.

51 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet

The Benefits of
a Vegetarian Diet
A
lifetimecommitmenttoaveganorlactovegetariandietisa
prerequisite for initiation into the Quan Yin Method. Foods
fromplantsourcesanddairyproductsarepermittedonthisdiet,
butallotherfoodsfromanimalsourcesincludingeggsshouldnotbe
eaten.Therearemanyreasonsforthis,butthemostimportantcomes
fromtheFirstPrecept,whichtellsustorefrainfromtakingthelifeof
sentientbeings,orThou shalt not kill.

Notkillingorotherwiseharmingotherlivingcreaturesisofobviousbenefit
forthem.Lessobviousisthefactthatrefrainingfromharmingothersis
equallyadvantageousforourselves.Why?BecauseoftheLawofKarma:
As ye sow, so shall ye reap.Whenyoukill,orcauseotherstokillforyou,
inordertosatisfyyourdesireformeat,youincurakarmicdebt,and
thisdebtmusteventuallyberepaid.

Soinaveryrealsense,thekeepingofavegetariandietisagiftwhich
wegivetoourselves.Wefeelbetter,thequalityofourlivesimproves
astheheavinessofourkarmicindebtednessdiminishes,andweare
offeredentranceintonewsubtleandheavenlyrealmsofinnerexpe-
rience.Itiswellworththesmallpriceyouhavetopay!
Thespiritualargumentsagainsteatingmeatareconvincingforsome
52 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
people,butthereareothercompellingreasonsforbeingavegetarian.
Allofthemarerootedincommonsense.Theyhavetodowithissues
ofpersonalhealthandnutrition,ecologyandtheenvironment,ethics
andanimalsuffering,andworldhunger.

Health and Nutrition

Studiesofhumanevolutionhaveshownthatourancestorswereveg-
etarianbynature.Thestructureofthehumanbodyisnotsuitedforeating
meat.Thiswasdemonstratedinanessayincomparativeanatomyby
Dr.G.S.HuntingenofColumbiaUniversity.Hepointedoutthatcarnivores
haveshortsmallandlargeintestines.Theirlargeintestineischaracteris-
ticallyverystraightandsmooth.Incontrast,vegetariananimalshave
bothalongsmallintestineandalonglargeintestine.Becauseofthe
lowfibercontentandhighproteindensityofmeat,theintestinesdonot
requirealongtimetoabsorbnutrients;thus,theintestinesofcarnivores
areshorterinlengththanthoseofvegetariananimals.

Humans, like other naturally vegetarian animals, have both a long

smallandlargeintestine.Together,ourintestinesareapproximately
twenty-eightfeet(eightandahalfmeters)inlength.Thesmallintestine
isfoldedbackonitselfmanytimes,anditswallsareconvoluted,not
smooth.Becausetheyarelongerthanthosefoundincarnivores,the
meatweeatstaysinourintestinesforalongerperiodoftime.Conse-
quently,themeatcanputrefyandcreatetoxins.Thesetoxinshave
beenimplicated,asacauseofcoloncancer,andtheyalsoincrease
theburdenontheliver,whichhasthefunctionofgettingridoftoxins.
Thiscancausecirrhosisandevencanceroftheliver.
Meatcontainsalotofurokinaseproteinandurea,whichaddtothe
burden on the kidneys, and can destroy kidney function. There are
fourteengramsofurokinaseproteinineverypoundofsteak.Ifliving
. 53 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
cellsareputintoliquidurokinaseprotein,theirmetabolicfunctionwill
degenerate. Furthermore, meat lacks cellulose or fiber, and lack of
fibercaneasilycreateconstipation.Itisknownthatconstipationcan
causerectalcancerorpiles.
Thecholesterolandsaturatedfatsinfleshalsocreatecardiovascular
disorders.Cardiovasculardisordersarethenumberoneleadingcause
ofdeathintheUnitedStates,andnowinFormosa.
Canceristhesecondleadingcauseofdeath.Experimentsindicate
that the burning and roasting of flesh creates a chemical element
(Methylcholanthrene), which is a powerful carcinogen. Mice given
thischemicaldevelopcancers,suchasbonetumors,cancerofthe
blood,cancerofthestomach,etc.

Researchhasshownthatinfantmicefedbyafemalemousehaving
breast cancer will also develop cancer. When human cancer cells
wereinjectedintoanimals,theanimalsalsodevelopedcancer.Ifthe
meatwhichweeatdailycomesfromanimalsthatoriginallyhavesuch
disorders,andwetakethemintoourbody,thereisagoodchance
wewillalsogetthediseases.

