% 1b3 The ghastly "ork of
slaughtering these har!less innoent reatures an be done only by hardened !en$
"hose #ualities of o!passion and sy!pathy !ust ine(itably get feebler and and
feebler% /o" !any house"i(es ould do their o"n butheringD 13 In ter!s of e#ual
food (alue$ the !eatless diet osts less% 1d3 ,ni!als "hih suffer fro! ontagious
diseases pass on the ger!s of these diseases to those "ho eat their flesh or parasites% 1e3
6eat ontains e'retory substanes$ purins$ "hih !ay ause other$ non&o!!uniable
diseases%
1+
Those "ho "ould like to be (egetarians for o!passionate reasons but feel the need of
!eat for !aintaining strength an find proper substitutes in !ilk and heese% These
dairy produts ontain the sa!e ani!al proteins as !eat$ and "ill ser(e as "ell to
sustain (itality$ "hile being free fro! the stain of slaughter%
13
,nother point for (egetarians is that ruel$ "ild beasts suh as tigers and treaherous$
angry reptiles suh as snakes li(e "holly on ani!al produts% The onnetion bet"een
their nature and their food is not entirely oinidental%
19
Nature 1Eod3 has gi(en us the grains and seeds$ the fruits and plants to sustain our
bodies; "hat "e ha(e used beyond this "as got by theft% :e robbed al(es of their !ilk
and bees of their o"n stored food%
15
:hate(er !an har!s or hurts$ he "ill ha(e to li(e "ith for a ti!e until he learns to
refrain$ until his re(erene for life is as ati(e here as any"here else% This is "hy the
horrors of (i(isetion "ill ha(e to be e'piated by the !an "ho aused the!%
1=
7nly a heroi and deter!ined fe" an suddenly re(erse the habits of a lifeti!e and
adopt ne" ones "ith full benefit% *or !ost people it is !ore prudent and benefiial to
!ake the hange by degrees% Thus$ if on(ined of the !erits of a per!anent !eatless
diet$ they an ut do"n periodially the !eats onsu!ed$ taking are to replae the! by
suitable substitutes% If on(ined of the urati(e (irtue of a te!porary unfired diet$ they
an eat less ooked and add !ore (ital foods to their !eals%
1>
Confronted by a totally ne" set of onepts of li(ing$ they irritably shake their heads at
its supposed faddis! or austially .eer at its supposed #uakery or derisi(ely taunt its
ad(oates "ith their supposed rankiness%
1?
:e are alled to gi(e others&&ani!als as "ell as hu!ans&&the sa!e treat!ent that "e
all on Eod to gi(e us%
1A
:hen the body has beo!e austo!ed through long years of dietary habit to a
(egetarian !enu$ the sudden introdution of flesh foods !ay lead to nitrogenous
poisoning% This is beause the body an no longer tolerate a foreign protein% ,nd fro!
this "e an understand "hy lifeti!e (egetarians$ and espeially lifelong ones like
Indian Brah!ins$ beo!e sik or suffer fro! nausea "hen aidentally or
unonsiously$ they let a piee of !eat slip into their food%
+B
The foods that suit hi! best$ he alone an find out% But he should selet the! fro! the
restrited list "ith "hih philosophy "ill gladly pro(ide hi!%
+1
It is not only that "e ought to a(oid the dead ani!als for our food$ but also "e ought to
a(oid the produts of li(e ani!als for this purpose$ too% By aepting the! for bodily
nourish!ent "e aept the influene they ontribute to the for!ing of our nature% Body
and !ind are intert"ined% :e an "ell sustain our li(es "ithout !ilk and its deri(ati(es$
.ust as "e an "ithout red flesh$ "hite flesh$ fish$ and eggs%
++
@ientifially$ !ilk is !odified blood and eggs are interrupted hiks%
+3
/e should not be "illing to absorb the psyhi harateristis of an ani!al "hih o!e
"ith !eat$ and !ore espeially "ith the blood of !eat%
+9
By e'peri!ent he !ay diso(er "hat agrees "ith his sto!ah and "hat not% It he
noties disagreeable sy!pto!s !entally or physially$ suh as dull headahes or
sto!ah hea(iness$ then he should drop this ite! of food and obser(e "hether there is
any differene in his ondition% If not$ then it is not the food but so!ething else that lies
behind the distress%
+5
7ur appetites ha(e beo!e per(erted$ our ra(ings for food ha(e beo!e !orbid% :e
eat #uantities for "hih the body has no atual need% The on(entional dietary habits are
false standards by "hih to li(e% :e ould #uite "ell !aintain oursel(es by eating
s!aller a!ounts of rih$ onentrated$ and sti!ulating proteins$ as "ell as of logging
starhes%
+=
Neither !eat nor alohol is indispensable to the body% Neither health nor palate "ill
suffer "ithout the!% By slo"ly reduing their intake&&or suddenly$ if one prefers and is
able to do so&&the desire for the! "ill o!pletely (anish in ti!e% But proper substitutes
fro! the dairy or fro! the plant kingdo!s should replae the! if this transition is to be
o!fortable and satisfatory%
+>
Nature)s restorati(e po"er usually tries to heal the body or orret its funtions but
!an)s ingrained gluttony$ error$ ignorane$ and self&indulgene usually thro" too !uh
obstrution in its "ay to let this desirable result happen%
+?
It is not only the artifiial heating of food "hih depri(es it of nutriti(e$ (itali-ing$ and
healing #ualities$ but e(en the natural "ilting of food does so to a lesser e'tent%
@ientifi !ethods of preser(ing$ refrigerating$ or keeping fresh food introdue ne"
e(ils "hih destroy the (alue of their benefits%
+A
There is no ob.etion to gratifying the palate; indeed it is #uite natural to do so% But
"hen it happens at the e'pense of spiritual and physial "ell&being$ then it reahes a
point "hen it does beo!e ob.etionable and unnatural% The ra(ings of the palate are
not "hat they ought to be but "hat$ hereditarily and artifiially$ they ha(e been !ade to
be%
3B
The psyhi effets of !eat&eating are undesirable% If those "ho belie(e that they annot
sustain life "ithout it ould see these effets$ and if they had to be their o"n buthers$
ho" !any "ould ontinue this habitD
31
The state!ent of physiology that tissues !ust be fed "ith protein to repair their "aste is
a greatly e'aggerated dog!a% They need but little&&a ouple of ounes are enough% :hat
the a(erage !an eats is far too rih in protein$ so the syste! !ust set itself to "ork
getting rid of this surplus$ thus inreasing "aste produts and unneessarily spending
(itality%
3+
:hen it o!es to o!bining the tehnial kno"ledge of biology "ith spiritual insight$
the hange of (ie"points !akes it neessary to !odify and e(en orret the sientifi
kno"ledge% That !ilk pro(ides a better "ay to get ani!al protein than !eat is perfetly
orret; but to aept "hat is taught by siene$ that "e need ani!al protein$ is "rong%
This is not so$ but the long ontinued habits of the hu!an rae ha(e !ade it see! so%
33
Protein is protein$ "hether e'trated fro! ani!als or plants% It does not alter its
he!ial o!position if its soure is transferred fro! one of these to the other%
39
The protein !yth needs deflating% The o" eats no protein at all$ only grass and fodder$
yet it produes !ilk "hih is on(erted into high protein heese% I ha(e li(ed on a diet
of fresh fruits and so!e rye rakers for !ore than a year at a ti!e and !aintained !y
nor!al "eight throughout the period%
35
If he ares enough for the Fuest and understands enough about the relation bet"een it
and diet$ he "ill o!e sooner or later to hoose his food "ith !ore resistane to habit%
3=
There is so!e onfusion here both in the argu!ents of ad(oates and the ritiis!s of
ob.etors% It is not possible for any !an o!pletely to a(oid taking the life of all other
reatures in the ani!al kingdo!$ espeially tiny reatures like !iroorganis!s% But it is
possible for hi! to a(oid taking the li(es of larger reatures "hih possess larger$ !ore
deliate ner(e syste!s$ and ausing suffering to the! unneessarily%
3>
Ne(er before ha(e there been so !any deaths fro! diseases of the blood (essels
inluding the largest of the! all&&the heart% :hyD The introdution of larger #uantities
of !eat into the diet has led to the introdution of larger #uantities of other ani!als)
blood into the body%
3?
