Being Vegan is Knowing, Exploring, Evolving, Participating, and Taking Responsibility

Dear friends, welcome to another blog post in the New Year. In this post, we are honored to have our friend Eme share how her awareness about the way animals are made to suffer for human consumption led her to come in touch with her feelings. Thus began her vegan journey. Eme is guided by Sri. Paramhansa Yogananda, who is regarded as one of the greatest emissaries of the path to self-realization.

EME WRITES…

My vegan journey has given me the capacity to understand compassion. In my childhood, I remember going to dimsum houses with my family. It was such a treat as I enjoyed varieties of Asian dumplings most filled with succulent pork and shrimp, stuffed buns, addictive spring rolls, and lotus leaf stuffed with fillings that never failed to please my palate. From a child’s perspective, it was pretty amazing.

Knowing…

Looking back I realized that much of my bliss was due to my ignorance about what I was actually eating. My awakening came gradual. I was so unaware I was eating something that has caused so much suffering to animals.

At a young age I learned that animals were arbitrarily categorized in our society – those worthy of our compassion and those undeserving of it because they happen to be a particular species. Puppies, good. Cows, they are food.

I tried to reach out and share the information with my friends but no one wants to know and the reply I got back was, “that’s life” and besides eating vegan is “limiting” and “restrictive.”

Exploring…

Today, after many years of going vegan I can say I couldn’t disagree more about “limited.” I find that it’s quite the opposite. My awareness has expanded.

Veganism is not about deprivation and sacrifice. It is not being perfect and being pure. For me, it just means preventing cruelty and sufferings to animals.

Eating meatless opens up so many possibilities that I never think about the things I can’t have. There’s so much more to create and explore with different flavors and textures like using King Trumplet Mushrooms to mimic the texture of meat…

Food is meant to nourish and satisfy, I don’t believe in deprivation. So I never gave up fried food. My favorite is crispy mini spring rolls filled with vegetables and herbs.

Evolving…

People tend to avoid knowing how animals suffer not just because it is too painful for them but also because they know deep down inside that once they find out this information, they’re going to want to make a change, and it is change they are afraid of – afraid of not knowing what it will be like and how it will change their lives.

Instead, we choose fear.

We create boundaries to our compassion. We choose ignorance over knowledge. We choose complacency over empowerment. To my mind, that’s limiting. Every time we say “I don’t want to know,” we limit our potential for growth and changes.

What could be more limiting than cutting ourselves off from our own compassion, our own values? Being vegan is about knowing, exploring, evolving, participating, and taking responsibility.

Now, that’s abundance!

Participating…

There’s a common misconception that meatless meals are short on protein. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It is easy to get protein without eating any animal product. You just have to swap in plant proteins.

I dove into a vegan diet essentially overnight and I never looked back. I realized it wasn’t the animal products I actually longed for but the texture, the flavor, the heartiness, and the satisfaction I feel when I indulge into my favorite food… like this Thai Coconut Curry with Vegetable & Noodle Soup… I don’t miss any animal products!!!!

I am sure that everyone can benefit from the healing powers of a plant-based diet. I do not expect anyone to eat 100% raw plants overnight. I strongly believe in intuitive eating. By tuning into our bodies and building a relationship with them, we can begin to understand what they need.

Our bodies are miraculously designed and have the capabilities to communicate their needs to us. In order for our bodies to communicate properly, they must be as clean as possible, otherwise you might interpret the body’s message as “I need sugar” or “I need cheese” when really the body is just asking healthy fats or a deep green juice…..

Taking responsibility…

My journey to inner awakening is guided by the powerful teachings of my Gurudeva, Paramahansa Yogananda.

One day Yoganandaji’s said, “I see those in the spiritual path as though in a race. Some are sprinting; others are moving along slowly. A number are even running backward.”

My intention is to raise awareness and offer a different perspective to allow people to find their own answers.

I strive to have no attachment to what people do with their choice of food. Their journey is their own, though I am grateful to be a messenger along the way.

——————————————————————————————————————–

Cover pic: Pexels  –I-  Food pics: Eme