The Way We Eat: The Ancients

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The Way We Eat: The Ancients - Part 1
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Is the way we eat a manifestation of how we feel about our bodies and our souls, how we choose to interact with the world around us, our very attitude towards life? When what we eat does not reflect what we allege our values to be, does that mean we need to change things? In this three-part series we will examine some of the ancient sages who answered "yes" to those questions.
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Throughout the ages, great philosophers and men of peace have been compelled to modify the way they eat. Two very ancient examples are Siddhartha Gautama (better known as the Buddha) and Pythagoras of Samos. Interestingly, these two gentlemen were contemporaries. Buddha lived in Northern India circa 563 to 483 BCE. Pythagoras resided in Greece and Southern Italy from 560 to 480 BCE. There are outstanding similarities between their philosophies and practices considering that the chances of their ever having met or exchanged ideas is practically nil. But then ideas have always seemed to have a life of their own, spreading and reaching to the far corners of the earth, even before there were FAX machines or E-mail. This era in history, around 500 BCE, has been referred to as the beginning of the Age of Reason and it is undoubtedly significant that two of its greatest thinkers took exception to the standard dietary habits of their time.
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Pythagoras is, of course, best known for the mathematical theory that bears his name, the Pythagorean Theorem. This theorem was, in fact, previously known in Babylonia where Pythagoras was believed to have traveled in his youth, but Pythagoras is given credit for being the first to prove the theorem. He and his followers, known as Pythagoreans, examined many other scientific and mathematical issues and are credited with breakthroughs in the fields of geometry, astronomy and music. They postulated that the world can be understood through the relationships between numbers, a concept that has had a profound influence on the development of science and mathematics. They were also among the earliest thinkers (some 2000 years before Copernicus) to suggest that the earth moves around the sun rather than vice versa.
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Unfortunately, Pythagoras' influence as a philosopher and religious leader is not nearly as well known as his mathematical theorem. He founded a society, or brotherhood, of individuals who sought wisdom and a peaceful way of life. Pythagoreans denounced materialism. They believed in the immortality of the soul and its separateness from the body and that the soul is reincarnated many times over, until it completes a prescribed cycle. This philosophy is called the transmigration of the soul. By leading a pure life an individual could secure release of his/her soul from the fleshly existence. For the Pythagoreans, this pure life included a strict exercise regime, meditation and a vegetarian diet. As the earliest known western philosopher to condone a meatless diet, Pythagoras has been called the Father of Vegetarianism.
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At the same time and for much the same reasons, thousands of miles away in India, the Buddha and his followers had also adopted an ascetic lifestyle.The Buddha was born a prince in the northern area of India known as Nepal. Incredible legends surround his birth and childhood, including the prediction by the wise man, Ashita, that Siddharta would one day hold influence over countless numbers of people either as a ruler or as a holy man. History tells us that at about the age of thirty, he gave up his throne, left his beautiful young wife and infant son, donned the yellow robes of a monk and began a pilgrimage that would last the rest of his life.
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The young prince had been protected from the unpleasantries of life throughout his childhood and young adult years. When he eventually wandered from the confines of his palace and encountered the three miseries of disease, old age and death, he was overcome with melancholy. Determined to find the way of deliverance from these seemingly inevitable destinies, he abandoned his life of comfort and pleasure and undertook the ways of a Hindu holy man, wandering through the countryside begging for his food, while studying with many scholars and meditating upon the ancient teachings.
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Over the next six years Siddharta became quite adept at self-denial and it is said that some days he existed on only a grain of rice. Still he had not found the answers he was looking for. One day, too weak to stand and realizing that renunciation alone was not going to bring him the enlightenment he was seeking, he crawled to a nearby river, bathed himself, and indulged in a bowl of milk and rice. Refreshed, Siddhartha sat beneath the "bo tree," determined to stay there until he received enlightenment or died. That night Siddhartha became the Buddha, the Enlightened One. He beheld The Way. He was given the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path from which developed the Ten Buddhist Commandments, the first of which is, "Thou Shalt Not Destroy Life."
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Buddha and his followers did not interpret this commandment. They did not apply exceptions or conditions to it. They simply lived it. Since they lived by alms, it would have been almost impossible to totally avoid eating meat, but their policy was to never allow for an animal to be slaughtered specifically for their consumption. (To be cont.)
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The Way We Eat: The Ancients - Part II
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Last month we looked at how the philosophies of the Buddha and Pythagoras influenced the way they chose to eat. This month we continue to explore the developing relationship between philosophy and diet at the beginning of the Age of Reason.
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The Greek philosopher, Plato (428-347 BCE), would probably have considered eating a rich, unhealthy diet to be an act of ignorance. In fact, he believed that all destructive behavior was born out of ignorance. He theorized that only the moral person is a truly happy person and since all people wish to be happy, all people must naturally wish to be good. Plato was reportedly influenced by Pythagoras and was himself a vegetarian.
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Plato was, of course, a disciple of Socrates, the first of the shining threesome of Greek philosophers, of which Aristotle was the last. Socrates' life was a quest for the truth, which he labored to bring to light by asking his students and companions a series of questions. His questions would inevitably lead to an eye-opening answer, which often contradicted the accepted beliefs of the time. Although Socrates never recorded his doctrines, Plato immortalized them in his dialogues, many of which were conversations between Socrates and his students. In The Republic, probably Plato's most famous dialogue, Socrates is discussing the ideal society with Glaucon, a brother of Plato. He describes a simple life, with a diet of breads and cakes, figs and peas and beans, roast berries and acorns, olives and cheese and country stews of roots and vegetables. He states that "Leading such a healthy life in peace, they [the people] will naturally come to a good old age, and leave their children to live after them in the same manner."
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Glaucon suggests that a more luxurious lifestyle, in which people "lie on couches and dine off tables on such dishes and sweets as we have nowadays," would be preferable.
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Socrates elaborates on Glaucon's concept of the good life, describing an existence that becomes more and more complex as a lifestyle, "suffering from inflammation" develops.

