August 9, 2010

THE RELIGION THAT MAKES VEGANISM MANDATORY


There is no religion that states that all its adherents must be vegan. Jainism and Buddhism from the East, Jamaican Ital/Rastafarianism, Supreme Master Ching Hai, and others, all come somewhat close, but none demand its followers to be vegan to be a member of that religion or sect. Therefore, I couldn’t possibly be any of these religions. I outgrew religions long ago. I had to invent my own, as well as my own vegan, “male/female” God. I call my religion: Truthism.

It’s a simple religion – the precepts are easy enough for anyone to comprehend…."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”, and in my religion, which is not humancentric, “others” means others, including all other sentient beings. In fact, in Truthism, we try not to harm plants, too. We don’t pick flowers. We don’t cut down trees. We try to live harmoniously without harming others, as best we can.

In Truthism, you don’t have to fund anyone. No donations, no almsgiving, no tithing; however it is forbidden to fund human or nonhuman slavery and exploitation. You don’t have to pray to God in public and be enclosed from God’s World by four concrete walls. Instead, you can go to God’s World, find a cathedral of trees, lie down, look up, and rejoice.



In Truthism, you don’t have to study books, Bibles, Torahs, Korans, or a list of commandments; you just have to be respectful of others. There’s no promise of rewards in an afterlife. No, the only rewards you get are in this life: the reward of knowing that you are doing the morally right thing to do, the reward of less risk of life-threatening diseases, and the reward of mind-blowing interspecies friendships.

There are no priests, rabbis, or monks. The God of Truthism endowed each human being with a conscience and that conscience serves as your leader, on a daily basis. Truthism tells us to engage the conscience within, to befriend her; to obey her over the crowds. Truthism teaches us, in fact, not to listen to the crowds, because they, for the most part, are not Truthists and therefore well, insane, truthfully.

Truthism is the kind of religion that once you convert over, it kind of pocesses your life and you can never turn away from its alluring powers. Being vegan is just the first step; it’s not the ONLY tenet of the religion, but it is an inescapable, unavoidable, first step.

Want to join my religion? No problem. It’s free, no paperwork, you didn’t have to be born into it…you just have to see that it’s the right religion for you. Until the day arrives that this religion has more followers, I have to live with trees as my neighbors and the songs of birds as my music, and devotedly commune with the real “Sun of God” that I adore….the star of the show, that goes unnoticed in our capitalistic, consumerist society. The UnTruthists have taught us to fear the sun, and those are the same ones that tell us its okay to eat animal corpses and callously vivisect other animals. The man-made pollution and ozone hole is what is scary; not the sun. The sun is my very best friend; without her, I’m dead.



If you have a sincere longing for spirituality and the mystical in life, and other religions just aren’t up to snuff for you anymore, come follow Truthism. Anyone of any color, race, ethnicity, sex or sexual preference, or age is welcomed. Truthism is a non-racist, non-sexist, non-speciesist, non-ageist religion.

Truthism does not want our lives to be little more than wage slaves. Truthism beckons us to really live life, to work to right all the injustices, to live in and to love the natural environment, and to learn how to love. Truthism sees Love as a verb, sets no limitations on love; and defines it as a lifting feeling; lifting to a higher state of consciousness.

A devotee of Truthism feels the ‘feeling of oneness with God’ when giving a tummy rub to a dog (especially one who has evolved to eat only from the plant-kingdom), when hugging a thousand year old tree, when caressing a bunny rabbit, when “in love” with another human being, when watching sunsets, and other such activities.



In Truthism, it’s not about being better than the next guy, but about tomorrow, being better than you are today. Truthists seek to know their higher nature.

Anyone who wants to join my religion-that’s fine with me. But remember, I won’t be your leader. You have to follow your conscience; that voice within that knows right from wrong; regardless of societal indoctrination; where everything is deciphered through your reasoning mind and your compassionate heart to arrive at the Truth. This is the essence of Truthism.

:-)

9 comments:

KT_trebor said...

I'm in! Lovely post x

wo_dao said...

well said.

Not to throw in a "debate" or any of that: Some say Buddhism isn't a religion but a Philosophy.

And Master Ching Hai...I totally understand her intent. She has "initiates" but she doesn't want to call them "initiates." She does try to get people to understand that the "meditation group" is not a "religion" but just that anyone is welcome to be "initiated" whether they are Christian, Jain, Hindu, [or whatever religion] etc. As long as they are vegan at first.


=====

Anyhow, I wouldn't call myself theistic or atheistic either. I had a friend that ends up putting it as "Mysticism." Believing in the spiritual, yet at the same time not just excluding "truth" to the "recipes that scientists write" because whatever "book of science" people put out there will always be their perception and writing, despite their "literal accuracy."

Same stuff for "religious books." All a recipe, all their perceptions. Yet experiencing or tasting the recipes...........comes a different way.


Anyways...had to ramble. Love the work and all the stuff you do. =D

M. (known as) "Butterflies" Katz said...

wo - I was not aware you had to be vegan to be initiated by Supreme Master...is that really true? You cannot be initiated unless you live a vegan life, not just diet? I'd really like to know that.

No debate here. Buddhism may be a philosophy and/or a religion...I think it was okay the way I used it, as there is a comical feeling behind it.

I'm with your friend...I like tuning into the spiritual world and the mystical world..

I totally agree that whatever book; it came from someONE's perception...we each have a unique perception. You have a very interesting one! Thanks for the compliments.

Anonymous said...

Yes Butterflies, to be initiated by Supreme Master Ching Hai one must be vegan in thought word and deed.

Apart from that, meditating at least 2.5 hours a day and the basic requirements of no drugs, no stealing etc.

There is a convenient method which is half an hour a day to get used to it and so people can decide if they want to commit further.

Nige M

wo_dao said...

Even though I am not an initiate, I do have...say.. "starting connections" with certain decade-long initiates.

Back then, Master Ching Hai, she allowed anyone to be initiated regardless of dietary path. Then at some point "you're all not children anymore, and you understand the crucial point for a compassionate change in the world;" and so she had lacto-vegetarianism being a requirement, and then....vegan.

My heart is drawn to the meditation group is....the unconditional love and not "rejecting the mystical" (though I had a friend that said "it's not about personality to be initiated. We initiates are just the brats, so none of us are perfect").

And when I say mystical, it's things that people tend to reject, just because it doesn't fit with people's perception of "reality." We alter reality. =)

My heart just isn't drawn to SOME local vegans in my area, because...say when a person wants to be a fruitarian or raw vegan 80/10/10 style; there should at least be a "I am cheering for you" or some sort of support, instead of rejecting it.

Ah well. Long story, I got so much to ramble about, especially when it comes to spiritual origin and the "enlightened Masters" who don't wanna be labelled as "master". =)

Unknown said...

Humans are omnivores always have been always will be. It is what it is, and all I can hope for is that you understand that we choose to eat meat as you choose to not. Anything else would be uncivilized!

M. (known as) "Butterflies" Katz said...

Adam - I couldn't disagree with you more. I think it is uncivilized to needlessly eat and use other animals who are sentient, aware, and have feelings much the same as us. You should not have the choice to do that. You should not have the choice to contribute so greatly to the demise of the planet we all share, either, by consuming animals and animal agriculture. People are not rational; they are insane, they should not have the choice to torture and kill others, needlessly. Sorry. I don't believe eating animals is civilized - quite the contrary...it's barbaric.

Unknown said...

I am actually a revert to Islam and American and a Vegetarian and I love this.

Unknown said...

I am a Muslim american revert to Islam, and I love this post.