If you are to be a guest$ it is no great trouble to either you or your host$ to "arn hi! in
ad(ane about the prohibited foods%
3A
,lthough sodiu! hloride salt is unaeptable as an artile of diet in its !anufatured
o!!erial for!$ it !ay be aeptable as a !ediinal artile "hen it appears as one of
the ingredients of a natural spa spring "ater% It "ould then be taken for a short period
only and for the therapeuti purpose of assisting in the re!o(al of a bad bodily
ondition%
9B
Pythagoras pointed out that the "ay a nation treated its ani!als$ so far as they are at its
!ery$ is an indiret .udge!ent of its harater%
91
0arly in hu!an history$ !ilk "as disdained as an artile of food beause it "as thought
to be unnatural for adults to take "hat Nature supplied to infants%
9+
@!oking is a falsifiation of the natural instint of the body to preser(e its o"n inner
leanliness as "ell as an insult to its sensibility to irritating odours% If s!oking is
atually en.oyed as a pleasure$ that !erely sho"s ho" false ha(e beo!e the habits
i!posed on the body)s natural instint% /e "ho desires to rid hi!self of the s!oking
habit !ust therefore restore the operation of this instint% ,!ong the (arious tehni#ues
that he "ill ha(e to adopt$ one is that of fasting% @hort but regular fasts "ill help to
purify hi! and gi(e bak "hat he has lost&&the true instint of the body and the senses%
:hen this instint is restored$ the desire for s!oking "ill begin to fall a"ay of itself$
and indeed an a(ersion to it "ill replae it%
93
The intolerane of so!e aggressi(e and fanatial opponents of !eat&eating$ s!oking$
and alohol&drinking is itself a (iious attitude "hih har!s the! in a different "ay as
!uh as those bad habits har! their addits%1P3
99
There is an opportunity to strengthen his "ill$ o(ero!e a bad habit and sho" his
deter!ination to #uiken progress by dropping s!oking altogether fro! the first day%
95
Those "ho light one igarette after another do not sin against !orality; they sin against
health%
9=
The thirteenth Dalai 4a!a onsidered tobao to be !ore perniious and !ore polluting
than alohol and banned its use not only by the !onks and priests but e(en by the
lay!en%
9>
,loholi drink releases the soiability in !an$ but if taken further it then releases the
ani!ality in hi!%
9?
It is not only the unneessary killing of ta!ed ani!als for food that sho"s !an)s
thoughtless lak of !ery$ but also the unneessary hunting and killing of "ild ani!als%
They are entitled to their !ountain or forest ho!e%
9A
,lohol is ob.etionable as a part of hu!an diet partiularly "hen it is used in high
onentrations as in brandy$ gin$ ru!$ and oktails% Then it is poisonous physially and
!orally% But as a !ediine for e!ergenies it is aeptable%
5B
During !y 6e'ian e'peri!ents$ I diso(ered that a ooked !eal dulls the !ind and
produes a sleepy feeling$ but not so "ith an unooked one% No" that I li(e on a !i'ed
diet$ I prefer to ha(e the ooked !eal at night so that the sleepiness o!es at the right
ti!e%
51
The !ore !aterialisti type of person needs hea(ier food$ the !ore spiritually !inded
needs lighter !ore digestible food if he is not to dull his sensiti(ity%
5+
Bodhidhar!a$ the founder of Gen$ "as not the only person "ho nourished hi!self "ith
dried tea lea(es% , fe" years after the end of the ,!erian Ci(il :ar$ 2ohn 6uir&&
geologist and genius$ nature lo(er and e'plorer&&arried for food only bread and dried
tea lea(es "hile li!bing the high @ierra Ne(ada 6ountains o(erlooking the Cose!ite
(alley% /e did this #uite often and kept a sturdy health$ "hih sho"s that the legend
about Bodhidhar!a)s diet !ay not ha(e been so !ythial after all%
53
It is a task hea(y enough to sti!ulate spiritual intuitions in our era "ithout adding the
e'tra burden in(ol(ed in orreting false appetites at the table% That is a thankless task
"hih inites the greatest i!patiene in others and the greatest relutane in oneself%
7ne instinti(ely shirks beo!ing a dietary ionolast o(erturning the anient and
belo(ed idols of "hole peoples% *or no habits are so hard to uproot as eating habits$
none so !uh a part of ingrained hu!an nature%
59
There is no uni(ersal !a'i!u! of the a!ount of food and fre#ueny of !eals% That
depends on the !an)s type and on his ati(ity% 0ah !ust find out "hat keeps hi! !ost
effiient%
55
The har!ful effets of tea drinking upon the heart)s ation$ the tissues of the sto!ah$
the digestion of starh and protein annot be denied% The au!ulated effets of its
poisoning of the body are serious%
5=
6any students raise the #uestion of e'essi(e s!oking and oktail drinking% There "as
plenty of e'use for the for!er during the "ar% It is not serious psyhially$ although
bad for health physially% Coktail drinking is$ ho"e(er$ inad(isable for the student "ho
begins to !ake progress on the path% ,ll strong spirits like "hisky and gin$ or li#uors
like brandy$ are definitely har!ful to hi! beause he is bound to ha(e beo!e !ore
sensiti(e than "hen he began the Fuest% :hat "as all right for hi! in the past is not so
no" for he has ad(aned sine then% The further purifiation of the self !ust proeed to
!ake possible the further illu!ination of the self% /e !ay find it helpful to o(ero!e
these physial habits of s!oking and drinking by taking short fasts of about one
o!plete day in duration% During eah fast he should drink "ater !i'ed "ith fruit .uie%
T"o or three suh days per !onth "ould help to strengthen the higher "ill and to
"eaken the undesirable habits% ,nd of ourse he should pray daily for the strength to
o(ero!e the!% Indeed$ prayer for the 7(erself)s Erae in this onnetion is !ost
i!portant%
5>
7ne good "ay to ser(e others is by shopkeeping$ and a still better "ay is to !ake one)s
shop a health food store% In the latter ase$ one is doing !ore than !erely earning a
li(ing$ sine he "ill be rendering a speially needed ser(ie in his o!!unity% /ealth
foods are$ in !any ases$ a (ast i!pro(e!ent o(er ordinary foods$ and useful to
supple!ent the !eatless diet%
5?
