Why should you be a Vegetarian?

I was a non-vegetarian till 6 months ago.Around that time I started practicing meditation.I learned from web that for better concentration and for achieving success in spiritual life, I need to follow a vegetarian diet.So I stopped taking meat from that day.It was a bit difficult in the beginning, saying “no” to your favorite foods.But with my will power I continued.Now so many people asks me why I turned into a vegetarian.This article is an answer for them.

Albert Einstein said this: “I am living without fats, without meat, without fish, but am feeling quite well this way. It always seems to me that man was not born to be a carnivore.”
Another quote from Einstein is : “A human being is a part of the whole, called by us the ‘Universe’, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security.”

Those who believes in religions,I will start with Christianity.
(Source :Genesis 1:29-31)
Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.”
Jesus has always sided with mercy,kindness,compassion and love.Do you think factory farms and slaughterhouses support Jesus’s messages in any way.I dont think so.

According to Hindu Vedas we should avoid non-vegitarian foods, because they induce “Rakshasa Guna”(guna means character and Rakshasa means violence) in you.Today world is full of violence.When we kill animals or hurt someone we don’t feel any mercy towards them.It becomes a normal act or us.When you strictly follow a vegetarian diet the “violence character” in you , will die. Yoga practitioners are also said to follow vegetarian diet because yoga needs your mind to be calm and free from thoughts.With a non-vegetarian diet you cannot concentrate on “Sadhana”(in meditation).

Buddhism also has supported vegetarian diet.Even though Buddha didn’t ask his followers to be strictly vegetarians,he used to say “How can a monk, who hopes to become a deliverer of others, himself be living on the flesh of sentient beings?”.To counter this people say that Bhuddha was a non-vegetarian.It is true upto an extend.Bhuddha consumed alms food offered by lay followers, whom they encountered “randomly” from place to place. Though the Buddha never requested specific food to be offered, He spoke against the intentional acquiring of meat for him.But at the same time,he doesn’t want to say “no” to his poor followers when they gave him meat. Buddha was a vegetarian at heart.

Jainism also recommends strict Vegetarianism.They consider the practice of vegetarianism as an instrument for the practice of nonviolence and peaceful, cooperative coexistence.

Apart from these religions Taoism and Zoroastrianism also support vegetarian diet.Many of the religions doesn’t strictly ask for you to be a vegetarian but they do believe that being vegetarian is a good practice.

Another point to remember is that animals come in the food chain in the middle or at the top.Plants are at the bottom,and they are called producers because they are able to use light energy from the Sun to produce food (sugar) from carbon dioxide and water.Animals are called consumers, because they cannot make their own food so they must eat plants and/or other animals. The point you should remember here is that when a herbivore eats, only a fraction of the energy (that it gets from the plant food) becomes new body mass; the rest of the energy is lost as waste or used up by the herbivore to carry out its life processes (e.g., movement, digestion, reproduction).This means that we use more of nature’s resource to live our life when we eat meat, than vegetables.

Though humans are said to be Carnivores, the human anatomy clearly shows that we are Vegetarians by nature.Follow this link for more.

Following a vegetarian diet is not that difficult as you think.For the survival of one human,we kill so many animals.Is that a right thing to do?Don’t they deserve a better consideration?

Some may think that vegetarians are weak compared to others.But this is not true.Mac Danzig is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter and instructor, and is a former lightweight champion for the King of the Cage and Gladiator Challenge mixed martial arts organizations.There are many martial artists,body builders and athletes who are vegans.So you need not kill an animal for becoming strong.

Fasting-Good or Bad

There are so many misconceptions about fasting.Some people see fasting only in a religious way.Though all the religions have different kind of ways to fast,the meaning of fasting is not bound by any religions.It has many advantages.

