Do You Feel Their Pain?

To tell you the truth, when our master said that our family could make the Vegetarian Vow after receiving the permission from Buddha Maitreya, I didn’t think much about it. In fact, I only knew that it was the right thing to do. However, it wasn’t until after I made the Vegetarian Vow that I started to understand the grand meaning behind the Vegetarian Vow.
I remembered once I accidentally burned my arm while doing an experiment at an Organic Chemistry Lab. Although it happened about five years ago, I can still remember the pain I endured in that few seconds. It hurt a lot not only at that moment but the pain had continued for more than a week. It was strange because it was the kind of pain that hurt from within, not only externally. It was only a small patch of skin, yet it felt like my entire forearm was in a painful burning sensation.
When I burned myself, I could sense that my skin was being cooked. It was scary because it reminded me of the exact smell when people barbequed meat. People in North America love barbeques. One may argue that animals wouldn’t have felt the slightest pain when we cook them because they are dead already. However, that is unreasonable because in order to get the meat, the animals must be slaughtered and go through a lot of pain whether we see it or not. That’s why the Vegetarian Vow is so precious, because we learn how to safeguard, love , and glorify all life forms. By being a vegetarian we show respect for our lives and the lives of others.
Let’s just pretend that it was us who were being slaughtered and killed in order to satisfy the appetite of people who sit around a dinner table. If we imagine how frightened and painful those animals must have felt, will we still be able to buy meat, or will we opt for vegetarian meals?
Actually, not eating meat is not the only way to protect, respect, and glorify lives; being thoughtful for others and saying caring words to others are also ways to protect, respect, and glorify lives. I think it is really important to speak gentle and caring words to others, because very often, our words hurt others whether intentionally or not. As others say, words can hurt or heal. Why don’t we say words that heal others’ soul? Only when everyone eats and speaks with compassion, our world will then become one harmonious family! Lives are too precious and we should treat others with respect, because the dignity of all lives is invaluable.

Glow- Canada
 http://www.maitreya.org.tw/doyoufeeltheirpain-en/

Joyful Vegetarianism

Currently, global warming is accelerating quickly and the average temperature of the earth continues to rise. The Arctic and Antarctic ice sheets melt faster than expected, causing sea levels to rise. Climate change and global warming contribute to higher incidences of rainstorms, flood, earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, heat waves, and extreme cold. Most evidence has converged to the conclusion that it is time to change. If no changes are made, the entire human race, and the biosphere on earth will be in great peril.
To make changes, where do we start? Many studies showed that people can start from their diets, which is one of the most efficient and simplest ways, to address the global warming issue. There are various eating styles in the world; one that we advocate – “Maitreya vegetarianism” –balances our needs for rich nutrition, and at the same time helps reduce lifestyle diseases, pollution on earth, and environmental destruction. Our dietary choices, simple as they may seem, have the profound ability to bring peace and harmony to our body, mind, and spirit.

Maitreya vegetarianism, also called “Joyful Vegetarianism,” incorporates compassion as the main ingredient. The experience around food is therefore intended to bring positive mental well-being besides physical nourishment. The main food types consist of vegetables, fruits, seeds, herbs, crops, and grains; but not food from animal origin such as meat, eggs, dairy products, fish, and seafood. Overly cooking, processing, and packaging are discouraged.
In addition, gratitude is expressed to Laomu, the Heavenly Mother, before every meal. During the meal, the food is chewed thoroughly and enjoyed mindfully, and attention is paid to the food and its nourishing quality: its scents, its texture, its source of harvest, and the amount of dedicated labor put into its cultivation. After the meal has fulfilled our physical needs, we continue to share the pleasant energies with people and our surroundings through kind-heartedness, gentle words, helpful acts, and friendly smiles.
We believe that the world is an interconnected web of existence, and our food forms a crucial fabric of this network. Conscious goodwill, such as choosing food that are less damaging to the earth, will hopefully guide the world back into a more stable axis. Through choices such as becoming vegetarian, we take part in restoring the wounded earth to a joyful garden of nature with its utmost goodness and beauty.

