Swadharma » diet

Lent

Anish — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 04:03:30 +0000

Since last Wednesday, many people around the world, both Christians as well as some non-Christians, decided to give up a bad habit for the period of forty days and forty nights known as Lent. The symbolism behind Lent is that Jesus traveled the desert for forty days and forty nights and did not succumb to temptations of the Devil. Traditionally, Lent is performed through fasting and by other methods of atonement. In the modern-day Lent, people generally give up vices such as drinking alcohol or eating certain foods (i.e. meats, fish, eggs etc.). I like this idea of self-discipline because it is so similar to the Raj Yogic and even to the Bhakti Yogic aspects of Hinduism.

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The Difficulty of Explaining Ahimsa

Brittany — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 04:45:06 +0000

When people ask me why I am a vegetarian, part of my answer usually involves my belief in Ahimsa, but few people who have asked have known what ahimsa means. My usual answer is that ahimsa means non-violence, but I do not feel that this adequately describes what ahimsa means to me. I feel that people often interpret non-violence as synonomous with pacifism, but pacifism is often seen as referring only to physical non-violence. To me, the physical aspect of non-violence is only a part of ahimsa, which also includes verbal non-violence, refraining from saying hurtful things, and mental non-violence, refraining from thinking hurtful things. At least for me, it is far easier to refrain from physically harming another than it is to refrain from thinking or saying things that may be hurtful, so I feel that the physical level of non-violence is only the beginning of ahimsa. The problem is, this is a long explanation, and not conducive to the quick answer people usually look for when they ask about ahimsa. I have tried to find a way to define ahimsa that does not carry the connotation of simply physical non-violence, but I have not been successful. How do other people define ahimsa?

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Question of the Week: The Value of Lent

Ravi M — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 02:31:38 +0000

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been learning about Christian faith and history between my Roman history class and the general Easter season, and there are many worthy ideas in the general practice of the Christian faith that are worth considering and discussing. One of these ideas was the practice of giving up something one likes during Lent; it could be chocolate, Facebook, texting, or any other facet of life which we enjoy, at times possibly too much.

When I suggested this to a friend, he mentioned that as a Hindu he already gives up meat, so why the need to give up anything more? The answer is that as admirable (I think) as it is to give up meat, it is not something which, at this point of our lives, we struggle with daily. Challenging ourselves to give up something that has been an integral but not necessarily beneficial part of our lives in the present time can create discipline, and show us new opportunities and avenues to pursue in life. You might never know how much you like apples until you gave up chocolate, or how much you liked reading the New York Times until you gave up Facebook. The origins of Lent include the following, according to Wikipedia:

“Jesus retreated into the desert, where he fasted for forty days, and was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1-2, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-2). Jesus overcame all three of Satan’s temptations by citing scripture to the devil, at which point the devil left him, angels ministered to Jesus, and he began his ministry. Jesus further said that his disciples should fast “when the bridegroom shall be taken from them” (Matthew 9:15), a reference to his Passion. Since, presumably, the Apostles fasted as they mourned the death of Jesus, Christians have traditionally fasted during the annual commemoration of his burial.”

Stories of early Lent are also worth reading:

“Fasting during Lent was more severe in ancient times than today. Socrates Scholasticus reports that in some places, all animal products were strictly forbidden, while others will permit fish, others permit fish and fowl, others prohibit fruit and eggs, and still others eat only bread. In some places, believers abstained from food for an entire day; others took only one meal each day, while others abstained from all food until 3 o’clock. In most places, however, the practice was to abstain from eating until the evening, when a small meal without meat or alcohol was eaten.”

The idea of fasting is not uncommon in Hinduism — for example, my mom fasts approximately every 2 weeks (by the Indian calendar) for Ekadeshi/Agyaras, as well as on various special holidays throughout the year. Taking on this ritual of personal sacrifice every year could make us stronger individuals and learn more about ourselves. The Question of the Week: Do you think a practice such as Lent could be personally and spiritually beneficial in a developmental sense? Would it be fine for Hindus to practice something similar if they felt it was a good idea?

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Question of the Week: Why vegetarianism?

