Mindful consumption and vegetarianism

After the rumpus caused by my last couple of blogs I thought it was time to write about something a little more positive. Before this kicked off I had been preparing to write about Mindful consumption and actually this does follows on nicely from the situation I have encountered.

Since we started to learn and practice Dharma we have become more mindful about our life in general. Thinking more about what we spend our time doing, what food we eat, what goods we buy, and things we consume. This happened organically as we became more familiar with a Buddhist way of life. Although it had already become a part of our practice to some extent, I had not come across the term mindful consumption until I read Thich Nhat Hahn’s book ‘Wisdom for cooling the flames” which talks about being more aware of the things we consume and how that affects us, those around us, and society as a whole. When I think of consumption I usually think of food, but really we consume a lot more than that. Consumption can be the TV we watch, the conversations we partake in, the people we surround ourselves with and of course what we buy, eat, drink, and intoxicate ourselves with. To quote from Thich Nhat Hahn’s book which explains things perfectly?

“Our anger, our frustration, our despair, has much to do with our body and the food we eat. When we eat the flesh of an animal with mad cow disease, anger is there in the meat. But we must also look at the other kinds of food that we eat. When we eat an egg or a chicken, we know that the egg or chicken also contain a lot of anger. We are eating anger; and therefore we express anger. Nowadays, chickens are raised in large-scale modern farms where they cannot walk, run or seek food in the soil. They are fed solely by humans. They are kept in small cages and can not move at all. Day and night they have to stand. Imagine that you have no right to walk or to run. Imagine that you have to stay day and night in just one place. You would become mad. In order for the chickens to produce more eggs, the farmers create artificial days and nights. They use indoor lighting to create a shorter day and a shorter night so that they chickens believe that 24 hours have passed, and they produce more eggs. There is a lot of anger, a lot of frustration, and much suffering in the chickens. The express there anger and frustration by attacking the chickens next to them, they use their beaks to peck and wound each other. They cause each other to bleed, to suffer and to die. That is why farmers now cut the beaks off all the chickens, to prevent them from attacking each other out of frustration.

So when you eat the flesh or egg of such a chicken, you are eating anger and frustration. So be aware, be careful what you eat. If you eat anger you will become and express anger, if you eat despair, you will express despair. If you eat frustration you will express frustration. We have to eat happy eggs from happy chickens; we have to drink milk that does not come from angry cows’

This discusses the food we buy and eat which is only part of what we consume in our lives but does have a big bearing on our society, and on our bodies and minds. It was after reading this that I seriously re-evaluated my views on eating meat. I have known this information before. I have been aware for a long time that animals are killed, cut up, and prepared so that we can go to the shops and buy them to eat, and yet I have not really known this. Not on an emotional level. I have turned away from that knowledge because it was easy to pick up a packet of meat or a box of eggs in the shops without really thinking about how it got there. Maybe I might pick up the box that stated free-range but that was done in an un-mindful way. Why would I pick up the box of free-range eggs and then go on to collect any kind of meat? I just didn’t let the knowledge of what was happening filter through on an emotional level. If it ever did enter my mind it was too distasteful to imagine and so I just didn’t think about it and enjoyed my food.

I also started to think about the reality that I could not kill an animal myself. I won’t even kill a spider and so there would be no way that I would ever kill a cow, pig, chicken or baby lamb. I have pets and I could not eat them. I consider all sentient beings alike and I believe that all living creatures are sentient. I therefore do not value my cat over the cow that I was eating in my beef stew and the only reason that I was able to eat meat at all was because someone else had killed it for me, and had presented it to me in a way that made the reality of the animals’ death distanced.

I am not criticizing people who eat meat. I understand that humans are omnivores and therefore there is a craving for meat. There are also vitamins etc in meat that when having a vegetarian diet need to be considered. It involves more thought and I think for a lot of people it’s not easy. Our change to vegetarianism has been gradual. We have cut out meat gradually at first only eating white meat when we where at home but other meat elsewhere if offered, and then no meat at home but meat at work and if offered. Now we do not buy or cook any meat, we do not take meat at work or buy it simply for convenience. I will however accept meat if given it during hospitality under certain circumstances. For example at a dinner party I would not demand that a person cook separate for us at this time because we are of the opinion that if the meat has been bought and will be cooked anyway then we are ok with that for the moment but we are giving it some serious thought. The main person I don’t want to offend with this is my Mum who I know gets a lot out of cooking and having us over for dinner. It would upset her to have to cook separate, she would not feel confident with vegetarian meals and she would miss it greatly if we did not come to dinner.

“Buddha - Self: The "Secret" Teachings of the Buddha in the Mahaparinirvana Sutra, Vol. 2"When we bring mindfulness to the dinner table, it suffuses the rest of our life as well. We become more sensitive to the well-being of animals, of the environment, and of ourselves and our families. We are more aware of the choices we make in all areas of our life. We enjoy food more, know that, while the obtaining of even plant foods necessitates some suffering, the amount and kind of suffering is dramatically reduced when we leave meat off our shopping lists and out of our kitchens. We become more aware of how meat consumption feeds violence and anger."