Mostpeopleassumethatmeatiscleanandsafe,thatthereareinspections
doneatallbutcheries.Therearefartoomanycattle,pigs,poultry,etc,killed
forsaleeverydayforeachonetoactuallybeexamined.Itsverydifficult
tocheckwhetherapieceofmeathascancerinit,letalonecheckevery
singleanimal.Currently,themeatindustryjustcutsofftheheadwhenit
hasaproblem,orcutsoffthelegwhichisdiseased.Onlythebadpartsare
removedandtherestissold.
Thefamousvegetarian,Dr.J.H.Kelloggsaid,Whenweeatvegetarian
food, we dont have to worry about what kind of disease the food
diedof.Thismakesajoyfulmeal!
54 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
Thereisyetanotherconcern.Antibioticsaswellasotherdrugsincluding
steroids and growth hormones are either added to animal feed or
injected directly into the animals. It has been reported that people
eatingtheseanimalswillabsorbthesedrugsintotheirbodies.Thereis
apossibilitythatantibioticsinmeatarediminishingtheeffectiveness
ofantibioticsforhumanuse.

There are some people who consider the vegetarian diet not suffi-
cientlynourishing.AnAmericansurgicalexpert,Dr.Miller,practiced
medicineforfortyyearsinFormosa.Heestablishedahospitalthere,
whereallthemealswerevegetarian,forstaffmembersaswellasthe
patients.Hesaid,Themouseisonekindofanimalwhichcansupport
itslifewithbothavegetarianandnon-vegetariandiet.Iftwomiceare
segregated,withoneeatingfleshandtheothervegetarianfood,we
findthattheirgrowthanddevelopmentarethesame,butthatthe
vegetarianmouseliveslongerandhasgreaterresistancetodisease.
Furthermore,whenthetwomicegotsick,thevegetarianmouserecov-
eredquicker.Hethenadded,Themedicinegiventousbymodern
sciencehasimprovedgreatly,butitcanonlytreatillnesses.Foodhow-
ever,cansustainourhealth.Hepointedoutthat,Foodfromplants
is a more direct source of nutrition than meat. People eat animals,
butthesourcesofnutritionfortheanimalsweeatisplants.Thelivesof
mostanimalsareshort,andanimalshavenearlyallthediseasesthat
humankindhas.Itisverylikelythatthediseasesofhumankindcome
fromeatingthefleshofdiseasedanimals.So,whydontpeopleget
theirnutritiondirectlyfromplants?Dr.Millersuggestedthatweonly
needcereals,beansandvegetablestogetallthenourishmentweneed
tomaintaingoodhealth.

Many people have the idea that animal protein is superior to plant
proteinbecausetheformerisconsideredacompleteprotein,andthe
latterisincomplete.Thetruthisthatsomeplantproteinarecomplete,
. 55 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
andthatfoodcombiningcancreatecompleteproteinsoutofseveral
incompleteproteinfoods.

In March 1988 the American Dietetic Association announced that:

ItisthepositionoftheADAthatvegetariandietsarehealthfuland
nutritionallyadequatewhenappropriatelyplanned.

It is often falsely believed that meat-eaters are stronger than veg-

etarians, but an experiment conducted by Professor Irving Fisher of
Yale University on 32 vegetarians and 15 meat-eaters showed that
vegetarianshadmoreendurancethanmeat-eaters.Hehadpeople
holdouttheirarmsforaslongaspossible.Theoutcomefromthetest
was very clear. Among the 15 meat-eaters, only two persons could
holdouttheirarmsforfifteentothirtyminutes.However,amongthe
32vegetarians:22personsheldouttheirarmsforfifteentothirtymin-
utes,15personsforoverthirtyminutes,9personsforoveronehour,4
personsforovertwohours,andonevegetarianheldhisarmsoutfor
overthreehours.

Manylongdistancetrackathleteskeepavegetariandietforthetime
preceding competitions. Dr. Barbara More, an expert in vegetarian
therapy,completedaonehundredandtenmileraceintwenty-seven
hoursandthirtyminutes.Awomanoffifty-sixyearsofage,shebrokeall
therecordsheldbyyoungmen:Iwanttobeanexampletoshowthat
peoplewhotakeawholevegetariandietwillenjoyastrongbody,a
clearmindandapurifiedlife.
Doesthevegetariangetenoughproteininhisdiet?TheWorldHealth
Organizationrecommendsthat4.5%ofdailycaloriesbederivedfrom
protein.Wheathas17%ofitscaloriesasprotein,broccolihas45%and
ricehas8%.Itisveryeasytohaveaproteinrichdietwithouteatingmeat.
Withtheadditionalbenefitofavoidingthemanydiseasescausedby
56 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
highfatdietssuchasheartdiseaseandmanycancers,vegetarianism
isclearlythesuperiorchoice.
Therelationshipbetweenoverconsumptionofmeatandotherani-
malsourcefoodscontaininghighlevelsofsaturatedfats,andheart
disease,breastcancer,coloncancerandstrokeshasbeenproven.
Otherdiseaseswhichareoftenpreventedandsometimescuredby
alow-fatvegetariandietinclude:kidneystones,prostatecancer,dia-
betes,pepticulcers,gallstones,irritablebowelsyndrome,arthritis,gum
disease,acne,pancreaticcancer,stomachcancer,hypoglycemia,
constipation,diverticulosis,hypertension,osteoporosis,ovariancancer,
hemorrhoids,obesityandasthma.

