Is vegetarianism helpful in spiritual development?
Our environment conditions our minds and bodies. A peaceful environment soothes your mind and relaxes your body. So too various types of food have a corresponding effect on your body and mind. When you pick a bean from a creeper, the creeper allows such an act to be performed. In fact it brings forth more and more beans for you and others to pick. You don’t hurt the plant. But when you take a life, whether it be an animal or bird or reptile you do hurt these beings. This pain taints the environment. When you eat such non-vegetarian food you imbibe the qualities of the animals. You consume them and sometimes when you see animals being slaughtered for consumption your inner being begins to feel guilty and thereby suffer. All these are negative facts when you are interested in spiritual development. Also one of the important steps in spiritual development is the withdrawal of your inner being from identifying itself with one’s body, mind and intellect. If you always eat just what you like
