Taylor du Pont
Multimedia Editor
Over the past few years, I have struggled to accept a religion into my life. I was brought up in a Congregational family, but as the years of my childhood flew by, I began to question my Christian faith. After my best friend was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor when I was in seventh grade, my skeptical religious views turned into agnosticism. When I was a sophomore in high school, she died and I became a pessimist, turning to atheism.
When I told my friends that I was going to convert to Buddhism, most of them thought that I had jumped off the deep end. I was tired of living my life like a zombie, emotionless and hopeless. I needed something to hold onto. I needed to make a difference in the world around me and be a part of something that was bigger than myself. In the beginning of June last year, without any warning, I started taking my first steps towards becoming a self converted Buddhist.
“I undertake the practice of refraining from taking life… AKA ahimsā”
Photo By: Taylor du Pont
Becoming a vegetarian was easily the most difficult transition into my new found philosophy and lifestyle. I went from being a hardcore steak and seafood girl, to completely stripping my diet of almost all protein. Within the first few days of going without consuming meat, I felt the deep cravings hit. I missed the taste of my dad’s barbeque chicken and my mom’s seasoned salmon.
Not to mention the fact that I was craving the nutrients that were now missing from my diet. Being iron deficient, the lack of red meat in my life became a health concern. Every time that I stood up, I felt intense head rush and was forced to grasp the nearest object for stability and support. I had lost the energy that I once had, and felt constantly fatigued. As time passed however, and my knowledge of Buddhism and vegetarianism grew, I learned how to take care of myself. I found substitutes to replace the nutrients that my body needed. I started taking iron supplements every morning, as well as eating foods such as broccoli, spinach, beans and nuts on a more regular basis. And in times of desperate measures, I even found myself turning to tofu, a substance with little to no taste and the consistency of curdled milk (sounds yummy, right?)
Almost every restaurant that I go to has at least one vegetarian option, and over the summer I had no problem finding food as I was growing accustomed to my new lifestyle. The hardest place to find a healthy and substantial meal has actually been at school. The cafeteria is littered with an array of food options: paninis and sandwiches, fried food, salad, snacks and desserts. Yet the school does provide an array of healthy vegetarian options such as the caprese panini, fruit cups and salads, but a girl can only eat the same meal so many times.
Photo By: Taylor du Pont
Last week I decided to spice things up a little bit. I bought my first cup of soup about a week ago. Usually the cafeteria offers a vegetarian option and an option with meat, but on this particular day they were very sneaky. There were two options: zucchini with pasta and chicken noodle soup. The decision was an obvious one. I ordered a cup of zucchini soup and went back to my table to eat it. When I put the first spoonful of soup into my mouth, I was surprised at how great the pasta zucchini combination tasted, but as I swallowed, my stomach turned. The soup was too rich, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I quickly went up to the sign next to the soup vender and read the ingredients more carefully. I was mortified to find that the soup was cooked in chicken stalk. SNEAKY LUNCH PERSONNEL!!! The fine print tripped me up, and I accidentally consumed part of a once living animal. I know that to anyone who is not a vegetarian, my mistake probably sounds trivial, but I was so disappointed in my carelessness.
Although my drastic change in eating habits was a struggle for the first few months of my journey, I have not only avoided consuming animals for nine months now (except for that damn soup,) but I have also abstained from killing any living being. The reason why Buddhists are vegetarian, is due to the fact that Buddhists abstain from killing/harming other living beings. I am proud of my accomplishment, as small as it may be in the grand scheme of things. I have saved countless animals from becoming dinner, and have in my own way, protested the consumption of other animals by not eating them myself. In addition, I have saved the lives of countless critters from the bottom of my friends’ shoes, or my dad’s balled-up newspaper. Every life is precious.
Be sure to look out for the next installment of “Confessions of a high school Buddhist: Cheers to the freakin’ weekend… Let’s not drink to that” coming out next week!