 http://www.maitreya.org.tw/joyful-vegetarianism-en/

Helpless Cries

I became vegetarian when I was in my second year of university. I was taking a course about the food system and its connection with the land, resources, and the community. One day, the teacher showed a video about the truth of the meat industry to the class. My eyes were truly opened as I saw how cruel we humans are to animals. Pigs were shot in the head alive, calves were separated from the mother right after they were born, little male chicks were ground alive into meatballs, and so many other things that were unbelievable to me. I could hear the helpless cries of those animals as they were about to be killed. It’s a cry for help, a cry that’s telling us that they don’t want to die; they don’t deserve to die like that. At that moment, I finally realized that I couldn’t continue eating meat. Animals are just like us; they can feel sadness and fear, they want to survive, and be alive and free! I felt that I must also respect their lives – just the way I respect other people’s lives.


Liedia – Canada
http://www.maitreya.org.tw/helpless-cries-en/

Goodbye Meat, Hello Healthy Vegetarian Eating!

I’ve been a carnivore ever since I was little. As I grew up, my parents adopted a vegetarian diet, because the temple they attended promoted a healthier vegetarian diet for Maitreya Tao members. Since then, my mom would only cook vegetables at home. Even so, they did not restrict my sibling and me from eating meat outside of our home. They believed that we must choose the diet we want for our own future.
I have to say my mom’s cooking is good and is greatly appreciated by many relatives who love to eat nothing but meat. Every time they came to our house for gatherings, they were amazed by the variety of food choices that vegetarians enjoy!
As I got older and began to understand Maitreya Great Tao lectures, I learned that a vegetarian diet could really save animals and make our environment a better place to live! I started eating less and less meat whenever I dined out. I did not really recognize any difference in myself until one day some friends came to me and said, “Jamie, how is it that you look prettier and your body is not as chubby as before?” I didn’t know what to say, I had thought it was because of my transformation from a girl to a woman.
One day my mom took me to a morning market. It was an ordinary day and the market was full of people picking vegetables and buying meat. As Mom and I passed a meat shop, I almost puked when an awful smell floated into my nose. I turned and saw pools of blood on the ground and many dead chickens hanging upside down with their throats cut open and flies buzzing around them. It was a horrible scene! We passed some more fish shops and more meat shops, the smell was just too much for me to handle and my mom and I made a quick escape. After that, whenever I saw meat I would imagine the awful bloody smell surrounding me! I decided not to eat meat anymore!
Years later, my family immigrated to the beautiful country, Canada! We found interesting vegetables in the supermarkets! It was just so wonderful to see that the earth has provided us with a variety of food resources! One day at school, I attended my favorite computer class which was held after lunch. The main reason I loved this computer class was that my teacher was a handsome and charming person! His humor and cheerful personality were assets to his teaching! Everyone liked him a lot! Once we were assigned to move pictures on our computer. As I was having some difficulties with the task, I asked my teacher to help me. As soon as he sat down beside me and started talking, I almost stopped breathing. Not due to his charming appearance, but because of the horrible smell coming from his body and mouth! It was as if there was dead and rotten meat hanging around his body. I could barely pay attention, because I had to hold my breath till I turned blue! Another student came to ask him something, and both of them had the same meaty smell! At that moment, I recalled a lecture on vegetarianism given by a Tao member who spoke about how a meat-based diet tend to give an odor to the human body, while a vegetarian diet gave fewer odors to the human body.
Since then, I am a happy vegetarian. I am grateful that I’ve chosen the right diet for myself. I cannot say that I’m doing a lot for the world we live in, but I can proudly say that at least I live with good conscience. No lives are sacrificed because of my diet.
JCmile – Canada
 http://www.maitreya.org.tw/goodbye-meat-hello-healthy-vegetarian-eating-en/

My Life as a Vegetarian

My first stab at giving up animal food happened during my first semester at college. I had decided to give up red meat. To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember why, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with my fear of gaining the freshman fifteen.

