Interesting comments on Eating and Purification

An excerpt from an online book about an extraordinary adventure of "Peace Pilgrim"—a lady who, from 1953 to 1981 walked 25,000 miles for promoting peace. Here are some of her remarks about "purification"

http://www.peacepilgrim.org/index.html

Purifications.

Then I discovered that there were some purifications required of me. The first one is such a simple thing: it is purification of the body. This had to do with my physical living habits. I used to eat all the standard foods. I shudder now to think of what I used to dump into this temple of the spirit.

I did not take care of my bodily temple when I was very young; this only happened later in life. It was five years after I felt a complete willingness to give my life that I began to take care of my bodily temple-- five years! Now I eat mostly fruits, nuts, vegetables, whole grains (preferably organically grown) and perhaps a bit of milk and cheese. This is what I live on and walk on.

There was a time when I had the caffeine habit. I would get up in the morning and have my cup of coffee first thing. One morning, when I had just taken my cup of coffee, I sat and looked at that coffee cup and said, "You're depending on that to get you perking in the morning! I'm not going to be a slave to caffeine. This is going to stop right here!" And it did. I never touched it again. I missed it for a few days, but I'm stronger than that cup of coffee!

I began to realize that I was disobeying my rule of life which says: I will not ask anyone to do for me things that I would refuse to do for myself. Now, I wouldn't kill any creature--I wouldn't even kill a chicken or a fish--and therefore I stopped immediately eating all flesh.

I have not eaten flesh for many years, not meat or fish or fowl. I have learned since that it is bad for your health, but at that time I just extended my love to include not only all my fellow human beings but also my fellow creatures, and so I stopped hurting them and I stopped eating them.

I did not know at that time that flesh eating was bad for the spirit. I just knew it was something I could no longer do because it was contrary to one of my rules of life. Then I learned a little later from a doctor that flesh eating leaves poisonous residues in the body, which would also have made me a vegetarian. I believe in practicing prevention since the body is the temple of the spirit.

Then I learned from a college professor, who wrote a book on the subject, that it takes many times the land to raise the creatures we eat as it would to raise fruits or vegetables or grains. Since I want the maximum number of God's children to be fed, that also would make me a vegetarian.

The difficulty is we have not learned to stop killing each other yet. That's our present lesson--not to kill each other. To learn the lesson of sharing and the lesson of non-killing of man by man. The lesson of non-killing of creatures is a little bit into the future, though those of us who know better need to live up to our highest light.

When I realized white flour and white sugar were bad for your health I stopped eating them. When I realized highly seasoned things were bad I quit them. And when I realized all processed foods contain substances that are bad for the body I quit eating them. Even most water out of the tap is a chemical cocktail. I would suggest bottled or distilled water.

I know enough about food to nourish my body properly and I have excellent health. I enjoy my food, but I eat to live. I do not live to eat, as some people do, and I know when to stop eating. I am not enslaved by food.

People can still be hungry after eating large quantities of wrong foods. In fact, you can suffer from malnutrition even though you consistently overeat wrong foods. You can begin a healthy diet by having only good, wholesome foods available. Eat slowly and chew your food well, as I do. Then make food a very incidental part of your life by filling your life so full of meaningful things that you'll hardly have time to think about food.

In my eating and sleeping habits I have the closest contact with nature that is possible for me. Each day I get as much fresh air and sunshine and contact with nature as I can. I want to do much of my living out-of-doors and be a part of the landscape. Rest and exercise are important. I am not one who consistently goes without sleep. When possible, I go to bed at dusk and get eight hours of sleep. I take my exercise by walking and swinging my arms which makes it a complete form of exercise.

You'd think purification of the body might be the first area in which people would be willing to work, but from practical experience I've discovered it’s often the last--because it might mean getting rid of some of our bad habits, and there is nothing we cling to more tenaciously.