Questions and answers

AUM 375-379. These question and answers followed the talk at Yale University. The entire program was recorded and transcribed by Madhuri (Nancy Sands)

Question: What role does the vegetarian diet play in your teachings?

Sri Chinmoy: In my teachings the vegetarian diet plays a most important role. In order to become pure, a vegetarian diet helps us considerably. Purity is of paramount importance in our spiritual life. This purity we must establish in the physical, the vital and the mental. When we eat meat, fish and so forth, the aggressive, animal consciousness enters into us. Our nerves become agitated; they become restless and aggressive. The mild qualities of vegetables, on the other hand, help us to establish in our inner life as well as in our outer life, the qualities of sweetness, softness, simplicity and purity. But again, if you ask me whether by becoming a strict vegetarian, you can realise God or not, then I would say "No", a definite "No". There are millions and millions of people on earth who are strict vegetarians, but I don't think there are millions and millions of God-Realised souls on earth. For God-Realisation, we need aspiration. In answering your question, I wish to say that it is always advisable, if possible, to have a vegetarian diet in order to further one's progress in the inner discipline, so that one can feel that even the body with its purity helps one's inner aspiration to become more intense and more soulful.

From:Sri Chinmoy,AUM — Vol. 4, No. 6, 27 Jan. 1969, AUM Centre Press, 1969
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