Ahimsa

Wow. My first blog on my very first vegan blogsite :)

How exciting.

The idea to blog came to me the other day when I was reading about "Ahimsa". A term meaning quite literally "the avoidance of violence".

From Wikipedia:
It is an important tenet of some Indian Religions such as Hinduism and Buddhims. It means kindness and non-violence towards all living things including animals; it respects living beings as a unity, the belief that all living things are connected. Avoidance of verbal and physical violence is also a part of this principle, although ahimsa recognizes that you can use self defense when necessary, as a sign of a strong spirit. It is closely connected with the notion that all kinds of violence entail negative karmic consequences.

For me, the path to vegan eating began when I became a Buddhist. I always held vegetarian tendencies but it wasn't until I started to explore this faith that I could feel the truth rippling through my soul.

One of the beliefs of Buddhism is that all living beings are sacred. It didn't take long for me to realize that I wanted to become a vegetarian. Not because I HAD to..but because I WANTED to. The meat I was eating didn't taste good enough for me to forget that I was eating another beings misery. I begin explaining it to my friends as "I wouldn't eat anything "with a face".

After about a year and a half later, I was watching a British show with my husband that featured a vegan cook. As she spoke I could feel the resonance of her words and how they affected me and I knew then that I was going to become vegan. Forever.

What everyone says (after they ask you how you get your protein) is "I would be vegan...but I couldn't LIVE WITHOUT CHEESE".

I thought that too..up until the day I knew I was destined to be vegan.

Because this has been such an exciting and magical transition, and because I want to share that with anyone and everyone who might be thinking the same thing- I decided to start a blog.

My intent with this is not to preach...or try to convert. But to spread love and the kindness and to learn even more as I make my way on this ever evolving journey. It's also meant to disseminate information and help people to understand so they can make their own spritually informed decisions. Whatever they may be.

We are not human beings on a spiritual journey ...but spiritual beings on a human journey.

Let's make this life count.