,ni!als li(e in the herd instint% They do not possess self&onsiousness as
indi(iduali-ed hu!an beings possess it$ nor ha(e they the apaity of aspiring to "hat is
abo(e their o"n le(el% But they are sub.et to e(olution and "ill ulti!ately arri(e at our
le(el% Hindness to those nearest the hu!an stage pro!otes their e(olution into its best
side% Cruelty to the! launhes the! into its "orst side and punishes us "ith a kar!a of
ri!inal pri!iti(e lasses of the lo"est order%
5A
The eating of !eat is a re!nant of pri!iti(e de!on&"orship$ "hen ani!als "ere
sarified on te!ple altars to these unseen and unholy reatures% The initiated a!ong
the early Christian *athers kne" this "ell% In The Spiritual Crisis of Man$ I ha(e already
stated @aint 2ohn Chrysosto!)s opinion of !eat&eating as being 8unnatural8 and 8of
de!oniaal origin8 "hile 7rigen "rote$ 8Do not flatter the de!ons by !eans of
sarifies%8
=B
There is far too !uh ignorane a!ong eduated people&&so ho" !uh !ore a!ong the
others&&of the hea(y ontribution !ade to the auses of sikness by faulty eating habits
and by dietary defiienies%
=1
The "isdo! of the :orld&6ind has put #uik&lines into the ani!al !ind&&"hih you
!ay all instints if you "ish&&"hih sho" it ho" to keep ali(e by piking out the food
needed% 6an$ being the possessor of an ani!al body$ shares a proportion of these
instints; for the rest he !ust use his .udge!ent%
=+
7nly good positi(e thoughts "ere allo"ed to enter his head and good !eatless food his
sto!ah%
=3
It is a fat$ "hih so!e lair(oyants ha(e obser(ed and "hih sientifi researhes by
the late @ir 2% Bose in Bengal and Cle(e Bakster using polygraph tehni#ue in Ne"
Cork ha(e onfir!ed$ that plants feel and that they ha(e intelligent responses "hih on
a hu!an le(el "ould be e!otional% This has in fat been ad(aned as a defense of !eat&
eating and against those pratising !eat a(oidane% 6y reply is that the plant for! is
not so sensiti(e as the ani!al for!$ laking so highly de(eloped a ner(e syste!% It
suffers&&but less%
=9
It is neessary to eat li(ing things as food in order to keep li(ing oursel(es% That is not a
!atter of our hoosing but a neessity fored upon us by Nature or Eod% :e ha(e no
freedo! in the hoie% But "e are free to redue the area of our destruti(eness and to
lessen the a!ount of pain "e inflit% It is less destruti(e to uproot a (egetable or pluk
a fruit than to slay an ani!al&&and there is less suffering too% This is the ans"er to the
argu!ent that "e still destroy life "hen "e beo!e (egetarians%
=5
If "e ould e'a!ine the prehistori period of !an$ and not !erely his latest entury$ "e
"ould find that the duration of his life has sine been shortened$ "hile the ondition of
his body has deteriorated through ne" diseases% The ause in both ases lies in his
hanged feeding habits to so!e e'tent$ and in his unrestrited se'ual habits to a !uh
larger e'tent%
==
:here !an has gi(en hi!self up to se'ual e'ite!ent as a ontinuing and enduring
feature of his life&&as ontrasted "ith the "ild ani!als "hih e'periene it only at
partiular seasons&&the ause e'ists not in the different nature "ith "hih he has been
endo"ed but in the e'ess of strongly nutriti(e !aterial "hih has absorbed into his
body% To pro(e that this is so$ one has only to take the ase of his do!esti ani!als
"hih$ "hen also getting superfluous nutri!ent$ are e'ited !ore often than the "ild
ones%
=>
*oods "hih sti!ulate se'ual ati(ity inlude eggs$ oysters$ hoolate$ and !eat%
=?
The e'trati(e substanes of red fish like sal!on and arp and red !eats like beef and
(enison irritate the (ital tissues and raise blood pressure% This in turn raises se'ual
desire% :hite !eat and "hite fish are less liable to do this%
=A
Diet alone "ill not be enough to bring se'ual funtion under ontrol$ but only helps to
do so% 7ther"ise$ the rabbit "ould not be so unhaste% Cli!ate is not less i!portant$ for
the flesh&eating 0ski!o li(ing in ,rti regions is se'ually lethargi "hereas the
(egetarian nati(e of tropial regions is not%
>B
7ur definition of sin needs "idening% It is also sinful to break the la"s of hygiene$ to
indulge in habits that are either poisonous or de(itali-ing$ to eat foods obtained by
slaughter%
>1
If the grains$ fruits$ ereals$ and (egetables "hih "e eat are the!sel(es undernourished
beause the soil in "hih they gro" is defiient in !inerals or other"ise e'hausted$ then
"e in turn "ill not really reei(e fro! our food the proper nourish!ent "e belie(e it is
gi(ing nor "ill the attle pastured on suh depleted soil% Nor is this all% If the foods
deri(ed fro! unbalaned soil are our !ainstay for a lengthy period of years$ the
unbalane "ill be refleted in our body as so!e kind of sikness or !alfuntion%
>+
:here(er and "hene(er !eatless diet beo!es the rule$ and not the rarity that it is
today$ "e !ay e'pet (iolene and ri!e to abate !arkedly%
>3
The hangeo(er fro! a !eat diet to a (egetarian one reates in so!e ases a feeling of
bodily "eakness% This "ill be li!ited to the transition period only$ "hih !ay be a
!atter of days or !onths$ depending on the indi(idual% @uh persons should !ake the
hangeo(er gradually% 6any others ha(e !ade the hange #uite abruptly "ithout any
fatigue or any har!%
>9
@o!e !en "ho ha(e shi(ered at the thought of inaugurating these refor!s or
onfor!ing to these regi!es a!e ne(ertheless to do so in later years% :hyD Beause
they "ere gi(en a strong enough inenti(e% ,ttaked by heart disease$ they "ere "arned
by physiians to abandon salt; suffering fro! different siknesses$ they had to abandon
!eat; others "ho "ere gluttons "ere ordered to urb their !eals to !ore !odest
proportions% /ere the inenti(e of a(oiding earlier death enabled the! to aept an
abhorred disipline%
>5
The person "ho is afraid to alter his li(ing habits$ and espeially his eating and drinking
habits$ beause he is afraid that other persons !ay regard hi! as #ueer$ eentri$ or
fanati forgets that the o"nership of his body$ the responsibility for its "ell&being$
belongs to hi!$ not the!%
>=
0!erson$ "ith all his ad!irable "isdo!$ "as yet not "ise enough to attend to his diet%
/e regularly ate too !uh old pie and suffered fro! indigestion% But "hat "as "orse$
he ate beef and thus set a bad e'a!ple to others% /is !ind "as so "ell purified and so
strongly onentrated "ithin the Eood$ the True$ and the Beautiful that it "as not
affeted$ "hate(er happened to his body% But the !inds of others "ere !uddier and
"eaker% , orret e'a!ple "ould ha(e been better for the!%
>>
,fter so!e "eeks on an unooked food diet$ the intelletual type of person "ill find$ as
I found$ that there is greater !ental larity and greater !ental dri(e% In fat$ there !ay
e(en be a tendeny to o(er"ork intelletually in reading or "riting% , entury ago$ 2ohn
4inton$ of 0ngland$ reported the result of a long period on suh a diet in these "ords: 8I
"as able to "rite "ith an ease and perspiaity and satisfation "hih I had ne(er
before kno"n$ or had any idea of%8
>?