Technically the process of fasting is said to be started within the first 12 to 24 hours of the fast.What this means is that, the carbohydrates stored in the body has to be used as an energy source when you are in fasting. The fast will continue as long as fat and carbohydrate stores are used for energy, as opposed to protein stores. Once protein stores begin to be converted into energy (resulting in loss of muscle mass) a person is technically starving.
So let us see the advantages of fasting:
1)During a fast, energy is diverted away from the digestive system due to its lack of use and towards the immune system. Growth hormones are also released during a fast, due to the greater efficiency in hormone production.This increases the life expectancy of the individual.
2)When a cell is damaged, the body tries to repair it.But when the damage is high and energy supplied is less(i.e when you are in fasting) then the body disintegrates the cell and autolysis happens.Autolysis is the destruction of a cell through the action of its own enzymes.The body will first decompose and burn those cells and tissues which are diseased, damaged, aged or dead.The important thing to note here is that the essential tissues and vital organs, the glands, the nervous system and the brain are not digested in fasting.Thus the body undergoes a self repair when you fast,as the damaged cells will be replaced by new cells.

Though fasting has it’s own advantages,if it is not taken with care then the body may get weak.You can fast in two ways:
1)Water fasting – Drink water and avoid all other types of food.This is a good method against obesity.You should remember that you should take rest when fasting.water fasting shouldn’t last more than one week,and beginners should consult a doctor before starting.
2)Another method is to take fruit juices instead of water.This will help in maintaining the mineral level of body from going down.

So now you know that fasting will only help, don’t hesitate to fast.Remember that all this years we are troubling our body with junk food.So give it some time to manage itself.

What are chakras?

For a good understanding of chakras, first read about Nadis here
Whenever there is an interlacing of several nadis, that centre is called “chakra”.There are hundreds of chakra in our body, but only seven of them are very important.By doing pranayama and meditation you can make your chakras more powerful.Depending on the sex of the individual, the chakras rotate either clockwise(for male) or counter-clockwise(for female).Each chakra is represented by a lotus with a varying number of petals,which signifies the number of interlacing nadis.Each chakra also has many characteristics.They are explained below:
Muladhara Chakra: Mula means `root` or `base`, and adhara means `support`. Its located `below the genitals and above the anus`.This Chakra is the transitional and common point where the animal reached the top of its existence and human existence begins.The qualities associated with Muladhara Chakra are passion, sexuality,illusion, anger, greed, hatred, simplicity and sensuality.It has Four Petals. Its geometric shape is Square and colour is red. The element associated with it is Earth, and animal is elephant.It brings a sense of safety and security.
vadhisthana Chakra: ‘Sva’ means one’s own and ‘adhisthana’ means abode.The fundamental quality of the Swadhisthan Chakra is that of creativity.It has six Petals.The geometric shape of the chakra is crescent and colour is Orange. Element is water, and corresponding animal is Makara (the body of a fish with a head resembling that of a crocodile).
Manipura Chakra: Mani means jewel and Pura means city. It represents motion, passion, will power and desire to excel.It is behind the navel, and this center gives us the power to sustain something within ourselves.On the physical level it caters to the functions of the solar plexus.The chakra`s lotus has ten petals and associated colour is yellow.The geometric shape is that of downward pointing triangle. The element is fire, and animal Ram.
Anahata chakra:Anahata means `unrestricted`, which refers to the `sacred inner sound` that is heard during deep introspective editation.Number of petals is twelve and colour is green.The Geometric shape is hexagram (two overlapping triangles, one pointing upwards, the other downwards).Element is wind and animal is Black antelope.
Vishuddha chakra: Also known as throat chakra.Visuddha means `pure` or `cleansed` both in a hygienic and a moral sense.is in charge of hearing sense and the speech organ (voice box or larynx).It is located `At the base of the throat` (kanthamula).Number of petals of the Chakra is sixteen and has a blue colour. The geometric shape is circle within a downward-pointing triangle.The element is space(ether or metal).The corresponding animal is white elephant.
Ajna chakra(3rd eye):Ajna means `command` or `order`.It is said that one is able receive `inner conscience or the supreme Self’ once they awaken this chakra.It is located at the centre of the brow, just above the bridge of the nose.It controls and energizes the pituitary gland, the endocrine glands and energizes the brain to a certain extent.The number of Petals of this Chakra is two with colored defined as Indigo.
Sahasrara chakra(Crown chakra): Sahasrara, meaning ‘thousand’, is the “Lotus of the Thousand Petals” located four finger-breadths above the crown of the head.This chakra symbolizes detachment from illusion; an essential element in obtaining supramental higher consciousness of the truth that one is all and all is one.The associated colour is white.

what are nadis?