Thereisnogreaterpersonalhealthriskthaneatingmeat,asidefrom
smoking.

Ecology and the Environment

Raisinganimalsformeathasitsconsequences.Itleadstorainforest
destruction,globalheatrising,waterpollution,waterscarcity,desertifi-
cation,misuseofenergyresourcesandworldhunger.Theuseofland,
water,energyandhumanefforttoproducemeatisnotanefficient
waytousetheEarthsresources.

Since 1960, some 25% of Central Americas rain forests have been
burnedandclearedtocreatepastureforbeefcattle.Ithasbeenes-
timatedthateveryfourouncehamburgermadefromrainforestbeef
destroys55squarefeetoftropicalrainforest.Inaddition,raisingcattle
contributessignificantlytotheproductionofthreegaseswhichcause
globalwarming;isaleadingcauseofwaterpollutionandrequiresa
staggering2464gallonsofwaterfortheproductionofeachpoundof
beef.Itonlytakes29gallonsofwatertoproduceapoundoftomatoes
. 57 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
and139gallonstoproduceaonepoundloafofwholewheatbread.
NearlyhalfofthewaterconsumedintheUnitedStatesgoestothe
growingoffeedforcattleandotherlivestock.

Manymorepeoplecouldbefediftheresourcesusedtoraisecattle
wereusedtoproducegraintofeedtheworldspopulation.Anacre
oflandgrowingoatsproduces8timestheproteinand25timesthe
calories,iftheoatsarefedtohumansratherthantocattle.Anacre
oflandusedforbroccoliproduces10timestheprotein,caloriesand
niacin as an acre of land producing beef. Statistics like these are
numerous.Theworldsresourceswouldbemoreefficientlyutilizedif
thelandusedforlivestockproductionwasconvertedtoraisingcrops
tofeedpeople.

Eating a vegetarian diet allows you to tread more lightly on the

planet.Inadditiontotakingonlywhatyouneedandreducingexcess,
youwillfeelbetterwhenyouknowthatalivingbeingdoesnthaveto
dieeachtimeyoueatameal.

World Hunger

Nearly one billion people suffer from hunger and malnutrition on this
planet.Over40milliondieeachyearofstarvation,andmostofthemare
children.Despitethis,morethanonethirdoftheworldsgrainharvestis
divertedfromfeedingpeopletofeedinglivestock.IntheUnitedStates,
livestockconsume70%ofallthegrainproduced.Ifwefedpeopleinstead
oflivestock,noonewouldgohungry.
Animal Suffering

Areyouawareofthefactthatmorethan100,000cowsareslaughtered
everydayintheUnitedStates?
58 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
MostanimalsinWesterncountriesareraisedonfactoryfarms.These
facilitiesaredesignedtoproducethemaximumnumberofanimals
forslaughterattheminimumexpense.Animalsarecrowdedtogether,
disfiguredandtreatedlikemachinesfortheconversionoffeedinto
flesh.Thisisarealitythatmostofuswillneverseewithourowneyes.
Ithasbeensaidthat,Onevisittoaslaughterhousewillmakeyoua
vegetarianforlife.

LeoTolstoysaid,Aslongasthereareslaughterhousestherewillbe
battlefields.Avegetariandietistheacidtestofhumanitarianism.Al-
thoughmostofusdonotactivelycondonekilling,wehavedeveloped
thehabit,supportedbysociety,ofeatingmeatregularly,withoutany
realawarenessofwhatisbeingdonetotheanimalsweeat.

The Company of Saints and Others

From the beginning of recorded history we can see that vegetables

havebeenthenaturalfoodofhumanbeings.EarlyGreekandHebrew
mythsallspokeofpeopleoriginallyeatingfruit.AncientEgyptianpriests
neveratemeat.ManygreatGreekphilosopherssuchasPlato,Diogenes
andSocratesalladvocatedvegetarianism.