Nobility of harater "ill not sa(e a !an "ho eats !eat fro! the dark kar!a "hih he
thereby !akes$ although it !ay !odify it% This bad habit puts his good health into peril%
>A
The !o(e!ent is a irular one% Bad eating habits an produe an e'ess of bile% This in
turn produes depression$ irritability$ a ritial (ie" of people and e(ents% 7n the other
hand$ the !an "ho starts "ith suh a (ie" "ill finish "ith an e'ess of bile$ too% This is
"hy philosophi disiplines are direted to"ard both the body and the !ind$ not to one
alone%
?B
The established ali!entary errors of the !odern "ay of li(ing&&that is$ the artifiial
"ay&&!ay be partially orreted by eating !ore fresh fruits and (egetables% It is
unfortunate$ ho"e(er$ that the o!!erial definition of freshness does not oinide "ith
Nature)s% Therefore "e !ust be !ore fastidious and seleti(e "hen buying these foods%
This orretion is needed by all (iti!s of i(ili-ation; it does not !atter "hether they
o!e to it beause of food he!istry)s re(elation of the need of dietary (ita!ins or
beause of !ystial philosophy)s re(elation of the need of return to nature%
?1
, glass of "ine "hih !ight upset the !ental balane of a beginner$ and to that e'tent
ause hi! to forget his #uest or reate inability to !editate$ !ight lea(e no !ore !ark
on an ad(aned !an than a "a(e hurling itself upon a rok%
?+
The Bhagavad Gita$ India)s !anual for yogis sine the !ost anient ti!es$ presribes
that the food for spiritual pratitioners should be light and digestible% :hyD Beause the
body)s ondition does thro" its influene into the !ind)s ondition% , body "hih is
habitually onstipated$ "hose bo"els are tight and filthy "ith au!ulations$ reei(es
and spreads !orbid poisons% These affet$ in ti!e$ not only the organs diretly
onerned but also the se'ual organs$ the blood$ brain$ and ner(es% 4ust is sti!ulated$
negati(e ideas are intensified%
?3
The follo"er of a fleshless diet "ho thro"s his priniples to the four "inds in a trying
situation lest he be thought peuliar$ eentri$ different is !ore eager to please other
!en than the 7(erself$ !ore interested in "hat their opinion is of hi! than in the
suess of his #uest% /o" easy it is to !ake onessions$ to gi(e in to the herd
e'petations< /o" hard to go all the "ay "ith one)s on(itions$ to keep one)s link "ith
integrity unbroken% Cet faithfulness is the only attitude for the !an "ho has felt this
pratial pity for du!b ani!als%
?9
If he really belie(es in this teahing$ he "ill seek to bring it into e(ery area of his life%
There is no area fro! "hih it an rightly be left out$ not e(en fro! that of the kind of
food he eats%
?5
:hat really happens is that the body re!e!bers ha(ing been fed at ertain hours and
"ith ertain foods% These !e!ories ha(e been integrated into its subonsiousness and
pro(ide the real soure of the urge to repeat the e'periene% The habit is really !ental
but appears physial%
?=
Those "ho feel it neessary to inlude eggs in their other"ise (egetarian diet$ should
onfine the!sel(es to sterile eggs "hih an ne(er be hathed%
?>
:here rennet is used in the !aking of heese$ the final produt is no longer purely
(egetarian% :here eggs are part of a diet$ the ani!al life they ontain$ e(en though it is
only inipient$ (iolates the (egetarian priniple of li(ing%
??
The sin of gluttony does not neessarily !ean eating too !uh food% It !ay also !ean
eating too rih food e(en "hen the #uantity is not e'essi(e%
?A
6ustard$ pepper$ and paprika sti!ulate se' organs%
AB
It is proper to defend one)s life "hen it is !enaed by aggressi(e !en or by "ild beasts$
but it is against philosophi ethis to take life "ithout a .ust ause$ as "hen one kills
ani!als for food&&still !ore "hen one kills the! "antonly for sport% 0(ery higher
instint urges us to substitute o!passion for ruelty in our dealings "ith the lo"er
kingdo!%
A1
The aspirant "ho fails to pratise non&in.ury sets up an e(il relationship "hih "ill ha(e
to be "orked out later$ a relationship "hih "ill blok his entry into the state of lasting
enlighten!ent until it is so "orked out% The unneessary taking of ani!al life for his
food is one for!$ although a o!!on one$ of (iolation of this ethi%
A+
,lthough he need not go out of his "ay to appear different fro! anyone else$ although
he !ust effet that o!pro!ise "ith soiety "hih "ill enable hi! to li(e in it as
neessity ditates he !ust$ he need not beo!e so subser(ient to the soial odes or
subsribe so ti!idly to the soial praties that he is "illing to slaughter innoent
ani!als for food .ust beause e(eryone else is doing it% In this !atter there an be no
surrender$ no frightened onfor!ity "ith barbarous habits% In this respet he "ill see
that the i(ili-ation in "hih he finds hi!self has not fully outgro"n the sa(age
ele!ents% Its progress in soial !anners and tehnial effiieny is one&sided%
A3
Diet depends on the type of person as "ell as the stage of de(elop!ent% The
onte!plati(e intro(ert intuiti(e type needs a fruitarian diet% The physial e'tro(ert type
needs a o!plete hea(y protein diet% The best guide to the diet suited to eah indi(idual
is the Gita rule$ plus his o"n instint$ !odified by suh fators as li!ati onditions
around hi!$ loal a(ailability of foods$ and so on%
A9
There is a tradition that li(e snails ra"led all o(er and "holly o(ered the Buddha)s
head to pre(ent his getting sunstroke "hen he had fallen into deep inner absorption in a
plae "here no tree branhes ga(e their usual shelter% :hether this is true or not$ it does
on(ey the idea that the apostle of !ery and lo(e for the "hole ani!al kingdo!
reei(ed his o"n lo(e refleted bak to hi! by !e!bers of that kingdo!%
A5
The yogi "ho li(es in ontented isolation fro! the burdens and "orries of fa!ily
e'istene is not helpful to the poor fello" "ho has to till the field and produe the grain
"ith "hih to feed hi!% *or$ fro! so!e soure or other$ he has to be fed "hether he
li(es in a(e or .ungle% /e annot li(e on roots and barks and lea(es; that is a pretty
fition for fables and fairy tales% /e needs rie or "heat or !ilk and (egetables$ and
probably so!e fruits%
A=
The beautiful oloured fruits "hih the trees and bushes offer hi! ha(e been saturated
"ith benefient solar rays$ not "ith innoent blood%
A>
:hat is the ans"er to the #uestion$ Can "e offer a !eatless diet to pet ani!alsD :e an$
pro(ided hardboiled eggs and !ilk are inluded in the diet% The pet dog or at "ill gro"
.ust as healthy and ha(e all the strength it needs% But it is (ery diffiult to sueed in
li!iting it to suh a diet unless it is started fro! the ti!e "hen it is a little puppy or
kitten%
A?
0'aggerated notions of the (alue of the (egetarian diet !ust be disounted% It "ill not of
itself suffie to keep a !an healthy or free fro! the lo"er passions%
AA
If it be asked "hy abstention fro! !eat&eating should be ondui(e to se'ual self&
ontrol$ the ans"er !ust inlude a fe" assertions to be o!plete% But the pri!e reason
is beause !ost of the ani!als "hih are killed and eaten by !an o"e their o"n
e'istene to the se'ual lust of their parents and this lust per!eates their flesh in an
in(isible psyhi&!agneti aura% 6ost fish of ourse are an e'eption to ordinary se'ual
birth$ yet shellfish are a notoriously aphrodisia artile of food% The ause of this !ust
be sought else"here than in their origin%
1BB
@alt is unneessary in the diet% 6ost people ha(e a large salt intake fro! sheer habit$
"hih in turn !akes it see! al!ost a neessity for their bodies% @piritual aspirants are
!uh better off "ithout salt; it is an artifiial irritant that erets additional barriers to
progress% @iene belie(es that salt intake is neessary in hot "eather to replenish "hat
is lost through the body)s perspiration% The fat re!ains that the salt "ould not be lost if
it "ere not onsu!ed in the first plae; this is the real ause of this (iious irle%
1B1
The usto! "hih pre(ailed so "idely on (anished ,tlantis of offering ani!als and
slaughtering prisoners during the periodial religious rituals$ and "hih "as arried o(er
by the sur(i(ors into ,frian$ ,!erian$ and ,siati i(ili-ations of histori ti!es$ has
died out as purer and !ore rational onepts of religion ha(e risen% But the usto! of
offering ani!als to please not a di(ine being but a hu!an one$ is .ust as pre(alent today
as the stupid ,tlantean barbarity for!erly "as% 6en still breed hapless four&legged
reatures by the !illion only to slay the! in the end and ser(e the! at !eals% @uh
destrution is arried out "ithout feeling$ "ithout onsiene$ and "ithout real
neessity% ,nd "hat right does any of these hu!an beings ha(e to destroy the e'istene
of suh a !ultitude of reatures "ho ha(e their o"n plae$ funtion$ and purpose in the
di(ine :orld&IdeaD In lai!ing for hi!self suh a right$ !an arrogantly prolai!s
hi!self "iser than his Creator and in disturbing the reation itself by his bloody habits
of eating$ he (iolates sared la"s for "hih he is duly punished% /is health suffers$ his
passions are ne(er allayed$ and his (iolene in "ar is ne(er ended%
1B+
Those "ho belie(e that a !eatless diet !ust be a flabby and tasteless one belie(e
"rongly% It is #uite possible for a (egetarian or a (egan or e(en a fruitarian to en.oy
!eals$ to find the! appeti-ing and satisfying%
1B3
If e(ery slaughterhouse "ere ra-ed to the ground and orhards$ thikly planted "ith
fruit&bearing trees$ replaed the!$ all "ould benefit in the end&&inluding those
unfortunate !en "ho earn their li(elihood fro! suh slaughter%
1B9
*ood does not diretly supply energy but its presene in the body during the proess of
!etabolis! ats as a hannel for energy to be set free in the body% This is "hy those
"ho fully undergo the purifiatory proesses of the Fuest and thus regenerate their
body$ not only need less food than others do$ but subsist on finer for!s of food%
1B5
If too !uh protein is undesirable beause it ends in to'i produts and destruti(e
aids$ too little is also undesirable beause it ends in insuffiient "eight and lessened
strength%
1B=
/e alone is entitled to ask for help or !ery&&"hih is a for! of help&&"ho hi!self
sho"s pity$ spares life$ eshe"s ruelty$ and grants !ery to the helpless and oppressed$
"ho does not$ in Plutarh)s phrase$ 8allo" his lips to touh the flesh of a !urdered
being%8
1B>
6ushroo!s belong to that order in Nature to "hih parasites$ fungus$ and bateria
belong%
1B?