Nadis are the astral tubes made up of astral matter that carry psychic currents. The word ‘Nadi’ is derived from the sanskrit word ‘Nad’ which means ‘motion’. It is through these Nadis, the vital force or Pranic current moves or flows. Since they are made up of subtle matter the naked physical eyes cannot see them and you cannot make any experiments in the physical plane. These Yoga Nadis are not the ordinary nerves, arteries and veins known to the modern medicine.
Ancient Indian texts say that there are 72,000 nadis in our body.Out of which 10 are the most important.They are as follows:
1. Ida situated on the left side of the central spinal channel (sushumna-nadi).
2. Pingala is situated on the right side of Sushumna.
3. Sushumna is situated in the mid-region (between ida and pingala).
4. Gandhari – terminating in the left eye.
5. Hastijihvha terminating in the right eye.
6. Pusa terminating in the right ear.
7. Yasasvini terminating in the left ear.
8. Alambusa terminating in the mouth.
9. Kuhu terminates in the region of the linga (phallus, genital organ).
10. Samkhini the anal region or at the perineum (Mula, `root`).

Out of this the first three Ida,pingala and sushumna are very important.They are explained below:
Ida(known as yin in china) flows through the left nostril and is also called Chandra Nadi (moon).It is cooling type and feminine in nature.It also refers to right hemisphere of our brain.It deals with subconscious mind.Ida is emotional.
Pingala(known as yang in china) flows through the right nostril and is also called Surya Nadi(sun).It is of heating type and masculine in nature.It refers to left hemisphere of brain.It deals with supraconscious mind.Pingala is rational.
Sushumna nadi starts from the Kanda-mula, lying just below the Muladhara chakra(will be explained later), and goes upward centrally within the vertebral column.This is the nadi for self realization.

Whenever there is an interlacing of several nadis, that centre is called “chakra”.There are hundreds of chakra in our body, but only seven of them are very important.They are explained in the next blog

Seven body concept and chakras

According to Indian metaphysical beliefs, we are not a single body.It is said that every human being is composed of 7 bodies,physical body just being one of them.And when I say body here,I actually mean energy vibrating at a particular frequency.The densest of these is the physical body,which we can see with our eyes.The other six bodies are Etheric body,Astral body,Mental body,Spiritual body,Cosmic body, and Divine body.
The second body,etheric body, is that in which thoughts are born.
The third body,Astral body, is related to social behavior,artistic skills,delicate emotions etc.
The fourth,Mental body relates to the idea,man authors his future.
The fifth,spiritual body deals with the sub conscious mind.
The sixth,cosmic body deals with the concept of oneness with the universe.
The seventh,Divine body deals with nothingness.

Another interesting topic is “chakras”.Chakras, also known as whirling energy centers are among the most vital parts of the energy body. The human body contains seven major chakras.These seven chakras are related to the seven major glands in our body.When there is an energy deficiency in one chakra,the gland associated with it will not work properly and we become sick.Healing can be done by supplying the extra energy needed,by a Reiki master.The seven bodies mentioned in the beginning are related to these seven chakras.They are:
1. Muladhara (Root Chakra) – associated with physical body.
2. Swadhisthana (Sacral Chakra) – associated with etheric body.
3. Manipura (Solar Plexus Chakra) – associated with Astral body.
4. Anahata (Heart Chakra) – associated with Mental body.
5. Vishuddha (Throat Chakra) – associated with spiritual body.
6. Ajna (Third or Eye Chakra) – associated with cosmic body .
7. Sahasrara (Crown Chakra) – associated with Divine body.
Each of these chakra has an associated colour,element and function.
More details about each chakra and their functions can be read from this link

People who have mastered the higher levels of consciousness like clairvoyants and occultists can actually see these bodies generally known as ‘aura’ or ‘human energy field’. The aura can be photographed with a special technique called Kirlian photography.
Here is a kirlian image of a leaf.