InIndia,ShakyamuniBuddhaemphasizedtheimportanceofAhimsa,
theprincipleofnotharminganylivingthings.HewarnedHisdisciples
nottoeatmeat,orelseotherlivingbeingswouldbecomefrightened
ofthem.Buddhamadethefollowingobservations:Meat eating is just
an acquired habit. In the beginning we were not born with a desire for it.
Flesh eating people cut off their inner seed of Great Mercy. Flesh eating
people kill each other and eat each other... this life I eat you, and next
life you eat me... and it always continues in this way. How can they ever
get out of the Three Realms (of illusion)?
. 59 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
ManyearlyTaoists,earlyChristiansandJewswerevegetarians.Itis
recordedintheHolyBible:AndGodsaid,I have provided all kinds of
grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; but for the wild animals and for all
the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food.(Genesis 1:29)
OtherexamplesforbiddingtheeatingofmeatintheBible:You must
not eat meat with blood in it, because the life is in the blood.(Genesis 9:4)
Godsaid,Who told you to kill the bullock and the she goat to make an
offering to me? Wash yourselves from this innocent blood, so I may hear
your prayer; otherwise I will turn my head away because your hands are
full of blood. Repent yourselves so I may forgive you.(Isaiah 1:11-16)St.
Paul,oneofJesusdisciples,saidinhislettertotheRomans,It is good
neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine.(Romans 14:21)

Recently,historianshavediscoveredmanyancientbooksthathave
shednewlightonthelifeofJesusandHisteachings.Jesussaid:People
who have animals flesh become their own tombs. I tell you honestly, the
man who kills will be killed. The man who kills living things and eats their
meat is eating the meat of the dead men.

Indianreligionsalsoavoidtheeatingofflesh.Itissaidthat,Peoplecant
get flesh without killing things. A person who hurts sentient beings will never
be blessed by God. So, avoid taking flesh!(HinduPrecept)

TheholyScriptureofIslam,theKoran,forbidstheeating of dead ani

mals, blood and flesh.

AgreatChineseZenMaster,HanShanTzuwroteapoemwhichwas
stronglyagainstflesheating:Go quickly to the market to buy meat and
fish and feed them to your wife and children. But why must their lives be
taken to sustain yours? Its unreasonable. It will not bring you affinity with
Heaven, but make you become dregs of Hell!

60 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai

Manyfamouswriters,artists,scientists,philosophersandeminentmen
werevegetarians.Thefollowingpeoplehaveallembracedvegetari-
anismwithenthusiasm: ShakyamuniBuddha,JesusChrist,Virgil,Horace,
Plato, Ovid, Petrarch, Pythagoras, Socrates, William Shakespeare,
Voltaire,SirIsaacNewton,LeonardoDaVinci,CharlesDarwin,Ben-
jaminFranklin,RalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau,EmileZola,
Bertrand Russell, Richard Wagner, Percy Bysshe Shelley, H. G. Wells,
Albert Einstein, Rabindranath Tagore, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard
Shaw,MahatmaGandhi,AlbertSchweitzer;andmorerecently,Paul
Newman,Madonna,PrincessDiana,LindsayWagner,PaulMcCartney
andCandiceBergen,tonameafew.

