Eating Meat, Vegetarianism, Veganism, Spiritual Awakening, and Meditation

I need to begin today’s message with a little bit of a disclaimer. I’m not a doctor or nutritionist.

What I’m sharing today is my perspective on some of the implications of diet on an individual’s spiritual development, specifically, the issue of eating or not eating meat.

I’m not here to force any particular diet, lifestyle, or way of eating on anyone. I’m here to say, eat intuitively according to your inner guidance, even if that means eating meat!

Today, I’ll be sharing some insight on why I feel that the willingness to eat meat is not going to halt or hinder one’s spiritual development and process of Self-Realization.

I’ll also be sharing some ideas about why eating meat, for some people at some times on their path, is actually essential for their overall development and even safety.

When it comes to vegetarianism or veganism, there are certain benefits for certain people during certain times. I can recognize this. I myself have benefited from these ways of eating during certain times on my path.

But what I am opposed to is the general notion that those who consume animal products are less likely to attain advanced states of meditative consciousness, Self-Realization, Enlightenment, or spiritual awakening.

I’m also opposed to the idea that a plant-based diet is more conscious or superior to an animal-based diet. It’s not.

What I advise, is that a person eats with an open mind, without attachment to any particular perspective or belief system. When we’re free from attachment to mental concepts of what is healthy or what is moral, we are able to tap into the power of our intuition which will guide us to the right foods at the right times for us.

For some, that may mean having a period during which they eat little to no meat.

And for others, it can mean that the majority of their meals are meat based.

Whatever the situation, our intuition is able to guide us.

Becoming attached to one particular lifestyle, even if it may be veiled in an idea of moral superiority, is a quality of the mind and ego.

Sometimes, people tend to think that eating meat is unspiritual, that it lowers a person’s vibration, and things like that.

These people aren’t necessarily just vegans or vegetarians.

Sometimes it's the meat eaters themselves who feel that meat consumption is hurting their spiritual development, and so they feel a strong sense of guilt and inner conflict.

I want to not only speak to those that are attached to an anti-meat eating viewpoint, but also to those that feel guilty for eating meat, and to those who feel uncertain about what to do.

I’m here to say that meat consumption isn’t such a bad idea. For some, it’s exactly what they might need to take the next step on their spiritual journey actually.

Today, someone whom many can recognize as an enlightened master, is Eckhart Tolle. He eats meat. When asked about it, he simply said that it’s because he got used to it.

This is the same thing that Nisargadatta Maharaj said, more or less. He said that he was born into a culture that ate meat and so it’s what he continues to do.

Both of these men attained Self-Realization despite their diet which involved animal products.

I can infer that they didn’t find it necessary to change their lifestyle to suit a particular ideology. They continued eating meat because they weren’t necessarily intuitively inspired to stop.

The facts don’t lie. There are other Self-Realized masters, such as Swami G, who not only eat meat, but encourage it for those in the midst of intense spiritual transformation because of its powerful energetic grounding effects.

Some may say that eating meat is unspiritual because it requires killing another sentient being. I understand this argument. However, it’s pretty clear that life feeds on life.

If one is sensitive enough, they would be able to directly experience that plants have sentience as well. Plants can communicate with us, if we’re open and receptive. They’re sentient.

If that’s the case, should we not kill plants either?

Anti-meat eaters often argue that plants don’t have a nervous system therefore it’s more ethical to kill them than an animal with a nervous system.

It’s an understandable argument but in a way, it’s disparaging towards plants. They are complex beings, in their own right, whether they have a nervous system or not.

Still, if we look deeper, it’s virtually impossible to grow any significant amount of high quality plant foods without killing animals that destroy crops. Just try to support yourself and your family without having to kill an animal in some way or another.

My point is - life feeds on life. No matter how we spin it, something has to die for us to be able to eat. It’s not less moral if that death is from an animal. It won’t hinder one’s spiritual development if a person follows their intuition and eats some meat.

We should consider certain populations known to consume an almost entirely animal-based diet - the Massai and the Eskimos.

Are they not able to attain Realization lest they switch to a plant-based diet?

If so, that would mean that they need to learn new skills and give up their livelihood in order to awaken. This is too much to ask and very unreasonable. It’s a privilege for us here in the West to be able to change our diets so easily.

And how about those who, due to health reasons, cannot eat a healthy and balanced plant-based diet? There are many with serious digestive issues who cannot eat many plant foods.

The Dalai Lama himself says that he must eat meat for his own health.

For many, a plant-based diet is not an option. And yet still, Spiritual realization is absolutely available to them, as it is for all. How could it not be?

I myself have explored a variety of different diets and lifestyles. My approach has always been to never set anything in stone; to never become attached to any label, ideology, dogma or moral perspective.