We have found generally that not eating meat hasn’t been a big sacrifice. In the past when I was vegetarian (as a teenager) I did miss meat a great deal. I assume that was because even though I didn’t want the animals to die and thus didn’t want to eat dead flesh, I had not meditated and attained a full comprehension of this. Now when I think about eating meat it is not all that attractive because I am thinking of it as dead flesh not food. Occasionally when preparing food for others at work I have been hungry and the thought of slipping a piece into my mouth has briefly crossed my mind, but as soon as I familiarize myself with the knowledge of the animal’s death and suffering that desire spontaneously recedes. I then find that what I am craving is food because I am hungry and not the meat itself.

"The eating of meat cannot in any way be considered to be helpful to the practice of the dharma, neither can the slaughter of animals be considered to be consistent with the Buddhist teachings of compassion (metta , ahimsa , and karuna ), of loving kindness, or of the nature of the evocation of the enlightenment-mind. The cruelties associated with the slaughter of the animal kingdom for human consumption, the pain, fear, and distress suffered by the animals in the entire process of being fattened for butchering, as well as the environmental disasters wreaked upon our planet through the meat industry, are very well documented, and should be understood by all who claim to be developing bodhicitta, or who wish to."~ Bodo BalsysAhimsa : Buddhism and the Vegetarian Ideal”

I have done some reading on what actually goes on in a slaughter house, and how most of the meat industry works and even though it claims to be ethical, there really is not a way to kill animals that does not make the animal suffer. Every sentient being tries to avoid death and animals are no different to humans in this respect. They would not choose to be killed and eaten just as much as I would not choose to be killed and eaten. When I think about what these animals go through I actually feel genuine remorse for there unnecessary deaths. If I where to stand in a slaughter house I think I would not be able to watch what was going on, I would be crying and pleading to let them all go. I remember as a child there was a slaughter market close to where we lived and I would see the sheep/cows, baby lambs all grazing in the field waiting to be killed. It really disturbed me, I think had I been older I might have been tempted to go try and steal one of those baby lambs. The slaughter house moved out of sight and it truly was out of sight out of mind. I wish in a way that it had remained, I think I would have come to this conclusion far sooner.

"We can do no greater harm that to kill another sentient being. Killing is the ultimate expression of indifference to the well-being of others. All, except in the most extreme circumstances, cherish life. In the contemporary hell of the modern slaughterhouse animals cry out and cower in terror when they realize that their life is nearing a premature end. All beings, except in the most desperate circumstances, try to escape death."~ BodhipaksaVegetarianism

The more research, reading and meditation I do around this subject the less and less appealing meat becomes. In a way I hope eventually it turns my stomach because I feel like it should.

Food is a central part of mindful consumption, but not the only thing that we consume. I have also been evaluating my intake of alcohol. Rick has already made the commitment not to drink and I am considering doing the same. Since I started exploring the reasons for and against drinking I have not had a drink. I haven’t made up my mind up with this, it feels innocent enough having the odd glass or 2 of wine, and yet I know that once I have consumed this I am unable to meditate. It is intoxicating my body no matter how small the dose and I may be relaxed but my mind is listless. I am more likely to be unmindful or harsh, and what enjoyment I do get from that odd glass of wine is not so much so that it would make me very unhappy not to have it. I have gone over a year without drinking because I just went off the taste and I only started having wine again when I met Rick. He was also a wine drinking and it was nice to relax in the evenings with a few glasses. Now that he is no longer drinking I am happy with my fizzy water or ginger-bear. I find this harder to give up than meat because with meat I can see unmistakable suffering caused to the animals, but with a glass of wine it is not so evident although I fully appreciate that alcohol can cause suffering it feels more indirect than meat.

When I take into further consideration the 5 precepts of Buddhism (for a lay person) the 5 states;

“surāmeraya-majja-pamādaṭṭḥānāveramaṇī sikkhāpadaṃ samādiyāmi”

“I undertake the training principle of abstaining from intoxicating drinks and negligent states of intoxication.”

There is some debate on this precept, some people saying that this means anything that intoxicates us and so any alcohol is wrong. Other people believe that the crux of the matter is “the not becoming intoxicated” because of the original wording, or possible translation of the wording being "substances which cause heedlessness" are to be avoided. This implies that the crux of the matter is not to become heedless, and so a small amount of alcohol is ok. I am also considering that there are some possible health benefits from drinking a small amount of alcohol.
What I think I am likely to decide for myself is to have only a very small amount of alcohol on special occasions. This means I am not tempted to just buy wine when I am stressed/or seeking relaxation and so I learn other ways to relax and be social. However I have not made up my mind. One of the things I respect most about Buddhism is that there are no grand rules that we must follow; Buddha encourages us to make up our own minds. One of my all time favorite quotes from Buddha is;

“Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever after due examination and analysis, you find it to be kind, conductive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings – that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide"

From the perspective of Buddhist culture the 5 precepts are only suggestions that we can willingly choose for ourselves. There are no 10 commandments from a God that will force you into the fiery pits of hell if you disagree. We are accountable for ourselves to decide on what is good or bad for us, and for those around us.