AlbertEinsteinsaid,Ithinkthechangesandpurifyingeffectsthata
vegetariandiethaveonahumanbeingsdispositionarequiteben-
eficialtohumankind.Therefore,itisbothauspiciousandpeacefulfor
peopletochoosevegetarianism.Thishasbeenthecommonadvice
ofmanyimportantfiguresandsagesthroughouthistory!
Master Answers Questions
Q: Eatinganimalsiskillinglivingbeings,butisnteatingvegetables
akindofkilling,too?
M: Eatingplantsisalsokillinglivingthingsandwillcreatesome
karmichindrance,buttheeffectisveryminimal.Ifonepracticesthe
QuanYinMethodfortwoandahalfhourseveryday,onecangetrid
ofthiskarmiceffect.Aswehavetoeatinordertosurvive,wechoose
food which has the least consciousness and suffers the least. Plants
consistof90%water,thustheirlevelofconsciousnessissolowthatit
hardlyfeelsanysuffering.Furthermore,whenweeatmanyvegetables
wedontcuttheirroots,butratherwehelptheirasexualreproduction
bycuttingbranchesandleaves.Theendresultcanactuallybebenefi-
cialtotheplant.Therefore,horticulturistssaythatpruningvegetation
. 61 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
helpsthemgrowlargeandbeautiful.
This is even more evident with fruit. When fruit ripens, it will
attractpeopletoeatitbyitsfragrantsmell,beautifulcolorandde-
licioustaste.Itisinthiswaythatfruittreescanachievetheirpurpose
of propagating their seed over a wide area. If we do not pick and
eatthem,thefruitwillbecomeoverripeandwillfalltothegroundto
rot.Itsseedwillbeshadedfromsunlightbythetreeabovethemand
willdie.So,eatingvegetablesandfruitisanaturaltendency,which
bringstothemnosufferingatall.
Q: Mostpeoplehavetheideathatvegetariansareshorterand
thinner,andflesheatersaretallerandbigger.Isthistrue?
M: Vegetariansarenotnecessarilythinnerandshorter.Iftheir
diet is balanced, they can also grow tall and strong. As you can
see,allbiganimalslikeelephants,cattle,giraffes,hippopotamuses,
horses,etc,eatonlyvegetablesandfruit.Theyarestrongerthan
carnivores,verygentleandbeneficialtohumankind.Butflesheat-
inganimalsarebothveryviolentandofnouse.Ifhumanbeings
eat many animals, they will also become affected with animal
instinctsandqualities.Flesheatingpeoplearenotnecessarilytall
andstrong,buttheirlifespanisveryshortontheaverage.Eskimos
arealmosttotallyflesheating,butaretheyverytallandstrong?Do
theyhavealonglife?ThisIthinkyoucanunderstandveryclearly.
Q: Canvegetarianseateggs?
M: No.Whenweeateggswearealsokillingbeings.Somesay
thatcommerciallyavailableeggsareunfertilized,soeatingthemisnot
killinglivingthings.Thisisonlyseeminglycorrect.Aneggremainsunfer-
tilizedonlybecausetheappropriatecircumstancesforitsfertilization
havebeenwithheld,sotheeggcannotcompleteitsnaturalpurpose
ofdevelopingintoachicken.Eventhoughthisdevelopmenthasnot
occurred,itstillcontainstheinnatelifeforceneededforthis.Weknow
62 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
thateggshaveinnatelifeforce;otherwise,whyisitthatovaarethe
onlytypeofcellswhichcanbefertilized?Somepointoutthateggs
containtheessentialnutrients,proteinandphosphorus,essentialfor
humanbodies.Butproteinisavailablefrombeancurd,andphospho-
rusfrommanykindsofvegetablessuchaspotatoes.
We know that from ancient times till now, there have been
manygreatmonkswhodidnoteatmeatoreggs,andstillhadalong
lifespan.ForinstancetheYingGuangMasterateonlyabowlofveg-
etablesandsomericeeachmeal,andyetheliveduptotheageof
eighty.Furthermore,eggyolkscontainalotofcholesterol,whichisa
majorcauseofcardiovasculardisorders,thenumberonekillerinFormosa
andAmerica.Nowonderweseethatmostpatientsareeggeaters!
Q: Manraisesanimalsandpoultry,suchaspigs,cattle,chickens,
ducks,etc.Whycantweeatthem?
M: So?Parentsraisetheirchildren.Doparentshavetherightto
eattheirchildren?Alllivingthingshavetherighttolive,andnoone
shoulddeprivethemofthis.IfwehavealookatthelawsinHongKong,
even killing oneself is against the law. So, how much more unlawful
wouldkillingotherlivingbeingsbe?
Q: Animalsarebornforpeopletoeat.Ifwedonteatthem,they
willfilltheworld.Right?
M: This is an absurd idea. Before you kill an animal, do you
ask it if it wants to be killed and eaten by you or not? All living
beings desire to live and are afraid to die. We dont want to be
eatenbyatiger,sowhyshouldanimalsbeeatenbyhumans?Hu-
manbeingshaveonlyexistedintheworldforseveraltensofthou-
sandsofyears,butbeforehumankindappeared,manyspeciesof
animalshadalreadyexisted.DidtheyovercrowdtheEarth?Living
