Veganism Is The Practice Of Promoting Freedom

My teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, is a vegan and so am I. In simple terms, we value freedom. Not just our own but of all sentient beings.

Due to the fact that we give ourselves very little time, we seldom realize how we have lost our freedom. If we look deeply, we can see that we are being used as resource. Companies even have a department,  Human Resource Department, leaving nothing to imagination. Our governments also view us as resource. Unnecessary battles are fought without much consideration for the lives of those who will die. If one soldier dies, we can train another. After all we are merely human resource. It appears to me that human resource is a more politically correct term for a slave.

What did we do to end up like this? We have to look at our own behavior to understand this. Wrong views ultimately lead to wrong actions. Wrong actions ultimately bring suffering. We have, for centuries,  used animals as resource. People are very fond of milk products. You will not find cows who are free. A cow has to work as a slave all her life. Mother cows are forced to watch their calves go hungry while their milk is sold for money. Many animals are killed to be eaten by humans. Some animals are killed for their skin. Some are tortured in labs.

Don't you like the warm sun, lazy afternoons, cool evenings, moonlit nights? The animals can enjoy these too, if we let them live. You don't have to be able to type on a computer to enjoy life.

When we use others as resource, we are preparing to let others use us as resource. When did you last feel one with nature? We made cows our slaves and in the process ended up as slaves ourselves. Now we have served as slaves for so many generations, to kings, governments, corporations etc. that we have mistaken slavery for freedom.

We must be mindful to meditate. Right Meditation leads to development of Right Views which promote Right Thoughts. Right Thoughts lead to Right Speech and Right Actions ensuring Right Livelihood and with Right Diligence we can practice mindfulness - Right Mindfulness. By respecting other living beings' right to freedom,  we are putting into practice all the eight elements of the path.

This is because that is. This is not, because that is not. By adopting a vegan lifestyle we are sowing seeds of freedom. With right mindfulness we will water them and in time they will blossom and will help us experience true freedom, which will lead to everlasting joy.