The World Peace Diet: Eating For Spiritual Health And Social Harmony

Journey of Transformation / 267
what poor people could afford, while creating the environmental nightmare
of waste and pollution that modern animal agriculture always
brings. The spread of the herding culture into Korea has received a
strong boost from the Christian missionaries who have established a
considerable presence there. It may be slowed down by the Buddhist
monasteries and their teachings and example of compassion and veganism,
but only to the degree they remain respected and relevant to the
lives of an increasingly pressured population.
The spread of the herding culture has been going on for centuries and
continues unabated today. Its wealth and willingness to use both financial
pressure and physical violence make it difficult to resist, and as it
spreads, so do oppression, inequality, violence, competition, and struggle.
It is a culture of exploitation and predation that reinforces in all its
members its core practice of herding and eating commodified animals.
To exist within the hostile environment of the herding culture,
vegan communities must be strong and committed. Most, like The Farm
and SonggwangSa Zen Temple, are essentially spiritual communities.
Their practice of vegan living is part of a larger orientation of spiritual
practice emphasizing compassionate living, cultivation of inner peace
and harmony, and contributing to the moral regeneration of humanity.
However, vegan community can also be experienced in many other
places today, making the switch to veganism easier and more natural.
The number of vegetarian and vegan communities is growing as a result
of the proliferation of non-Western spiritual traditions here. There are a
growing number of healing centers and religious retreat centers as well,
emphasizing vegetarianism or veganism for reasons of both health and
spiritual purification. There are also temporary communities, like animal
rights and vegetarian conferences, as well as local vegetarian societies
that provide knowledge and inspiration. Community support of
some kind is vital, for it provides the context, examples, and practical
guidance that are particularly essential in the beginning stages of switching
to a more cruelty-free diet and lifestyle.
Seeds bear fruit after their kind. Both The Farm and SonggwangSa
Temple are the blossoming of seeds planted by wise and compassionate
people at least 2,500 years ago, and nurtured and replanted by count-