things maintain a natural ecological balance. When there is too
littlefoodandspaceislimited,thiswillcauseadrasticreductionin
. 63 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
population.Thismaintainsthepopulationatanappropriatelevel.
Q: WhyshouldIbevegetarian?
M: IamvegetarianbecausetheGodinsidemewantsit.Under-
stand?Eatingmeatisagainsttheuniversalprincipleofnotwantingto
bekilled.Weourselvesdontwanttobekilled,andweourselvesdont
wanttobestolenfrom.Now,ifwedothattootherpeople,thenweare
actingagainstourselves,andthatmakesussuffer.Everythingthatyou
doagainstothersmakesyousuffer.Youcannotbiteyourselfandyou
shouldntstabyourself.Inthesamewayyoushouldnotkill,becausethat
isagainsttheprincipleoflife.Understand?Itwouldmakeussuffer,so
wedontdoit.Itdoesntmeanwelimitourselvesinanyway.Itmeans
weexpandourlifetoallkindsoflife.Ourlifewillnotbelimitedwithinthis
body,butextendedtothelifeofanimalsandallkindsofbeings.That
makesusgrander,greater,happierandlimitless.Okay?
Q: Would You speak on vegetarian eating and how this can
contributetoworldpeace?
M: Yes.Yousee,mostofthewarsthathappeninthisworldare
duetoeconomicreasons.Letsfaceit.Theeconomicdifficultiesofa
countrybecomemoreurgentwhenthereishunger,lackoffood,or
alackofequaldistributionoffoodamongdifferentcountries.Ifyou
took the time to read magazines and research the facts about the
vegetarian diet, then you would know this very well. Raising cattle
andanimalsformeathascausedoureconomytogobankruptinall
aspects.Ithascreatedhungerthroughouttheworldatleastinthe
ThirdWorldcountries.
Its not I who is saying this, it is an American citizen who did
this type of research and wrote a book about it. You can go to any
bookshopandreadaboutvegetarianresearchandfoodprocessing
research.Youcanread,DietForaNewAmericabyJohnRobbins.He
isaveryfamousice-creammillionaire.Hegaveitallupinordertobea
64 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
vegetarian,andtowriteavegetarianbookagainsthisfamilytradition
andbusiness.Helostalotofmoney,prestigeandbusiness,buthedid
itforthesakeofTruth.Thatbookisverygood.Therearemanyother
booksandmagazineswhichcangiveyoualotofinformationandfacts
aboutthevegetariandietandhowitcancontributetoworldpeace.
Yousee,webankruptedourfoodsupplybyfeedingcattle.
Youknowhowmuchprotein,medicine,watersupply,manpower,cars,
trucks,roadconstructionandhowmanyhundredsofthousandsofacres
oflandhavebeenwastedbeforeacowisgoodenoughforonemeal.
Understand?Allthesethingscouldbedistributedequallytounderde-
velopedcountries,thenwecouldsolvethehungerproblem.Sonow,
ifacountryisinneedoffooditprobablyinvadestheothercountryjust
tosaveitsownpeople.Inthelongrun,thishascreatedabadcause
andretribution.Understand?
As you sow, so shall you reap.Ifwekillsomeoneforfood,we
willbekilledforfoodlater,insomeotherformthenexttime,thenext
generation.Itsapity.Wearesointelligent,socivilizedandyetmost
of us do not know the cause of why our neighboring countries are
suffering.Itisbecauseofourpalates,ourtastes,andourstomachs.
Inordertofeedandnourishonebodywekillsomanybeings,
andstarvesomanyfellowhumanbeings.Wearenteventalkingabout
the animals yet. Understand? Then this guilt, consciously or uncon-
sciously,willweighdownuponourconscience.Itmakesussufferfrom
cancer,tuberculosisandotherkindsofincurablediseases,including
AIDS.Askyourself,whydoesyourcountry,America,sufferthemost?
Ithasthehighestrateofcancerintheworld,becausetheAmericans
eatalotofbeef.Theyeatmoremeatthananyoftheothercountries.
AskyourselfwhytheChineseorcommunistcountriesdonthavethat
higharateofcancer.Theydonthaveasmuchmeat.Understand?
Thatiswhattheresearchsays,notI.Okay?Dontblameme.
. 65 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
Q: Whataresomespiritualbenefitsthatwegetfrombeingveg-
etarians?
M: Imgladyouaskedthequestioninthismanner,becauseit
meansyouonlyconcentrateon,orcareabout,spiritualbenefits.Most
peoplewouldcareabouthealth,dietandfigurewhentheyaskabout
thevegetariandiet.Thespiritualaspectsofavegetariandietarethat
itisverycleanandnonviolent.
Thou shalt not kill.WhenGodsaidthistous,Hesdidnotsaydo
notkillhumanbeings,Hessaiddonotkillanybeings.DidntHessay
thatHesmadeallanimalstobefriendus,tohelpus?DidHesnotput
theanimalsinourcare?Hessaid,takecareofthem,ruleoverthem.
When you rule over your subjects, do you kill your subjects and eat