"…but we shall want a great quantity of sheep and cattle too, if people are going to live on meat," suggests Socrates.

"Of course," replies Glaucon.

"And with this manner of life physicians will be in much greater request.

"No doubt," Glaucon agrees.

"The country too, which was large enough to support the original inhabitants will now be too small. If we are to have enough pasture and plough land, we shall have to cut off a slice of our neighbours' territory; and if they too are not content with necessaries, but give themselves up to getting unlimited wealth, they will want a slice of ours.

"That is inevitable, Socrates."

"So the next thing will be, Glaucon, that we shall be at war."

"No doubt."
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Isn't it fascinating that 2500 years ago, Socrates associated a rich, meat-laden diet with the need for more doctors? It seems the modern medical profession is finally starting to realize how right he was.
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The Way We Eat - The Ancients: Part III
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We left off last month with Socrates telling Glaucon that living excessively would eventually lead to illness and greed, desire for your neighbor's land and ultimately war. One ancient ruler who lived the sumptuous life and waged war on his neighbors was Asoka of India, born around 291 BCE and known in the East as Asoka the Great. He had once been known as Asoka the Monster or Evil Asoka but a life changing experience drastically altered the way he lived, the way he ruled his kingdom and even the way he ate. Perhaps no other ruler in history went through such a radical transformation.
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Asoka was from the Maurya Dynasty of northern India. His grandfather, Chandragupta Maurya had conquered most of Northern India and established a strong empire. Around 200 years after the death of Buddha, Asoka extended the empire into present-day Central India and beyond. Like the Buddha, he had been born a prince and educated in the royal manner.. However, he did not lead the sheltered life of Siddhartha but became viceroy to first one and then another distant area of the empire while still a teenager. Asoka was married at nineteen (considered old for a first marriage at that time) to a young woman of the Sakyakumari clan. This was also the clan of Siddhartha Guatama and the young woman was apparently a follower of the Lord Buddha but there is little evidence that his wife's religion had any effect on Asoka. After his coronation in 269 BCE, he continued to wage a military campaign to colonize the territories around him and his reputation as Evil Asoka grew. That is until the Kalinga War.
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The exact reason for this campaign is not known but it is alleged that 100,000 Kalingas were killed in battle and many more died of the famine and pestilence that is the aftermath of war. 150,000 of the defeated were taken captive and made into slaves. At this time Asoka's kingdom covered most of the India of today, the two wings of Pakistan, Punjala in the west and Bengal in the east, and parts of Afghanistan and Persia but Asoka was not a happy king. For some reason his appetite for glory and victory was satiated and he was deeply saddened by the suffering and bloodshed of the Kalinga War.
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There are several versions of Asoka's conversion. However that actually came about, when he embraced Buddhism, first as a layman and later as a member of the order, it not only changed his life but the lives of all who lived under his rule. Asoka and his saintly teacher, Upagupta, went on a pilgrimage to retrace the travels of the Buddha from his birthplace to the spot where he died. On this pilgrimage he began a new campaign to enlighten his people, relieve their burdens as much as possible and establish a just government. Asoka had many stone pillars, some as high as seventy feet, erected throughout the empire. On these huge pillars and on giant rock formations, messages were carved - dedications, commentaries, stories of Asoka's deeds, teachings and policies. Much of what is known about Asoka comes to us through the rock and pillar edicts, some of which still exist.
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With his conversion Asoka the Monster became Asoka the Angel. He had wells dug, trees planted and shelters built along the road for travelers. He had medicinal herbs, roots and fruits imported and cultivated for the people. Many cruel punishments for criminals were abolished and he established the Dharmamatras, a kind of morality police. It was their job to work with all the people, from the wealthiest to the most destitute, to insure fair treatment and the well-being of all. They had the dual role of teaching the people to be virtuous and ensuring that they were fairly treated by the government. He also initiated projects to bring together the talents and creativity of the people to benefit the entire community. Once the mighty conqueror, Asoka's foreign policy was now one of good will towards all countries, tribes and clans.