For significant periods of time, I have avoided animal products all together. It’s what felt best for my spiritual development and health at the time.

At other times, I have eaten nothing but animal products, because that’s what felt best for me.

In both instances, my spiritual development, particularly my Kundalini process, has thrived.

Recently, I successfully addressed serious health issues against the odds by following The Lion Diet - consisting solely of red meat, salt, and water for over 90 days. My aim was to try and resolve an autoimmune condition which doctors told me had no cure.

Well, with the Lion diet, I resolved it and have successfully reintroduced some plant foods but continue to eat meat as well. I feel great.

I took the Lion diet as an experiment, not only with my autoimmunity, but with my spirituality too.

Throughout that time period of eating nothing but meat, I didn’t revert back to unconsciousness or have my spiritual development stunted. In fact, I made incredible progress and brought a deep sense of integrated, awakened consciousness into my body.

The meat was very grounding. I felt fully human and fully divine, simultaneously. My thoughts and emotions were clear and stable. I felt strong. And I continued to have Kundalini experiences, mystical phenomena, and access to ever deepening states of Samadhi in meditation.

What I have concluded for myself is that one needs to consult with their inner wisdom, their intuition, in order to feel out how to move and operate.

Giving our power away to external institutions, organizations, labels and ideologies is not the way to go.

Listening to our intuition is an ongoing skill that is perpetually in development.

I’ve spoken about this topic, and I will continue to, for a long time, because it is incredibly important. Grounding. Many people undergoing intense spiritual transformations of consciousness experience great energetic instability in their bodies and minds.

This can cause them to feel loopy, anxious, and depressed. They can hit states of mania and psychosis as well.

During these difficult stages, eating meat is one of the best, safest, and quickest ways of grounding a person, often relieving their symptoms promptly.

However, if a person is attached to a particular anti-meat ideology, they are likely to struggle to find an effective means to stay grounded.

Only recently, multiple ungrounded friends of mine ended up in extremely messy situations that could have been minimized if only they were willing to eat meat. They were not. One has lost their career. Another has lost their home. Both have severely damaged relationships.

Being ungrounded energetically within one’s body and mind, if left untreated for too long, results in being ungrounded in one’s worldly circumstances in terms of livelihood, finances, and relationships.

If you happen to be experiencing anxiety, mania, extremely uncomfortable energetic phenomena within the body, or anything debilitating like that, and you don’t eat meat, consider it. Don’t be attached to dogma. Do what’s best for you and remember, life feeds on life.

There are some great masters who have been vegetarian or even vegan. It’s not that a person absolutely must eat meat. That’s not what I’m saying.

There are some people who can get by without eating meat, and they can thrive. There are many factors to consider. A key one is lifestyle.

For example, one can look at Sri Ramana Maharshi and say that he was a vegetarian, and so therefore meat is not necessary.

To that I would inquire into whether a person is also living the same lifestyle as Ramana.

He didn’t have a family or worldly career that required him to be grounded and down to earth for. He lived in special circumstances.

We cannot just blindly mimic great masters like Ramana and hope for the best. We need to be true to our own journey, process, and circumstances.

Lastly, I want to share a little about fasting in the context of spiritual development.

Vegetarianism is often encouraged for those wanting to develop their meditation practice, because it allows a person to float off into higher states of consciousness because they aren’t grounded by any meat.

This is true. Ungrounded people can experience high states of meditation. This is why at times, a person may be inspired intuitively to avoid meat. This is totally fine.

However, it’s difficult to integrate those high states of consciousness deep into the body where they can be embodied by an aspirant, unless they engage in serious grounding practices, often requiring the consumption of meat.

So, how can a meat eater access those higher states of consciousness, if they aren’t able or willing to eat a plant-based diet, or they just don’t feel inspired to?

Well, you can always fast. When it feels right, you can cut out all food and meditate. With practice, you’ll be able to float off and experience transformational and transcendent states of consciousness.

But then, you can return back to your diet consisting of meat, in order to successfully ground and integrate those states into your everyday life. In that way, you can enjoy the same benefits of a vegetarian diet in your meditation, without having to cut out meat all together.

In conclusion, if a person eats meat, they aren’t necessarily going to hinder their spiritual development. There are plenty of examples of successful masters that eat meat.

Even plant-based diets involve death. Life feeds on life.

If a person in the midst of spiritual development avoids eating meat because of their attachment to a particular moral perspective, they are at risk of ignoring their intuitive impulses and harming themselves greatly.

Avoiding meat at times is appropriate. Eating meat at times is great also. What’s key is to develop one’s ability to listen to their inner voice, without the influence of culture, propaganda, and dogma.