them?Thenyouwouldbecomeakingwithnooneelsearound?So
nowyouunderstandwhenGodsaidthat.Wemustdoit.Thereisno
needtoquestionHirm.Hesspokeveryclearly,butwhounderstands
GodexceptGod?
SonowyouhavetobecomeGodinordertounderstandGod.
IinviteyoutobeGod-likeagain,tobeyourself,tobenooneelse.To
meditate on God doesnt mean you worship God, it means that you
becomeGod.YourealizethatyouandGodareone.I andmy Father are
one,didntJesussayso?IfHesaidHeandHisfatherareone,weand
Hisfathercanalsobeone,becausewearealsochildrenofGod.And
JesusalsosaidthatwhatHedoeswecanevendobetter.Sowemay
beevenbetterthanGod,whoknows!
WhyworshipGodwhenwedontknowanythingaboutGod?
Whyuseblindfaith?Wemustfirstknowwhatweareworshipping,just
likewemustknowwhothegirlisweregoingtomarrybeforewemarry
her.Nowadays,itscustomarythatwedontmarrybeforewedate.
SowhyshouldweworshipGodwithblindfaith?Wehavetherightto
demandthatGodappearstous,andtomakeHirmselfknowntous.
WehavetherighttochoosewhichGodwewouldliketofollow.
SonowyouseethatitisveryclearintheBiblethatweshould
66 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
bevegetarians.Forallhealthreasons,weshouldbevegetarians.Forall
scientificreasons,weshouldbevegetarians.Foralleconomicreasons,
weshouldbevegetarians.Forallcompassionatereasons,weshouldbe
vegetarians.Aswell,tosavetheworld,weshouldbevegetarians.
It is stated in some research that if people in the West, in
America,eatvegetarianonlyonceaweek,wewouldbeabletosave
sixteenmillionstarvingpeopleeveryyear.Sobeahero,bevegetarian.
Forallofthesereasons,evenifyoudontfollowme,ordontpractice
thesamemethod,pleasebeavegetarianforyourownsake,forthe
sakeoftheworld.
Q: Ifeveryoneeatsplants,willitcreateafoodshortage?
M: No.Usingagivenpieceoflandtogrowcropsprovidesfour-
teen times as much food as using the same piece of land to grow
foddertofeedanimals.Plantsfromeachacreoflandprovide800,000
caloriesofenergy;however,iftheseplantsareusedtoraiseanimals
whicharetheneatenasfood,theanimalsmeatcanonlyprovide
200,000caloriesofenergy.Thatmeansthatduringtheprocess600,000
calories of energy are lost. So the vegetarian diet is evidently more
efficientandeconomicalthanthemeatdiet.
Q: Isfishallrighttoeatforavegetarian?
M: Itsallrightifyouwanttoeatfish.Butifyouwanttoeatveg-
etarian,fishisnotavegetable.
Q: Somepeoplesaythatitisimportanttobeagood-hearted
man, but it is not necessary to be a vegetarian. Does this make
sense?
M: Ifoneistrulyagood-heartedperson,thenwhydoeshestill
eat another beings flesh? Seeing them suffer so, he should not be
abletobeartoeatthem!Flesheatingisunmerciful,sohowcanthis
bedonebyagood-heartedman?
. 67 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
MasterLienChihoncesaid,Kill its body, and eat its meat. In
this world there is no one more cruel, malevolent, atrocious and evil than
this man.Howcanheeverclaimthathehimselfhasagoodheart?
Menciusalsosaid,If you see it alive, you cant bear to see it die,
and if you hear it groaning you cannot bear to eat its meat; so the real
gentlemen keep far from the kitchen.
Human intelligence is higher than that of animals, and we
canuseweaponstomakethemunabletoresistus,sotheydiewith
hatred.Thekindofmanwhodoesthis,bullyingsmallandweakcrea-
tures,hasnorighttobecalledagentleman.Whenanimalsarekilled,
theyareterriblystrickenwithagony,fearandresentment.Thiscauses
theproductionoftoxinsthatstayintheirmeattoharmthosewhoeat
it.Sincethefrequencyofthevibrationofanimalsislowerthanthat
ofhumankind,theywillinfluenceourvibration,andaffectthedevel-
opmentofourwisdom.
Q: Isitallrightjusttobeaso-calledconvenientvegetarian?
(Convenientvegetariansdonotstrictlyavoidmeat.Theywouldeat
vegetablesoutofamixedvegetableandmeatdish.)
M: No. For example, if food is put into a poisonous liquid and
then removed, do you think it will become poisonous or not? In the
Mahaparinirvana Sutra, Mahakasyapa asked Buddha, When we beg
and are given vegetables mixed with meat, can we eat this food?How
can we clean the food? Buddhareplied,One should clean it with water
and separate the vegetables from the meat, then one can eat it.
Fromtheabovedialoguewecanunderstandthatonecan-
noteveneatvegetableswhicharemixedwithmeatunlessonefirst
cleansthemwithwater,nottomentioneatingmeatalone!Therefore,
itisveryeasytoseethatBuddhaandHisdisciplesallkeptavegetarian
diet.However,somepeopleslanderedBuddhabysayingthatHewas