I never really was big on red meat. I certainly ate my fair share of meatballs and hamburgers, but it never really excited me the way that cookies, big bowls of pasta, or BBQ chicken did. Looking back, it seems that it was a natural and intuitive decision for me to give up red meat before any other animal foods.

Plus, I just love cows and think they’re so gorgeous. I can’t stand the thought of eating them.

About a year later, my family and I found out that my cat was sick and passed away within a few weeks. I had her since I was in third grade, and I was absolutely, totally devastated. It was like losing a best friend. I still get teary eyed when I see pictures of her (as unfriendly as she was to our house guests, she was a sweet pet to me!). This was the first time I really saw an animal in distress, and I just couldn’t bear it. It was absolutely heartbreaking to experience.

This is what piqued my interest in the well being of animals.

After my cat passed away, I gave up all animal foods except for dairy and eggs. Eventually I gave those up, too.

Don’t be fooled: giving up these animal foods did not make my diet healthy. In fact, it was incredibly unhealthy. I ate tons of processed non-organic soy, lots of cereal with soy milk, and refined grain products. The result of this was a lot of weight gain. While following this diet, I actually was at the highest weight I ever was in my entire life!

This showed me that eating nachos and eating bowls of pasta, cereal, and vegan cookies was not what I was looking for! I still felt conflicted, as I didn’t want to consume the flesh of animals anymore, it felt immoral to me. It also felt awful to be in a heavy, bloated body. What’s a girl to do?

I eventually found the world of macrobiotics and whole foods, and finally vegetable juicing and raw foods, which was my saving grace after experiencing horrible allergies and stomach pains once I reached the age of twenty two (which I attribute to lots of drinking, late nights, work I was beginning to loathe, and my overall mainstream American diet that I had consumed my whole life). While the whole foods approach helped to relieve my symptoms, raw green vegetable juices and fresh produce allowed my body to really heal.

Pure, organic, vegan foods have brought me great comfort, peace, and joy throughout the years. While I still consume things like raw goat’s cheese regularly, and organic eggs, wild fish, and cream - based desserts on occasion, I know that my vegetable based meals are the ultimate indulgence for me. I no longer prepare land animal foods in my home for my husband, either, as he is no longer interested in consuming the flesh of animals on a regular basis (Food, INC. really did it for him). Fresh produce is what provides us with the hydration, nutrition, and amazing taste that we need to be eat well and feel satisfied!

It feels right to participate in the Vegan Month of Food, as it’s been ten years since I first dabbled in vegetarianism, I love to cook so much, and I’m always excited to share new ways to prepare vegetables with my readers.

My intention with Vegan MoFo is to illustrate some inventive, fun, nourishing, and beautiful vegan dishes, high quality packaged vegan foods, and spotlight animal rights as much as I can. I have loved animals deeply my entire life and still cannot imagine going a day without their furry companionship. While I know that veganism may not be the answer to all of the world’s problems, I certainly know that more vegetables would do all living beings (human and non-human) a world of good.

I hope you enjoy what I have to share this month, and if you have any requests, recipe or otherwise, please send them my way!

Love and Salads,
Marlena

What is “The Joyful Vegan”?

Welcome to The Joyful Vegan: Stories of Transformation. As the founder and director of Compassionate Cooks, through which I teach vegan cooking classes; sell my cooking DVD, cookbook, and recipes; write extensively; and produce a podcast, I have the privilege of hearing from countless people who have become awakened to their own values of compassion for animals and who recognize that being vegan is a powerful means for preventing animal suffering and cruelty. Most everyone who learns about the unspeakable cruelty perpetuated against animals on our behalf often experiences denial, then anger. But what most don’t realize – and can’t until you go through this experience yourself – is that what comes next is beyond what anyone could have prepared you for. The sense of freedom, of empowerment, of joy that comes with knowing that you are no longer part of that violence is indescribable.
Once the lens through which you see the world changes, nothing is ever the same again, and I believe that in order to stay humble, we need to remember our story. We need to remember where we were and how we got to where we are now. At the same time, in order to feel supported, respected, and understood, I believe that we need to connect with other like-minded folks, as we navigate through a world that champions animal cruelty as a social norm and looks with suspicion and derision upon those who reject cruelty and violence.
Sharing our story with each other validates our own experiences and helps us see that we’re not alone – that many others go through the same feelings of pain, disbelief, anger, joy, relief, and frustration.
This blog is for all of you. I invite you to submit your stories of transformation: what your tipping point was, how you made the decision to become vegan, and what the experience has been like since you made the change. Your stories of transformation will inspire others to find their own voices and to recognize themselves through your stories.
For the animals, both human and non-human, I thank you for participating in this project.
~Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
Founder and Director
Compassionate Cooks
http://www.compassionatecooks.com

