In regards to eating meat

[Diana]

This is one of the ways I am perceiving the arguments for, and against, eating meat:

1. Personal. There is "you," the self. The self had free will. The self chooses. The self feels that he/she needs certain foods, is free to choose, does not want to be told what to do, has his/her own path, interacts with the world as self and world.


2. Universal. There is the "all." When considering what to do about x, it involves considering all: the ecosystem, the planet, the universe, all the beings, evolution, and more.

Interesting! To this I would add:

3. Trans-Personal. Within the illusory distinction between "self" and "all" exists an entire array of viewpoints which are somewhere in-between. As the "self" grows in awareness to become the "all", this array of viewpoints is what allows each personal self to trace a unique path back toward unity. Thus, when considering what to do and/or how to be, each consciousness is actually simultaneously choosing on all possible levels, whether or not it is consciously aware of this.

Thus, as each individuated "self" progressively expands its concept of identity to include "other-selves" it may do so in any order that it chooses. Some may choose to first incorporate animals into their concept of self, while others might choose stars, or trees, or rocks, or microbes. What constitutes "spiritual growth" is the fact that one is expanding, not whether one is expanding in a "one-size-fits-all" predetermined pathway.

Excellent point.

The transpersonal perspective is what this thread conversation is revealing. I would say that my distortion would be to strive toward the universal, and not devolve to the personal.