Erae before !eals is like a blessing upon !urder$ "hen the !eal is part of an ani!al
"hih has been hunted do"n by a group of sports!en helped by bloodthirsty hounds%
1BA
@o long as their plant$ grain$ (egetable$ and fruit food is !ass&produed and gro"n "ith
artifiial he!ial or ani!al !anure fertili-ers and later sprayed "ith poisons$ so long
"ill true health be i!possible for ity d"ellers% *or re#uisite (ita!ins and !inerals "ill
either be lost&&destroyed by these "rong !ethods "hih ser(e o!!erial interests
only&&or else ill&balaned beause too rih in so!e nourishing ele!ents and too poor in
others%
11B
Beause the flesh of dead ani!als and the eggs of li(ing bodies ha(e no true affinity
"ith the bodies of hu!an beings$ "ho e'ist on a higher le(el$ they are unfit for use as
foods by those beings%
111
*oods "hih ause logging of the intestines are either of a starhy harater 1"hite
flour is used to !ake "allpaper hanger)s paste3 or o!posed of gristle and bones
1arpenter)s glue is !ade fro! the!3 or of fatty oily harater 1obser(e ho" they ling
to the inside of a frying pan "hen old3% To redue the use of suh foods is (ery
desirable%
11+
The ra" food ure is a for! of !ono&diet "hih offers !ost of the ad(antages of
!oderate fasting "ithout its disad(antages% By areful hoie during the first part of the
ure there an be used only foods "ith eli!inati(e properties$ ser(ing e#ui(alently to a
fast; "hile during the seond part a different kind$ ha(ing upbuilding properties$ an be
used%
113
It is an anient kno"ledge although a negleted !odern one$ that !any (egetables and
fruits ha(e strong !ediinal properties%
119
/e does not eat !eat$ not so !uh beause he thinks it poisons the body$ but !ore
beause he feels pity for slaughtered ani!als% /e does not drink alohol beause he
belie(es it "ould interfere "ith the effiieny of his "ork$ and !uh !ore beause of
his spiritual effort at self&on#uest% /e does not s!oke$ first beause he regards
s!oking as physially unhealthy$ and seond beause his body beo!es so refined as to
feel a physiologial reation of strong nausea to it% Thus$ these three renuniations are
both preoupations "ith bodily "elfare and "ith ethial ideals; indeed$ they are
atually tokens of his balaned ideals%
115
:hat applies to the plae of the body applies onse#uently to the foods eaten to
!aintain the body% Beause they lea(e so!e effet upon the !ind through the ner(e
syste! and the brain$ foods are lassified into three kinds by the yogis% ,nyone an see
the reason for this in the ase of so!e foods and drinks like aloholi li#uors$ "hih
sti!ulate the passions% There are other foods "hih ha(e a al!ing influene on the
!ind%
11=
It is unfortunately largely true$ this ausation that (egetarians are often drab reatures$
that (egetarian restaurants are not seldo! dreary plaes$ and that (egetarian !eals are
often tasteless and unsustaining% But this need not be%
11>
:e !ay fast for a fe" days but "e !ust eat for a "hole lifeti!e%
11?
Nature 1Eod3 has gi(en !en the plants "hene to dra" the food needed to keep the!
ali(e% But fe" see! to notie that these "ere gi(en to the! ra"$ not ooked% 6en
egotistially try to better the gift$ to their o"n detri!ent and disease%
11A
In the early stages of an unfired diet$ unpleasant sy!pto!s of eli!ination suh as
headahes !ay appear&&.ust as in fasting% They are to be "elo!ed$ not regretted%
1+B
To on(ert barley into beer and grapes into brandy is to destroy the gifts of Nature% Cet
this is done e(ery year to the e'tent of !illions of tons% There is a penalty in hu!an
degradation and hu!an !isery for this%
1+1
6eat is a (ery putrefati(e food: it deays #uiker than (egetables or grains% If it is not
digested and passed out of the body in a nor!al period$ this putrefati(e #uality !ay
lead to ertain diseases% This is "hy (egetarians suffer less fro! these diseases than
!eat eaters%
1++
The disiplined abstinene fro! prohibited or undesirable foods is not to be !ade into a
soure of self&tor!ent%
1+3
@aint Paul on (egetarianis!: 8I "ill eat no flesh for e(er!ore$ that I !ake not !y
brother to stu!ble%8 11 Cor% ?:133
1+9
The diffiulties of keeping to his o"n rigid !ode of proteti(e habit usually beo!e too
!uh in the end for a fastidious tra(eller% @ooner or later$ he suu!bs to the! and has
to gi(e "ay to the polluting drinking (essels$ onta!inating eating plates$ and !eat&
s!elling restaurants of the non&Brah!in astes% ,n iron "ill and infle'ible
deter!ination to hold to one)s regi!e is needed%
1+5
It is a !istake to take a !eal "hen !entally tired or e!otionally disturbed% The benefit
of food intake "ill be offset by the har! of upset digestion%
1+=
/is e'peri!ents in dietary refor! !ust o!e to this end: he "ill find that he returns to
the philosophi ad!onition of e'pertly balaned feeding$ but "ith so!e better
understanding of "hat onstitutes 8balane%8 *or!erly$ the ingredients of his ra" salads
"ere li!ited to lettue$ uu!ber$ and ress% /e "ill add other ra" (egetables suh as
peas$ red abbage$ s#uash$ and e(en (egetable roots suh as arrot$ eleria$ parsnip$
and beets&&grated$ of ourse$ or he ould not endure the!$ and rendered palatable "ith
tasty dressings% *or!erly he !i'ed indisri!inately fruit$ ra" and ooked (egetables
together at the sa!e !eal% No" he "ill try to keep the! apart and eat the! at separate
!eals%
1+>
/o" free fro! hard toil in the fields "ould the "ide adoption of a fruitarian diet render
the life of !an< /o" independent of far! e#uip!ent and tools$ kithen sto(es$ fuel$
applianes$ utensils$ and all the other paraphernalia "ith "hih he burdens hi!self<
1+?