AKIBAT MALAS MINUM AIR PUTIH

Sumber : Unknown

( http://www.kasihlestari.org/v2/gayahidupkasihdetil.php?id=267 )

Air adalah komponen terbesar di dalam tubuh manusia. Kandungannya bervariasi sesuai usia. Kandungan air pada bayi 80 persen, orang dewasa sebesar 60 persen dan pada usia lanjut atau di atas 65 tahun sebesar 50 persen.
Air juga merupakan zat gizi penting bagi kesehatan tubuh karena berperan sebagai pelarut, katalisator, pelumas, pengatur suhu tubuh serta penyedia mineral dan elektrolit.
Banyaknya air yang dibutuhkan seseorang berbeda-beda tergantung pada ukuran tubuh orang tersebut dan apa yang dianggap sesuai untuk tubuhnya.
Meski kebutuhan air tiap orang berbeda menurut Profesor Hiromi Shinya MD, pakar enzim yang juga guru besar kedokteran di Albert Einstein College of Medicine AS, usahakan tubuh untuk mendapatkan pasokan air 6-8 gelas per hari (1,5-2 liter) untuk orang dewasa.
Berikut akibat jika malas minum air putih:
1. Ketika pasokan air minim tubuh akan mengalami kekurangan air atau dehidrasi. Dehidrasi ini menyebabkan cairan di otak akan menurun, asupan oksigen yang harusnya mengalir ke otak pun berkurang. Akibatnya, sel-sel otak menjadi tidak aktif dan berkembang, bahkan bisa menciut.
	2. Komposisi otak terdiri atas cairan, dan ketika otak tidak mendapatkan asupan air yang cukup akan terjadi gangguan fungsi kognitif (kepandaian) di otak. Otak tidak bisa menjalankan fungsi normalnya lagi, terutama fungsi kognitif yaang akhirnya membuat seseorang menjadi lemot, gampang lupa, dan tidak konsentrasi.
3. Dehidrasi yang dialami tubuh bisa menyebabkan gejala mulai dari yang ringan dan sedang seperti lelah, haus, tenggorokan kering, badan panas, sakit kepala, air kencing pekat, denyut nadi cepat, hingga gejala berat seperti halusinasi dan kematian.
4. Rentan terkena infeksi kandung kemih karena bakteri tidak bisa keluar akibat kurang minum. Gejala infeksi kandung kemih ini bisa berupa suhu badan yang sedikit meningkat, rasa nyeri terutama saat akhir buang air kecil, perasaan ingin buang air kecil yang tidak dapat ditahan, nyeri tekan di atas tulang kemaluan. Kadang kala terdapat darah dalam urine.
5. Perempuan harus lebih banyak mengonsumsi air karena panjang saluran kemihnya lebih pendek dibanding laki-laki. Banyak minum air akan membantu bakteri keluar dari saluran kemih dan mengurangi risiko infeksi kandung kemih.
6. Kulit jadi kusam karena kurang minum membuat aliran darah kapiler di kulit juga tidak maksimal.
7. Kurang minum air putih bisa mengganggu fungsi ginjal karenanya air penting untuk mencegah batu ginjal. Dengan cukup air maka komponen pembentuk batu ginjal menjadi lebih mudah luruh bersama buang air kecil.