I was born in a society where meats were eaten normally like any vegetables. I was brought up in a society where I was made to think animals are meant for vegetables. However, I am never fond of meat. I didn't realize that animals need happiness like what we human beings desire. I didn't realize animals were our parents and friends. I even didn't realize animals suffer a dreadful fear in slaughtering houses just because to fulfill the enjoyment to our taste bud. Now, I learned that even from a Buddhist point of view killing is not a merit deed, and need to respect animals as our parents.
It was those innocent childhood days that I went fishing. It was just for fun as fishing fish out of the river with its mouth hooked by the hook was interesting but never to be realized they were suffering a lot. Nobody told me they suffered and killing is a sin.
As I kept on studying and learning about the world and living beings, I realized what I did was wrong. After a decade of mind education, today I realized animals are our parents and friends. The deed like fishing and also thinking of animals as vegetables were wrong. I regret my sinful deed. It was only in 2007 when I was in class nine that the realization come to my mind. After completing class nine, I planned to go vegetarian from 2008. The plan never went as planned and I failed. The failed planed went from 2008, 2009, and 2010. I completed my class 12 and it was in 2011 where a miracle happened.
I was at the Royal University of Bhutan (College of Science and Technology) where I met my friend Rigzin Dorji in 2011. He was vegetarian for 6 years ago. Today he is still vegetarian and it is 13 years of vegetarian for him. He is healthy. He was my source of inspiration. I quit meat and become a vegetarian. Nobody told me to quit meat. Many asked me to eat meat for the nutrient requirement for my body. Their forcing of meat-eating let me think myself. Will I not survive without meat? No, I will survive because there are many societies where they never eat meat and live healthy like any other man. My question is how grasses-eating animals are surviving. They are not eating meat. When they could survive, I will survive. I may eat grass which is food for animals. But remember grass or food we feed to animals for raising meat is a higher quantity than we vegetarians consume. Otherwise, it should have fed the hunger of Africa and the world. The water feed to animals for raising meat will be enough for human consumption in a drought area. Vegetarian is indirectly saving the mother earth.
And my road to vegetarianism goes further. In 2012, I was in another home and have to eat meat. They said that you have given up meat yourself and there will be no sin. They meant I haven't taken any vow from Lama. It was my mistake that I didn't have a vow from Lama. So, if you think you want to quit meat then take a vow from Lama so that others won't force you to eat meat.
The fluctuation of meat-eating goes on until I was in Spain (2014). Many vegetarians become non-vegetarian as they reach Europe. My story is a different one. I converted myself to a vegetarian. I realized it was just because of the environment I couldn't convert before to vegetarian. Don't wait for the special day to come to convert yourselves from non-vegetarian to vegetarian. The special day will never come. The special day is every day. I am sorry to make one statement that people are wrong to say "vegetarian or vegan life is difficult in Europe". I didn't find any difficulties in diets. It was just excuses that non-vegetarians made as always to eat meat.
In 2016, I took a vow from my root teacher (Lama) to quit meat for my whole life. Today, I am happy about being a vegetarian. I am healthy like any other non-vegetarian. I love animals like my parents.
In context to our society, people believed women should eat meat for delivery purposes. But there are societies where women were vegetarian and no problem has occurred while delivering. I even saw many Bhutanese women who were vegetarian and nothing has happen to them during delivery time. I think it is just a myth which we believed.
World Health Organization (from a scientific point of view) has found meats cause cancers and many meat-related diseases. It is said that eating vegetables is far better than meat.
From the Buddhist point of view, animals were all our parents once in our previous life. So, consuming animals is indirectly consuming our parent's meat. So, eating meat is not good from a Buddhist point of view.
The reason why I quit meat and why we should quit.
The only difference between humans and animals is we are human beings and they are living beings. And we know how to speak and they don't. However, both want happiness like a human beings. It is not justifiable when we eat another living being who also wants to live long. Let us respect animals. Let us refrain from eating meat. Even if we can't stop completely, let us minimize the rate of eating.
The good news in Bhutan is that every organization and NGO are going vegetarian during conference and meeting. Also during the farewell to the outgoing or incoming candidate.
Anything to be added? Will you quit meat? Will you minimize the rate of eating? Animals need happiness.
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| homemade pizza |
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| Fried rice |