They "ill one day feel !ery for the ani!als and desist fro! the usto! of
slaughtering$ ooking$ and eating the!% 7f ourse$ the slaughter is done indiretly$ by
others ating on their behalf% But so!e of the guilt re!ains%
1+A
0(en "ater taken to e'ess !ay lead to death$ e(en benefiial (ita!ins also% Thus
siene kno"s fro! tests "ith ani!als that al!ost any food ite! or produt an be fatal
if too !uh too #uikly is eaten or drunk% This (erifies !y often used phrase that 8a
good o(erdone beo!es the bad%8
13B
The (egetarian "ho refuses to turn his body into a gra(eyard for slaughtered ani!als is
obeying not only a !oral la" but also a hygieni and an aestheti one%
131
,ppetite has really beo!e an artifiial and abnor!al thing$ ha(ing taken the plae of
true hunger$ "hih alone is natural% The one is a sign of bondage but the other$ of
freedo!%
13+
It !ay be onsidered folly by o!!on opinion but this refusal to destroy life
unneessarily$ this re(erene for it$ !ust beo!e a deeply i!planted part of his ethial
standard%
133
If the body is intolerant of partiular treat!ents and allergi to partiular foods$ it
should not be fored to aept the!%
139
The ti!e has o!e to arouse the onsiene of all those "ho sinerely seek the Eood
and the Iight to their duty in the !atter of slaughtering innoent ani!als$ a onsiene
"hih$ if it ould speak unper(erted by raial habits$ "ould e!phatially repeat the
6osai o!!and!ent$ 8Thou shalt not kill%8
135
There are ruelties pratised on ani!als to gain food for !an$ dress for "o!en$
entertain!ent and !ediinal drugs for both% The hu!an lai! of neessity as a
.ustifiation is a !istaken one%
13=
There are t"o groups "ho go e(en farther than the (egetarians% 7ne eats only the fruit
of trees and so are alled fruitarians% The other abstains fro! dairy produe but still eats
(egetables and so are alled (egans%
13>
To put the body under a neessary disipline is not the sa!e as putting it under an
unneessary tor!enting asetiis!% Those "ho ry out that the body is being !altreated
"hen it is no longer fed "ith red !eat$ or gorged "ith e'essi(e food$ or poisoned "ith
fiery li#uor$ ry a false alar!%
13?
It is true that Eandhi drank !ilk but the fat al"ays troubled his onsiene%
13A
The legu!es are !uh fa(oured by (egetarians beause they are rih in protein and
palatable in taste% But they are also gas&produing and so!e"hat indigestible% If eaten at
all$ they should be taken in s!all #uantities%
19B
I ha(e sooped up the inside of !any an a(oado&&an e'ellent food&&and spread !uh
tahini on !any slies of bread%
191
, 2apanese guru told his disiple that he "ould ha(e to "ait t"el(e !onths for enough
purifiation to prepare the "ay for his santifiation% During that ti!e$ his efforts should
proeed strenuously$ and they "ere not only to be onerned "ith the thoughts
the!sel(es but also "ith the physial intake$ solid and li#uid%
19+
In this !atter it is better to be fastidious$ and to re.et !uh that is offered%
193
,s his !ind beo!es purer and his e!otions o!e under ontrol$ his thoughts beo!e
learer and his instints truer% ,s he learns to li(e !ore and !ore in har!ony "ith his
higher @elf$ his body)s natural intuition beo!es ati(e of itself% The result is that false
desires and unnatural instints "hih ha(e been i!posed upon it by others or by hi!self
"ill beo!e "eaker and "eaker and fall a"ay entirely in ti!e% This !ay happen
"ithout any atte!pt to undergo an elaborate syste! of self&disipline on his part: yet it
"ill affet his "ay of li(ing$ his diet$ his habits% *alse ra(ings like the ra(ing for
s!oking tobao "ill (anish of their o"n aord; false appetites like the appetite for
aloholi li#uor or flesh food "ill like"ise (anish; but the !ore deep&seated the desire$
the longer it "ill take to uproot it&&e'ept in the ase of so!e "ho "ill hear and ans"er
a heroi all for an abrupt hange%
199
The ani!al in a slaughterhouse or being hunted by a pak of hounds ao!panying a
sports!an is full of fear% This affets the adrenaline glands "hih pass to'i !aterial
into the body% :hoe(er eats the !eat of that ani!al !ay be getting protein and strength$
but he also gets undesirable !aterial%
195
/a(e they no pity on the la!bs torn a"ay fro! their !others) sides 1as I ha(e seen in
Ne" Gealand3 to be slain and e'ported to satisfy the appetite of hu!ansD
19=
The killing instint in !en sho"s itself first in their diet and after this in their perpetual
"ars% 0(en "hen Io!e bea!e Christian the gladiatorial sho"s "ere ontinued as the
okfights "ere in Protestant 0ngland and bullfights in Catholi @pain%
19>
The "ork of bringing the !ultitudes into adopting a non&flesh diet$ and into abandoning
har!ful habits$ ought to be freed fro! un"ise presentation% It ought to be persuasi(e
eduation$ and not (ehe!ent propaganda% The ase for it ought to be presented
te!perately and prudently$ not aggressi(ely and fanatially%
19?
Those "ho sin against their body in order to keep the good opinion of others$ or to
appear soiable or on(i(ial$ o!!it the further sin of being "eak$ insinere$ and
fearful%
19A
@e(eral nuts$ but not all$ are e'ellent soures of protein to replae that "hih is lost
through abandoning !eat% Their indigestibility "ill disappear if they are finely ground
in a !ill or !ade ra" into a butter%
15B
/o" neessary it is to test theory by result in these !atters of diet is e'e!plified in
!any ases like that of 6ethnikoff$ "ho propounded the yogurt&"ay of ahie(ing
abnor!al longe(ity and follo"ed it hi!self$ only to die "ithin three years fro! the
diseased bo"el ondition "hih his unbalaned fanatiis! produed%
151
0ating food of a speial kind or sitting in an isolated a(e annot of itself !ake anyone
spiritually !inded% But it an lessen the nu!ber of obstales in the "ay of anyone "ho
seeks to beo!e spiritually !inded%
15+
The sensiti(e and hu!ane person "ho does not pause to onsider his guilt in this !atter
has let hi!self take the easy onsiene&dro"ning "ay$ partly beause it is the popular
"ay and partly beause he is duped by a siene and religion "hih are blindly playing
the ego)s ga!e%
153
*resh fruits should be tree&ripened% Dried fruits should be naturally or sun&dried$ but if a
proess !ust be used it should be the lo"&heat one% Erains$ nuts$ fruits$ and (egetables
pro(ide a o!plete diet for !an%
159
It is philosophially ad(antageous to preser(e a o!prehensi(e e#uani!ity a!id the
(iissitudes of hu!an fortune and to pratise a reasonable indifferene to"ard outer
conditions% But it is inhu!an and unreasonable to de!and$ as the prie of spiritual
peae$ that "e shall renoune all earthly satisfations to the point of neither en.oying
deliious food nor feeling a(ersion to repulsi(e food&&a rule set do"n in the hief
!anual of yoga%
155
/e !ust find out by personal e'periene "hat his sto!ah an easily digest$ and stritly
take nothing else% This is one rule% /e !ust eat of suh foods no !ore than his body
really needs$ "hih is al"ays less than "hat usto! and soiety ha(e suggested he
needs%
15=
:hate(er "e eat beyond that "hih the body really needs$ gi(es no strength and yields
no benefit% Instead$ it atually har!s us% Instead of strengthening$ it "eakens us% Instead
of benefiting$ it poisons us%
15>
/o" an the hu!an rae a(oid the fate of being slaughtered in "ar "hen it itself
slaughters so !any innoent reatures in peaeD
15?