Rohan — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 16:55:40 +0000

One of the most prominent issues in Hinduism is the question of vegetarianism. While many Hindus are vegetarian, they cite a variety of reasons behind their choice. These are three of the most popular reasons:

Ahimsa, or nonviolence. Some Hindus, including me, are vegetarian purely because they believe in ahimsa, or nonviolence, and the fair treatment of animals. People who are vegetarian for this reason avoid eating meat in order to forestall the killing of animals.
Purity. Other Hindus categorize meat in terms of the three gunas: saatvic (balanced, pure), rajasic (excitable, pungent), and tamasic (slow, passive). They label meat either rajasic or tamasic and, as a result, detrimental to the body, mind, and soul. This framework emphasizes the impurity of meat, rather than the act of killing the animal, as the primary rationale behind vegetarianism.
Caste. The “caste” argument, while addressing meat as impure, specifically asserts that Brahmins should avoid meat due to a “higher standard” of purity. Hindus who decide to be vegetarian for this reason view their choice as an expression of caste identity.

Of course, these arguments are not mutually exclusive: one can cite any or all of them as their rationale behind vegetarianism.

Hindu scripture does not take a clear stance on the issue, and poses arguments both for and against vegetarianism. Simply within Chapter V of the Laws of Manu, one can find several verses that isolate vegetarianism to the Brahmin (verses 19-26), and condone meat-eating in sacrificial rituals (verses 27-30). Verse 56 presents meat-eating as man’s natural state, but then goes on to encourage abstention. This sort of ambiguity exists throughout scriptures and epics: the Rig Veda advocates vegetarianism, but then goes on to portray animal sacrifices. In general, scriptures are used to defend a prior decision of vegetarianism or non-vegetarianism: one can easily find the appropriate quotes that are most sympathetic to their lifestyle choice.

Despite the ambiguity of vegetarianism in Hinduism, there are several secular reasons for vegetarianism today, including animal rights and environmental sustainability. The former is pretty self-explanatory, but I’d like to expound a bit on the latter. Producing meat takes more energy and resources than producing vegetarian foods. According to the New Scientist, if the global population switches to a low-meat diet, greenhouse gas emissions would reduce by nearly 10%. As a result, the recent drive to reduce energy consumption has further encouraged vegetarianism. In any case, a good portion of people are becoming vegetarian without any sort of explicit religious framework.

So, my question to all of you is: to what extent does Hindu tradition play a role in your choice to be vegetarian or non-vegetarian? Do you see an ethical imperative for vegetarianism beyond religion?

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Question of the Week: Why caffeine?

Saketh — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 01:21:43 +0000

Because it is Superbowl Sunday, I thought to write about football and Hinduism, but the only thing I could find with the words Steelers and Vedanta was the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy’s article on Concepts of God. So instead we propose a different Question, by thinking about the most popular psychoactive substance in the world — caffeine.

I mention this subject because last year I spoke to a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Church of LDS”), who mentioned that, like some Hindus, he adheres to dietary restrictions – specifically, he abstains from caffeinated beverages, such as coffee and tea. What little I know tells me that this injunction stems from Section 89 of the LDS Church’s Doctrine and Covenants, known as the Word of Wisdom, in the line:

And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.

Within the LDS this has officially been interpreted as referring to coffee and tea, but because caffeine is common to both, it was subsequently inferred — though not officially — to be taboo. For example, because this refers to hot drinks, it is still debated whether or not caffeinated sodas are permissible. Regardless of this point, the important insight is there — what place does caffeine have in your personal definition of Hinduism?

I drink caffeinated beverages almost every day, so this is a hard question to ask, because, like the question of vegetarianism (post) or alcohol (post), it involves a personal dietary choice. I also do not know about how the consideration of Sattvic, Tamasic, and Rajasic fits in. I feel like the way to answer this question is to consider attachment to caffeine, rather than caffeine itself. But this raises an interesting point — how do we approach spirituality in a modified biological context? For example, if a drug can induce detachment and spirituality (as do many entheogens), is it desirable? If humans can be engineered to be saints by birth, what will happen to religion?

There are many questions like this to be asked, but the aspect which is most relevant to us today is — how does caffeine fit into your personal Hinduism? My opinion is that so long as the capacity for detachment exists, it is okay — but then the question becomes, do I actually have the capacity for detachment, or is the easy access to caffeine tricking me?

At any rate, it is another theological void.

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