Credit: Danny Ishay (animal rights activist)

My Journey to Veganism

Today, I would like to share my personal journey toward veganism, why I chose this path, and why I believe it is one worth walking together.

I was born into a vegetarian family and raised on a vegetarian diet. But for the last five years, I have gone further, embracing a fully plant-based life and becoming completely vegan. Looking ahead, I have made a sacred vow to remain vegan for the rest of my days.

Two profound moments in my life led me here.

The First Turning Point

It happened on a journey to a temple. As I walked, I found myself alongside a family of four  including two young children who were leading a goat with them. Together, the family, the goat, and I walked nearly a kilometer until we reached the temple grounds. There, the goat was led in a ritual circle around the temple before being brought to the place of sacrifice.

Right before that fateful moment, the goat seemed to sense what was coming. In a desperate attempt to save its own life, it cried out with all the strength it had. It cried loudly, intensely  but its pleas fell on deaf ears. Water was splashed over it, and then came the final strike.

In an instant, its body was severed from its head. And yet, even then, its body was picked up and dragged around the temple once more for a final lap still twitching, still gasping, life not yet fully gone. Witnessing this filled me with an overwhelming unrest, a sorrow I could not shake.

The Second Turning Point

Some time later, a second event occurred. My friends and I had planned a picnic. Among the group, those who ate meat brought along another goat. To slaughter it, two people held its hind legs, another pulled a rope tied around its neck, and one brought a khukuri(shord) down from above.

Just as before, the goat screamed, fighting with everything it had to hold onto its life. And just as before, even after its head was severed, its body continued to shudder and struggle.

Witnessing this second tragedy, I made a definitive vow: I will remain vegan for the rest of my life. I will never take a life, nor participate in the exploitation of any living being.

Why I Made This Vow

That creature held the exact same longing to live, the same love for its own life, that I hold for mine. It felt painful. It did not want to die. It was simply defenseless.

To see how we as humans who call ourselves rational, who call ourselves compassionate  can inflict such violence left me heartbroken. From that day forward, I promised myself I would never consume animal products again.

This is why I believe in veganism not as a diet, but as an act of compassion. Compassion toward every living creature. Compassion toward the earth. And compassion toward the quiet inner voice that already knows the difference between right and wrong, if only we stop to listen.

I'm interested in studying ^(Advaita Vedanta as a beginner.) Where should I start? Are there any online classes available? Is there a community I could join to learn alongside others? If there is a community available, I would like to join it.

It started with a casual look into my trash bin, but it quickly turned into a major wake-up call. I realized that nearly 90% of what I was throwing out was plastic. It wasn't just "some" or "a lot" it was almost everything. If our garbage is full of plastic, ^(how much of it has made its way into our bodies?) 

I've been drawn to Osho's wisdom through his YouTube videos, but I feel I'm only scratching the surface. I'd love to immerse myself more deeply in his teachings. Are there any ashrams, meditation centers, or institutions connected to Osho's work that you would recommend?

Once, a dog fell from a mountain peak and, by some chance, got stuck between a tree and a rock just before plunging into the valley below. When a person witnessed this, he called the other villagers to the spot as well. Together, they all began deliberating on what should be done. Finally, one of them risked his own life to save the dog and climbed down.

The dog was trapped roughly two to three hundred meters deep into the gorge. That person acted with great presence of mind, reached the dog, and safely pulled it back up. Seeing this, all the villagers present broke into applause and greatly praised the man for his courageous act.

However, I have also seen another side of that same person's life. He slaughters a goat at his own home every two to three weeks, for his meals. And not just him every single person who had gathered there that day consumes goat meat in one form or another.

This is what I could not reconcile: on one hand, they are clapping and celebrating a kind of "victory parade" for saving a dog, and on the other hand, their behavior toward another creature is entirely different. Saving the dog's life was indeed a commendable act, and what he did was absolutely right but on one side is that dog, and on the other side is the goat back at his home.

What I cannot understand is this: why does a human being make such a vast distinction between these two creatures? There is life in a goat just as there is in a dog. Both live according to their own nature, and both are children of the same nature that have come into this world. Then why does a human being see such a difference between these two living beings? This question has always arisen in my mind.

I am sharing here a personal experience and some thoughts of my own.

Once, a dog fell from a mountain peak and, by some chance, got stuck between a tree and a rock just before plunging into the valley below. When a person witnessed this, he called the other villagers to the spot as well. Together, they all began deliberating on what should be done. Finally, one of them risked his own life to save the dog and climbed down.

The dog was trapped roughly two to three hundred meters deep into the gorge. That person acted with great presence of mind, reached the dog, and safely pulled it back up. Seeing this, all the villagers present broke into applause and greatly praised the man for his courageous act.

However, I have also seen another side of that same person's life. He slaughters a goat at his own home every two to three weeks, for his meals. And not just him every single person who had gathered there that day consumes goat meat in one form or another.

This is what I could not reconcile: on one hand, they are clapping and celebrating a kind of "victory parade" for saving a dog, and on the other hand, their behavior toward another creature is entirely different. Saving the dog's life was indeed a commendable act, and what he did was absolutely right but on one side is that dog, and on the other side is the goat back at his home.

What I cannot understand is this: why does a human being make such a vast distinction between these two creatures? There is life in a goat just as there is in a dog. Both live according to their own nature, and both are children of the same nature that have come into this world. Then why does a human being see such a difference between these two living beings? This question has always arisen in my mind.