Tattva-viveka
Veggie?
Ludwig - July 10, 2009 3:30 pm
Hare Krishna!
What role has vegetarianism played in our tradition?
Bolo!
Syama Gopala Dasa - July 10, 2009 5:50 pm
in the Gita, Krishna asks for vegetarian food. "If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it." In so much we are not vegetarians but Krishnatarians. We follow what Krishna leaves as prasad and since he asks for veggie foods offered with love, we do so.
Yamuna Dasi - July 10, 2009 7:58 pm
Does somebody here know why do the buddhists so broadly eat meat? Even the buddhist monks. Ahimsa was preached as one of the main and basic ideas that Buddha gave to his followers, so how come that nowadays they are mostly meat-eaters? This was amasing me when I was in Asia... He did not give ahimsa as some kind of an extremely high standart accessible only to the most devoted, he gave it as the ABC and now when one goes to Asia sees gorgeous temples of Buddha filled with buddhist who eat meat. What could possibly be their vision and explanation for this obvious contradiction?
Syamasundara - July 10, 2009 10:08 pm
In my opinion that Gita verse is best referenced when explaining that Krsna accepts our love, and the medium can be something really simple and readily available, like a leaf; otherwise, according to that verse we shouldn't be taking grains (seeds) and milk, but it would be all right to consume marijuana 
Abstaining from eating meat is a brahminical principle, and as you know, a Vaishnva has all the qualities of a brahmana and more.
Every bona fide religion is based on four principles (the famous 4 legs of dharma): truthfulness, cleanliness, austerity and mercy.
Not eating meat is an expression of mercy, a form of austerity, and in many ways it's related to cleanliness.
The Sanskrit word for meat is mamsa (mam—me; sa—that), or in other words: "That's me (in my next birth)." If the same meaning had been conveyed in Western modern languages, maybe there would be more vegetarians now.
So, eating meat is very much entangling in the cycle of birth and death, because many forms of karma may have their reaction within one's lifespan, but if you kill, the reaction is that you have to be reborn as the animal you sacrificed and be killed.
So, what to speak of Vaishnavas, anybody who wants to put an end to the samsara would see meat consumption as counterproductive.
Otherwise neither Garuda nor Bhima are vegetarians, and that does not affect their devotion, but they are not common human beings either.
Ludwig - July 11, 2009 8:34 am
interesting, but is it ok to eat meat if the meat is offered to kali?
Another question that have come to my mind is the question about milk, in western society milk is produced at factorys and the cows arent allowed any natural way of being cows.
Should we support factory produced milk??
Even if we offer the milk to Krishna, the cows are still in big trouble getting used every day for there milk.
bolo
And thanks for the answers, i was also interested in the history of vegetarianism in our tradition like: What did Sriman Mahaprabhu say about it?
Syamasundara - July 11, 2009 11:12 am
Just yesterday we were remembering that when GM was invited to a Kali temple in Southern California, he whispered to his disciples: "Don't eat the rice!"
Grains are said to absorb the consciousness of the cook, and in Indian culture grains, or anna, are synonym of food (sei anna-amrita pao, Radha Krsna guna gao). So, let alone meat!
The worship of Kali is normally for those people who are steeped in tamo-guna and by offering her liquor and meat, and taking the remnants as prasada, instead of just consuming them for sense gratification, they advance in the culture of a life of dedication. Vaisnavas don't even take the bhang (marijuana milk smoothie) or betel nut offered to Balarama or Krsna, so let alone meat from Kali.
As far as Mahaprabhu, I doubt he ever had to preach vegetarianism in rural India of the 16th century Plus, most of his associates were already highly qualified brahmanas or sudras by association with Muslims. Jagai and Madhai were requested to only chant the Holy Names, and then their heart and behavior changed.