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It was Asoka's intention to spread these attitudes far and wide. He ordered thousands of monasteries and reliquaries built and sent missionaries throughout the kingdom and beyond, some traveling as far as Syria, Egypt and Greece. This was, in fact, the beginning of the development of Buddhism as a major Asian religion.
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Asoka's stone pillars which were exquisite works of art, spoke directly to the people in simple terms they could understand. And what did Asoka have to say? In the Kalinga Edict he told his people of his change of heart towards war. He expressed his sorrow and regret over that particular incident and stated, "A country's conquest leads to the crushing of people whose ways may be different from our own, and this, too, was a matter of deep regret… Therefore, the king resolved to exchange good for evil and to forsake violence. Therefore, he bids his own people to turn from evil ways, since the king wishes to establish the reign of justice, security, peace and mercy for all. Conquering hatred is the greatest victory, the king believes. And the greatest glory is the type of conquest that produces happiness."
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In other edicts Asoka taught the people that the greatest god was the god of truth, that they should conduct themselves according to the laws of morality (dharma) and that each person is responsible for his/her own deeds. Piety he instructed was the result of intense self-examination, obedience, dread of impiety and extreme effort. Asoka's edicts taught service to one's father and mother, to holy people, to friends and neighbors as well as foreigners. He declared it "commendable not to hoard too much gold; to borrow little and to refrain from exploiting others." He also preached religious tolerance and freedom, declaring that all sects would be allowed to live freely and practice their religious rituals.
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Asoka's teachings were directed to an outcome known as Ahimsa, the forsaking of violence, war and bloodshed, the embracing of an attitude of kindliness towards all, with the understanding that violence and war only breed more of the same. Like the Buddha, he had come to believe in the sanctity of all life. Once an enthusiastic participant in the samajas (festivals which involved the slaughter of many animals) Asoka was now a vegetarian and banned animal sacrifice. He was concerned about the health and welfare of animals as well as people and is believed to have established an animal hospital in Surat which continued to exist into the eighteenth century.
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Asoka's role in the spread of Buddhism has been compared to that of Constantine in the growth of Christianity. A quiet little sect before Asoka, Buddhism was eventually to reach into China, Japan, Korea, and all parts of Asia. It is interesting to note that the expansion of this religion has never been associated with force or violence.
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What has humanity learned from these ancient rulers and philosophers? Sadly, it seems that we are still struggling with some of the very same issues that they so eloquently addressed. What more apt description of today's society than a "community…suffering from inflammation," as Socrates put it? How different things would be if our leaders over the ages had believed, as Plato upheld, that justice is always preferable to injustice and that it should never be equated with power. How different our society would be if mankind had believed that happiness is not dependent on "getting more." Centuries before Christ the great philosophers knew this to be true, Jesus powerfully reinforced it and life has proven it to be so, time and time and time again. Still we labor to build up our treasures here on earth rather than in Heaven.
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This article is intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this publication is intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis and advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or health-care provider before starting any new diet or procedure involving your health. Prompt professional medical guidance is recommended for any health problem.