aconvenientvegetarian,andthatifalms-giversgavemeat,Heate
meat.Thisistrulynonsense.Thosewhosaysohavereadtoolittleof
68 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
theScriptures,ordontunderstandtheScripturestheyhaveread.
InIndia,overninetypercentofthepeoplearevegetarians.
Whenpeopleseemendicantsinyellowrobestheyallknowtheyshould
offerthemvegetarianfood,nottomentionthatmostofthepeople
havenomeattogiveanyway!
Q: Alongtimeago,IheardanotherMastersay,Buddhaatea
pigsfootandthengotdiarrheaanddied.Isthistrue?
M: Absolutelynot.Itwasbecauseofeatingakindofmushroom
thatBuddhadied.IfwetranslatedirectlyfromthelanguageoftheBrah-
mans,thiskindofmushroomiscalledthepigsfoot,butitisnotareal
pigsfoot.Itsjustlikewhenwecallakindoffruitlongan(inChinese
this literally means the dragons eye). There are many things that
bynamearenotvegetablesbutactuallyarevegetarianfoods,such
thingsasthedragonseye.ThismushroominBrahmaniclanguageis
calledpigsfootorpigsjoy.Bothhaveaconnectionwithpigs.This
kindofmushroomwasnoteasytofindinancientIndiaandwasarare
delicacy,sopeopleofferedittoBuddhainworship.Thismushroomcan-
notbefoundabovetheground.Itgrowsundertheground.Ifpeople
wanttofindittheymustsearchwiththehelpofanoldpigwhichlikes
very much to eat this kind of mushroom. Pigs detect it by their smell,
andwhentheydiscoverone,theyusetheirfeettodiginthemudto
findandeatit.Thatwaswhythiskindofmushroomiscalledthepigs
joyorpigsfoot.Actuallythesetwonamesrefertothesamemush-
room.Becauseitwastranslatedcarelesslyandbecausepeopledidnot
truly understand the derivation, the following generations have been
caused to misunderstand and mistake Buddha for a flesh devouring
man.Thisisreallyaregrettablething.
Q: Somemeat-loverssaythattheybuymeatfromthebutcher,
soitsnotkilledbythemselves,therefore,itisallrighttoeatit.DoYou
thinkthisisright?
. 69 The Benefits of a Vegetarian Diet
M: Thisisadisastrousmistake.Youmustknowthatbutcherskill
livingbeingsbecausepeoplewanttoeat.IntheLankavataraSutra,
Buddhasaid,If there was no one eating meat, then no killing would hap
pen. So eating meat and killing living beings are of the same sin.Because
ofthekillingoftoomanylivingbeings,wehavenaturaldisastersand
man-madecalamities.Warsarealsocausedbytoomuchkilling.
Q: Somepeoplesaythatwhileplantscantproducepoisonousthings
likeureaorurokinase,fruitandvegetablegrowersuselotsofpesticideson
theplants,whicharebadforourhealth.Isthatso?
M: Iffarmersusepesticidesandotherhighlytoxicchemicalslike
DDToncrops,itcanleadtocancer,infertilityanddiseasesoftheliver.
ToxinslikeDDTcandiffuseintofat,andareusuallystoredinanimalfat.
Whenyoueatmeat,itmeansthatyoutakeinallthesehighlyconcen-
tratedpesticidesandotherpoisonsstoredinanimalsfat,whichhave
accumulatedduringthegrowthoftheanimal.Theseaccumulations
can be as much as thirteen times that in fruit, vegetables or grains.
Wecancleanthepesticidesprayedonfruitsurfaces,butwecannot
removethepesticidesdepositedinanimalfat.Theaccumulatingpro-
cessoccursbecausethesepesticidesarecumulative.Soconsumers
atthetopofthefoodchainarethemostharmed.
ExperimentsattheUniversityofIowashowedthatofthepes-
ticidesfoundinhumanbodiesalmostallcamefromeatingflesh.They
discoveredthatthepesticidelevelinthebodiesofvegetarianpeople
islessthanhalfthatinmeat-eaters.Actually,thereareothertoxinsin
fleshbesidespesticides.Intheprocessofraisinganimals,muchoftheir
foodconsistsofchemicalstomakethemdevelopfasterortochange
theirmeatcolor,tasteortexture,andtopreservetheflesh,etc.
Forexample,preservativesproducedfromnitratesarehighly
toxic.OnJuly18,1971,theNewYorkTimesreported,Thegreathidden
dangerstohealthformeat-eatersaretheinvisiblepollutantsinmeat
suchasbacteriainsalmon,remnantsofpesticides,preservatives,hor-
70 . The Key of Immediate Enlightenment The Supreme Master Ching Hai
mones,antibioticsandotherchemicaladditives.Besidestheabove,
animalsareinjectedwithvaccines,whichmayremainintheirflesh.
In this respect, the protein in fruit, nuts, beans, corn and milk are all
morepurethantheproteinofmeat,whichhas56%waterinsoluble
impurities.Researchshowsthatthoseman-madeadditivescanlead
tocancers,otherdiseasesordeformedfetuses.Soitisevenproperfor
pregnantwomentoeatapurevegetariandiettoensurethephysical
andspiritualhealthofthefetuses.Ifyoudrinklotsofmilkyoucanget
enoughcalcium;frombeansyoucangetprotein;andfromfruitand
vegetablesyougetvitaminsandminerals.