The e'ploitation of other li(ing reatures to gain unneessary hu!an food$ !ust be
protested against% *oring their ensla(e!ent to hu!an ser(ie and slo"ly distorting
their bodies into ha(ing unnatural e'aggerated funtions is a ri!e against the!%
15A
Those ani!als "hih ha(e li(ed in the soiety of !an an sense his intent enough to
fear death "hen he takes the! to the slaughterhouse%
1=B
Is the peaeable !an to redue or stop (iolent aggression against his fello" !en but to
ontinue it against other fello" reaturesD :hat about the ani!alsD :e are not entitled
to destroy ani!al life "ithout an ade#uately neessary and !orally .ustifiable purpose%
Therefore it is "ell to en#uire fro! the "ise and good into the harater of suh
purposes$ and be guided by their ounsel rather than by en(iron!ental usto!% *or the
latter has led us$ through its utter ignorane and total una"areness of the higher la"s$
into a situation "here blo" after blo" falls hea(ily upon the hu!an rae% :hy should
"e be so astonished that peae is so hard to obtain$ that all too often fla!ing (iolene of
"ar and death and !utilation is arried aross the land despite our prayers to Eod and
our plans to the ontraryD @o long as !illions of innoent ani!als are bred only to be
sent to the slaughterhouses for our unneessary food$ so long "ill 4ife pay us in like
oin% The lo"er harateristis are taken into the body$ the blood$ the ner(es$ and the
brain% They beo!e a part of us% The !ind)s response to higher ideals is dulled% The
passions "hih !ake for strife and thene for "ar !eet "ith less opposition fro!
onsiene and reason% The fear$ suspiion$ fright$ and desire for self&protetion "hih
ontribute to"ard "ar$ being i!pregnated into the blood of our !eat during the
!o!ents preeding its slaughter$ are little by little brought into us too through the
glands$ the ner(ous syste!$ and the brain$ as our o"n blood feeds the! in turn% It "ould
be desirable$ although ad!ittedly diffiult$ gradually to adopt a !eatless diet as a help
to seure both the indi(idual)s de(elop!ent and the "orld)s peae%
Comments on customs
1=1
0(erything is polari-ed$ "hether in the (isible uni(erse$ or in the in(isible fores of life
itself% This is "hat the /indus all the pairs of opposites and the Chinese all the Cin
and Cang% ,ll things are o!ple!entary and o!pensatory$ yet at the sa!e ti!e
antagonisti% If Cang gi(es us energy$ Cin gi(es us al!% Both are neessary% The
!arobioti ult has also brought this priniple into the diet$ but they ha(e done it in a
fanatial "ay$ "ith the onse#uene that they !ake the largest part of the daily diet a
ereal$ "hih leads to e'ess of starh and of aidity% ,lso$ they use too !uh sea salt$
"hih leads to a orrosi(e effet internally% *inally$ like the Indians$ they do !ost of
their ooking "ith oil$ "hih plaes too !uh strain upon the li(er% :e should seek
balane in diet as in study%
1=+
@aint ,nthony$ founder of Christian !onastiis! and father of Christian anhoretiis!$
laid do"n a rule for hi!self to eat only one a day$ and that after the sun had set% But the
Buddhist rule for !onks is to eat the last !eal at !idday "hen the sun is at its highest
point< Can "e not see here as in so !any other spiritual !atters$ ho" !uh hu!an
opinion go(erns !en&&and not di(ine inspiration<
1=3
Peasants in Eer!any and Iussia$ in Bulgaria and China$ kno" the "orth of blak bread%
But "ith the pseudo&progress and the surrender to appearanes rather than to honest
(alues$ its replae!ent by "hiter and "hiter bread is possible$ perhaps probable%
1=9
6any spiritual aspirants "ho are pratising yoga in India usually prepare their o"n
food% The theory is that the !agneti influene of the person "ho prepares the food
affets the latter$ and the aspirant eating food per!eated "ith bad !agnetis! suffers
thereby%
The ad(aned yogis do not need to be too onerned about this$ as they are !ore
i!!une in so!e "ays$ although !ore sensiti(e in others% But "here they ha(e the
hoie they "ill be areful in this !atter%
1=5
, saying of the Buddha: 8It is not the eating of !eat "hih renders one i!pure$ but
being brutal$ hard$ pitiless$ !iserly%8 This passage "as direted against those Brah!ins
"ho boasted of their faithfulness to e'ternal rites%
1==
2esus) ritiis! of dietary onern "as direted to those orthodo' /ebre"s "ho
ostentatiously took e(ery are to free their !eat fro! blood as presribed by their
religion$ but took little are to free their hearts and !inds fro! selfish$ !aterialisti$ or
un"orthy thoughts and feelings%
1=>
2ust as Buddha protested to the /indu priests against the sarifie of innoent goats on
religious altars$ so 2esus protested to the Israelite rabbis against the sarifie of innoent
la!bs on religious altars% But "here Buddha$ in his opposition to all ritual$ suggested no
substitute$ 2esus suggested the eating of bread in plae of the la!b)s flesh and the
drinking of a little red "ine in plae of the la!b)s blood%
1=?
It has been asked "hy the Pythagorean teahing interdited the use of beans in a
(egetable diet% /a(ing so.ourned and studied in India$ Pythagoras "as "ell a#uainted
"ith the Bhagavad Gita)s rule that the yogi)s food should be light and easily digestible%
/e ga(e e'atly the sa!e rule to his follo"ers% Dried beans fell under the ban beause
they "ere then$ as no"&&beause of their tough skins&&notoriously indigestible% , further
reason "as his belief$ also piked up in India$ that all large and !ediu! si-e beans
ontain an ingredient "hih is har!ful to the body% The (ery s!all bean alled 8gra!8
in India and 86ung bean8 in China does not fall under the ban: it is har!less$
nourishing$ and palatable%8
1=A
Perhaps it "as dated thirty&fi(e years ago that I "ent on a .ourney "ith J% @ubrah!anya
Iyer% :e tra(elled for about ten days through .ungles and !ountain (illages in the
depths of 6ysore state% 7n our trip$ a yogi "ho "as unkno"n to us .oined the party and
stayed "ith us for a day or t"o% 4ater in the first day$ the yogi darted to the ground
"here so!e reepers "ere gro"ing in a shady$ da!p plae% /e pulled up part of a plant
and sho"ed it to !e and praised its !ediinal !erits% Iyer told !e it "as used by old
people to beo!e !ore youthful and to lengthen life; the yogi told !e he used it to treat
patients suffering fro! leprosy$ to strengthen the heart and thus pre(ent attaks$ and to
purify the blood% /e added that it "as e(en useful in the kithen "here$ !i'ed "ith
urry and grated oonut$ it i!pro(ed the taste of food% I ould not at the ti!e identify
the plant "ith anything I had seen in the :est% In @anskrit it is @o!a Jalli$ in Ta!il it is
Jallarai$ in /indi it is Brah!i% Preparations fro! it are !ade by the ayur(edi nati(e
herbalists and !edial pratitioners%
1>B
In the "ar! li!ate of southern Italy it is possible to find that (egetables are softer$
tenderer$ and tastier than in our old northern li!ate "here they are often stiff and
fibrous and e(en indigestible if eaten ra"% 0(en the Italian peasants the!sel(es in the
south "ill eat the! ra" "hen out "orking in the field% This ad(antage$ of ourse$ is
offset by the risks of disease assoiated "ith ra" foods in the 6editerranean ountries&&
espeially the risk of dysentery% But to li(e any"here in the 6editerranean is to be able
to li(e !uh !ore on ra" and therefore !ore (ita!inous food than it is in the older
ountries%
1>1
@trange i!possible ideas enter !y !ind at ti!es% Ieason soon bids the! take their e'it$
but no" and then a fe" reappear to haunt !e% 7ne of the! is this: The 2apanese
assoiate "ith their traditional tea&ult an entry into the at!osphere of spiritual
tran#uillity% 6ay it not be that the !odern British&&fro! "ho!$ and for this partiular
purpose$ I !ust lea(e out the Celts of :ales and Corn"all$ @otland$ and Ireland&&being
defiient in !etaphysial faulty and !ystial te!pera!ent$ drink their tea in an
unonsious and futile atte!pt to touh the di(ine stillness by a grossly physial atD
*or the figures sho" that they drink !ore tea per head than any other people in the
"orld$ outside @outheast ,sia%
1>+
The eating of onions and garli is forbidden to the Cello" /at !onks of Tibet&&the
elibate$ striter order% , !onk "ho has partaken of the! is regarded as unlean$ and
annot take part in any religious ere!ony% /e is not e(en allo"ed to put out a fire%
1>3
6any of the !onks and porters in Tibet !ake their lunh of tsa!pa&&"hih is barley
flour !i'ed "ith old "ater$ kneaded into ra" dough&like paste$ rolled into a ball$ and
eaten unooked% The !onks ha(e only buttered tea$ the porters beer$ to o!plete their
lunh% The porters an arry hea(y loads on this diet$ "hih is repeated at breakfast and
at night% The point to be noted here is that although their "ork is e'eptionally
burdenso!e beause of the steep and roky nature of the !ountainous ground o(er
"hih they often ha(e to tra(el$ they arry it out #uite suessfully on suh ra"$
unooked food%
1>9
0(en the t"o great religious la"gi(ers "ho laid do"n soial rules for their follo"ers
"hih allo"ed a flesh diet$ did not allo" it absolutely% 6uha!!ed and 6oses
prohibited pork fro! being inluded$ "hile 6oses "ent further and ordered a
preli!inary proess that robs the !eat of !uh of its har!% It is not so !uh the !eat
that is har!ful and debasing$ as its life&fore arrier$ the blood% Before a 2e" eats !eat$
the blood is al!ost entirely "ithdra"n fro! it$ being drained out by a soaking for so!e
hours in salt "ater%
1>5
The !onks belonging to the thousand&year&old Carthusian 7rder ne(er eat !eat% They
!odel the!sel(es largely on the early Christian !onks of 0gypt% The Trappist !onks of
today are also (egetarians%
1>=
, philosophial (ie" of the !atter !ust disount the (alue of ertain in.untions gi(en
by e!inent spiritual authorities$ suh as se(eral traditional /indu !anuals "hih say
8the yogi is to eat "hat is put before hi!8 1as a sign of his freedo! fro! a(ersion and
attration3$ or suh as the 2apanese Gen !aster Hei-an)s rule: 8*ood e'ists only to
support life: do not ling to the taste of it%8
1>>
The anient @anskrit te'ts gi(e strit rules about eating% They forbid the preparation of
food by a !e!ber of a aste lo"er than that of the !an "ho eats it% 0(en today a
Brah!in "ould rather arry his o"n food than go into a non&Brah!in restaurant "hen
tra(elling% 7n these lines a :esterner should do the sa!e if he annot find (egetarian
food%
1>?
