The 1st Middle East Vegetarian (MEVEG) Congress, Part 27 of a Multi-part Series

“Next, ‘Aparigraha’ – ‘Aparigraha’ means non-possession (non-attachment). We always feel ‘everything is mine, so the whole world is mine to enjoy, everything belongs to me.’ That kind of thinking we generate with more and more materialistic lifestyle. So we, being Indian vegans, we try to avoid that possession.”

“And ‘Daya’ – mercy; when someone is suffering, it’s not just humans, it is for all sentient beings. All sentient beings who suffer need mercy. So when they are in need of some sympathy or help, we need to empathize and support them with our help.”

“Splurging on too much is not good for us. Eating less is in fact good for us. Penance, equanimity, restraint, truth, physical discipline, faith, purity, good conduct, ascetism – ascetism means living with minimum resources. Again our ancient rishis, ancient saints, were doing that.” “We cannot live without worry, so these kinds of practices of Indian veganism really help us get calmness of mind. When you’re calm, you can think peacefully, do the right thing, and do the appropriate thing.”

“We talked about the environment and what is the cause of environmental degradation: it is humans and the number of humans. When we go vegan, when you follow all these principles, we have a lesser burden of ourselves on the planet.”

“When we stop being cruel to others, when stop being part of the cruelty others are doing, we do justice for ourselves. We will be more happy; we reduce suffering for everyone.” “We don’t harm anyone, we don’t feel ill of anyone, and it does a world of good. When you change yourself… as Gandhi said, ‘Be the change you want to see in the world.’ When you see change in you, you see the change in the world.”

“This is a vegan passport, this is produced by UK Vegan Society. This is in 58 languages: ‘What vegan is?’ Explained. When you travel, if you can’t explain to people what is vegan, what you want to eat, this helps you while traveling.”