I was introduced to vegetarianism when I lived at Faslane Peace Camp in 1982. Although I wasnt veggie myself many of the people who came to live at the camp were and as we ate communally it was easier and cheaper to cook vegetarian food for everyone. As my committment to living a non-violent lifestyle developed I realised that I didnt need to eat meat to survive and that the only justification for killing animals was to please my palate. So I stopped.
Tried several times over the years to be vegan. My heart and consience told me I should be vegan. I just found it so hard. I didnt have a sweet tooth, and giving up dairy products was not a big issue with me. It was all the stuff that wasnt so obvious that was the problem. Every thing on the supermarket shelves seemed to have some milk/eggs in it somewhere and it seemed to take me twice as long to get round as I checked every label minutely. Even then things used to slip through the net and left me feeling depressed and I thought that I would never be able to be a real vegan.
However, two things over the past year have made me recommit myself to veganism. An article in the Vegan Magazine and my committment to following the Buddhist path. The magazine article was headlined So You Think You Are A Vegan and gave several definitions as to what veganism meant to different people. It also went on to say that it was almost impossible to totally avoid animal products and that we shouldnt beat ourselves up or consider ourselves no longer vegan if we fell by the wayside either deliberately or by accident. For in the final reckoning, the root of veganism lies not in avoiding animal products: that is simply a result of veganism. The essence of veganism is the attempt to reduce the exploitation of, and cruelty to animals. That is what is important. A person is still a vegan if, on occasion, circumstances force them to consume an animal product. I know many vegans will not agree with some of the above but for a new vegan like me it gave me a lot of encouragement to move forward.
Over a year ago I attended a series of courses on Buddhism and meditation at the Glasgow Buddhist Centre. I am now a Mitra which means I am a friend of the FWBO and agree to live in accordance with the five ethical precepts one of which is not killing or causing harm to other living beings. This is the fundamental ethical principle for Buddhism, and all the other precepts are elaborations of this. The precept implies acting non-violently wherever possible, and many Buddhists are vegetarian or vegan for this reason. This particular precept sits easy with me and was the second factor in my trying again to be vegan.