0ngland pays out an enor!ous a!ount of !oney for the doubtful pri(ilege of buying
dead bodies fro! abroad to feed li(ing !en% @he ould sa(e all that !oney and thus
help to strengthen her situation% ,nd$ if she used her arable land entirely for fruit$
(egetables$ and grain rops instead of attle gra-ing or breeding$ she "ould get fi(e or
si' ti!es as !uh food fro! the sa!e ground%
1>A
During !y ,siati tra(els a group of Chinese Buddhists asked !e to talk to the!&&an
ati(ity "hih in those days I "as "illing to do$ unlike today% ,fter the spoken address
they in(ited !e to dine "ith the!% There "ere about t"enty of us and "hen tea "as
ser(ed one laughingly re!arked that$ in ontrast to the 0nglish$ they put no !ilk in it% I
en#uired "hy !ilk "as re.eted% /e ans"ered that it "as distasteful to !any$ if not
!ost$ Chinese beause those "ho drank it "ere supposed to e!it a o"like odour$ "hile
it "as repulsi(e to the Buddhists a!ong the! beause its hu!an use "as a robbery of
the alf%
6ilk is an ani!al produt but fe" :estern (egetarians see! able to lea(e it out of their
diet and yet re!ain satisfied% I a! one of the fe"% Their diffiulty lies prinipally in
replaing the nutriti(e substanes and aliu! !inerals "hih !ilk and heese supply
and "hih are neessary to the hu!an body% I belie(e this diffiulty ould be !et$ as the
Chinese !eet it$ by using soyabean !ilk and soyabean heese$ "hose he!ial
o!position is about the sa!e as the ani!al produt% 7r a different and suitable
replae!ent ould be nut !ilk$ "hih is easily !ade either fro! al!ond or oonuts% I
do not e(en use this$ preferring tahini$ the thik fluid deri(ed fro! sesa!e seeds%
1?B
It is a 2apanese idea to ser(e eah (egetable separately&&and to eat it separately and not
to !i' all the (egetables together as in the Chinese hop suey 1"hih is after all not a
real Chinese dish$ but an ,!erian in(ention3% This brings out the best taste and fla(our
of eah of the (egetables%
1?1
Indian "ido"s are !ade by usto! to li(e a (ery aseti e'istene% Their food is sparse
and basi: no spies are allo"ed in it beause it is belie(ed they strengthen se'ual
instints%
1?+
Co!te de @aint Eer!ain ate oats for his breakfast% /e drank a speial herbal tea% /e
for!ed the habit in India "hile gathering kno"ledge fro! a ertain teahing%
1?3
0(en a!ong the Indian teahers there is lak of agree!ent on this sub.et% ,lthough this
ontradition !ay not be kno"n to enthusiasti reent on(erts$ it is be"ildering to
so!e of their (eteran follo"ers% @"a!i Brah!ananda$ a diret disiple of @ri
Ia!akrishna and first president of the Ia!akrishna 7rder of 6onks$ delared that it
"as nonsense not to eat !eat% The late @"a!i @hi(ananda$ seond president of the sa!e
order and another diret disiple$ often s!oked tobao% I re!e!ber an anedote "hih
"as told !e by /is /ighness the late 6ahara.a of 6ysore% @"a!i Ji(ekananda a!e to
6ysore in #uest of finanial help for his proposed .ourney to Chiago to address the
1?A3 :orld Parlia!ent of Ieligions "hih "as destined to bring hi! sudden fa!e% 6y
friend)s father$ the pre(ious 6ahara.a$ i!!ediately reogni-ed the inner "orth of the
@"a!i and gladly granted help% /e sent one of his palae offiials "ith Ji(ekananda to
the loal ba-aar "ith instrutions to buy "hate(er things he "ished to ha(e% But despite
the offiial)s repeated a.oling$ the @"a!i "ould not aept anything else than a large
igar "hih he lit at the shop and see!ed to en.oy hugely% Ji(ekananda ate !eat% /e
e(en ad(oated ani!al food to his fello" /indus beause it "ould gi(e the! !ore
strength and !ore po"er as a nation in the fight for its o"n rights and plae% But had the
siene of nutrition been as ad(aned in his day as it is no"$ it ould ha(e infor!ed hi!
that all the body building and energi-ing attributes of flesh food ould be obtained fro!
(egetable proteins and arbohydrates%
@ri Cashoda 6ai$ the fe!ale guru$ and @ri Hrishna Pre! of ,l!ora$ her !ale disiple$
both s!oked% /er /oliness told a North Indian prine that it "as not bad to s!oke and
offered hi! a igarette herself% @o naturally he s!oked it$ ha(ing reei(ed it fro! suh
holy hands% 8I ould not refuse it$8 the prine told !e% This began a ourse "hih ended
in hain&s!oking% I kne" hi! for !any years and finally persuaded hi! to free hi!self
fro! both s!oking and gluttony%
Ia!ana 6aharshi of @outh India$ like !ost Brah!ins of that region$ onsidered !eat as
too lo" a for! of food to be used by the spiritually !inded%
In the :est "e kno" that Bla(atsky$ the Theosophial seer$ too often kept her fingers
busy rolling long Iussian igarettes% Eurd.ieff$ the ,r!enian oultist and one&ti!e
teaher of 7uspensky$ usually produed pakets of igarettes for his disiples to s!oke$
"hilst hi!self indulging in o(ersi-ed igarettes%
Ialph :aldo 0!erson$ follo"ing the o!!on habit of his ti!e and plae$ ate ani!al
food% /e e(en poked gentle fun at (egetarians%
The Notebooks are opyright K 1A?9&1A?A$ The Paul Brunton Philosophi *oundation%