There is a thread here about milk, but again, the search engine is not the best. The conclusion was that unless you can afford milk from humane sources, it's better to abstain.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - July 11, 2009 3:03 pm
Just yesterday we were remembering that when GM was invited to a Kali temple in Southern California, he whispered to his disciples: "Don't eat the rice!"Grains are said to absorb the consciousness of the cook, and in Indian culture grains, or anna, are synonym of food (sei anna-amrita pao, Radha Krsna guna gao). So, let alone meat!
The worship of Kali is normally for those people who are steeped in tamo-guna and by offering her liquor and meat, and taking the remnants as prasada, instead of just consuming them for sense gratification, they advance in the culture of a life of dedication. Vaisnavas don't even take the bhang (marijuana milk smoothie) or betel nut offered to Balarama or Krsna, so let alone meat from Kali.
As far as Mahaprabhu, I doubt he ever had to preach vegetarianism in rural India of the 16th century
There is a thread here about milk, but again, the search engine is not the best. The conclusion was that unless you can afford milk from humane sources, it's better to abstain.
It is a misconception that all worshippers of Durga and Kali are in tamo guna. Many Brahmanas in bengal worship kali and avoid meat and liquor on the 10 days of Durga Puja. So it is a bad generalization as is the fact the worshipers of Siva are in tamo guna. Were Sandipani muni and Agastya in tamo guna? And according to puranic history liquor was banned for brahmanas by Sukracarya after the incident with Brhaspati's son and meat was banned by Agastaya for brahmanas after the incident of Vatapi. So brahmanas did take meat and wine before these incidents. What does it show, everybody was in tamo guna in the earlier eras and this is satya yuga?
Swami - July 12, 2009 11:11 pm
Devotees generally do not eat food offered to other gods of goddesses. They eat Krsna prasada. No meat. No we do not support present day dairy abuse of cows.
Gaura-Vijaya Das - July 13, 2009 12:51 am
I know that the ideal standard is not eating anything apart from krsna prasadam but I eat occasionally outside in restaurants and offer food mentally. I have also eaten in vegetarian Buddhist restaurants where you can get food without onion and garlic. One more place where I have to really make a compromise is when I visit some of relatives who may have offered food to somebody other than krsna(perhaps siva or devi) and these occasions occur rarely now as I am out of India. But I feel that by refusing their vegetarian food I make it harder for them to appreciate Gaudiya Vaisnavism and I make the compromise without making a scene. I do not know whether these decisions I made are correct but I feel these decisions to be most harmonious with the heart. In South India, I know a lot of people won't accept anything from their daughter in law unless she takes initiation but it is a superficial exercise of initiation many times with no genuine faith. These kind of rituals which have lost their substance put me off and if you keep on seeing strict brahmanas in India( with external cleanliness but rigidity, lack of compassion etc) you will understand what I am talking about.
I have heard that fruits,roots, tuber and milk are things which sages in the past used to accept from people easily. Grains are the things which spiritual practitioners including devotees and yogis are careful of.
Yamuna Dasi - July 13, 2009 9:51 am
Devotees generally do not eat food offered to other gods of goddesses. They eat Krsna prasada. No meat. No we do not support present day dairy abuse of cows.
Does it mean that the devotees avoid dairy products there like the vegans?
I also don't support cow abuse, but obviously milk is coming from cows who live in dairy production farms and I imagine cows there are not free cows but quite restricted. And most probably the milk cows there once they stop giving milk are slaughtered. But how can we change this or track what happens there? How can the milk industry be required to behave good with the cows? And how can one know how are behaved to the cows from which one uses dairy products...
I see the only solution to this if some devotees start being producers of milk and dairy products and then one can be sure that it's OK. But at the same time I don't know any devotees who do this and have dairy production and distribution. Seems that this is a heavy task to be taken, but it would be great service and preaching!!! In Bulgaria I know a lot of people who are not exactly devotees but would like to use dairy products from well treated cows.
Ludwig - July 13, 2009 7:07 pm
The best thing is probably to raise and take care of your own cows like Gurudev has done, But its probably best in my situation to buy ecological milk, and local produced milk from the regions where one lives.
Or should we all go vegan?
Hare Krishna!
ps. Thanks for the answers