Along with what we eat and drink we also consume things such as magazines, conversations, surroundings, TV programs, films, and books. We are bombarded with information relentlessly and although some of it we have no choice but to consume, there are things that we can avoid. I am going to try to refrain from watching violence and killing for fun, either in films or TV programs because it seems that it desensitizes. When I pick up a book I want to be aware of what I am reading, if I feel it is causing me to feel anger or hatred then as I would in any situation in my everyday life I should put that book down and contemplate the reasons why, try and establish some compassion and understanding and then if need be choose not to consume. That does not mean I will turn a blind eye to the suffering of the past or present, but when I am allowing that information to sink in, rather than just allow it to filter through my consciousness like a sieve, without any real feeling or wisdom, I want to fully appreciate it, acknowledge it and it actually mean something.

When I choose to be around people I will attempt to be around people that are not trapped in pessimism and negativity. Although I will always help friends when they are down, I am aware now how dangerous it is for me to be around groups of people that have a negative feeling, or cause me or others distress. When in the past I may have kept struggling on to try and fit in or help people see a different insight, the latest events in my life have taught me a worthwhile lesson; sometimes I need to retire from such an environment and surround myself with things conducive to peace and contentment.

It is clear when looking at the world that a great many people are unhappy and stuck in endless cycles of consuming things that give only temporary happiness. When it comes to suffering people are often making others suffering to make up for there own suffering and then that results in more people wanting to cause suffering. I see many people stuck in an unhappy rut. We are not yet at the point where this species is only thoughtful and ironically it seems it is humans who are the most inhumane species on earth. We generate so much needless suffering and I myself am a part of this. I think the more I meditate, the more I understand that meditation is something that the human race in general could gain from, it could be something separate from the Buddhist faith. I do not think you have to have faith in the Buddha and in spirituality to derive benefits from meditation and attempts and mindfulness. I found this story very insightful when trying to describe the benefits I have had from applying meditation and thought to my daily life;

“One day frog saw turtle looking down at him. ‘Turtle,’ frog said. ‘You have no idea what a great place I live in. When I am restless, I hop along its coping. When I am tired, I rest at its crevice along its wall, when hot; I swim in its water or play in its shade. Why don’t you come down and see for yourself how wonderful it is?’
Tempted, the turtle prepared to jump. Placing his left foot in, he suddenly caught his right foot on the railing along the wells edge. He retreated and said, ‘Frog, your quarters are so small I daren’t go down. Why don’t you come and visit my home in the ocean instead? It’s tens of thousands of miles wide and thousands of yards deep. In times of floods, its waters rise only a little, in times of drought; its waters hardly fall at all. Surely that’s more interesting than your well?’
On hearing this, the frog became silent and could only stare at the turtle in amazement.”

What we consume in-pacts greatly on the world around is. Every living being, not only animals but plants and bacteria are part of the universe. We are the universe and it is us. If we pollute our environment to suit or convenience, we are damaging parts of our self because we and the universe are one. There is no such thing as I, except in perception alone.

“Until there is a more meditative dimension in the peace movement, our perceptions of reality (and thus our ability to help occasion understanding and transformation) will be terribly crippled. Whatever our religious or non religious background and vocabulary may be, we will be over-looking something as essential to our live and worth as breathing”
Thich Nhat Han.

I believe this applies to all things and I hope that humanity is moving towards such a goal. Some people believe that we will perish because of our destructiveness to the planet, ourselves and each other. I hope for another possibility; that we will begin on a new path of peace and love as a nation and world together. Perhaps that is idealistic but it pushes me further into developing my own mind so that I can hopefully escape Samsara (the cycle of death and re-birth) and eventually attain enlightenment and help other beings to do the same (as a Buddha). One of the fundamental things that I can do in this life is mindful consumption. I will most certainly make many blunders along the way and I am a long way off a point where I can say that I am even a fraction of the way there. But I try. and every mistake I do make is well considered and not taken lightly. What the past few days have taught me is that sometimes what I believe to be an insight is only an idea to others. I can force my idea onto others but then it is only an idea and not real insight. I want to work to create the conditions so that other people can share the insight through their own experience and understanding. I can only explain so much and then it is really up to them. I think often I am unwavering when I see something is wrong that I must try and put it right, especially if I see that it makes people suffer. I am starting to understand that there are times when this will not be possible. That suffering will happen and that no matter how hard I try and share my insight and make it a collective one people may not be receptive. It takes a lot of skill and patience to achieve this balance and I am working on it J I can honestly say that the past few days may have caused me a lot of tears but it was a turning point in my understanding of myself and others. I am now choosing what to consume in a more profound way than what I put in my stomach.

Peace and love to all
Jools