Veganism: The Way to Peace - Excerpts from Supreme Master Ching Hai's Lectures, Part 2 of 2

“We must not forget that we are living in the same world. Ours is not the only country in the world. Some countries seem to have forgotten, or choose not to remember, and thus wars occur. That’s why I say spiritual practice is very important. If we practice, we wouldn’t think of harming people. What really is a spiritual practitioner? Spiritual practitioners understand their inner Self and believe that the power of the Creator is lovingly taking care of all entities in the universe. We ought to believe in this. Every day we practitioners should check our actions, speech, and thoughts for anything that is not benevolent. We should give consideration to the life, feelings, and property of others. Then we are true spiritual practitioners. Only the enlightened people truly understand the precepts, just like our Quan Yin Method practitioners, who keep the five precepts and do not harm or kill anyone but save lives and help others. They are vegans in order to protect the lives of animals. They even protect animals, let alone humans.”

“We all want to have a peaceful world and we all talk about how we want peace and love. Well, I think we should start it now, and let peace begin on our plates. Let love begin with our choice. That’s what I think. All the benefits of the vegetarian (vegan) diet cannot be overstated. And now there is a spiritual aspect also. When a person partakes in the direct or indirect killing of any sentient being, be it human or animal, he or she enters the cycle of revenge and violence, and it will only end when one stops doing it. Since time immemorial, nonviolence is always emphasized as a way of life, as the way we should live if we really want Heaven on Earth. I hope sooner, all people will realize this and we will have, truly, Eden again. Anyway, with the current crisis that we are facing right now, I think all the leaders of the world will have to prioritize on saving the planet, and it’s good that we have this common goal so all the leaders probably, mostly, would unify together to fight our worst enemy: the global warming. So, I have a feeling that we will have peace and most people will turn to a nobler lifestyle: vegetarian (vegan) diet, more peace, and unify and have harmony with each other. I have that feeling, and I hope it’s a true feeling.”