In regards to eating meat

[Monica]

Ooohh wait! I just got it! Yes... live food has "life force". But dead food does not have "dead force". Eating only dead food is harmful to the body because of the lack of life force... not because the dead food is inherently harmful. (I mean, really is a bowl of crushed lentil soup harmful? I know some will say yes.)

Assuming you're referring to cooked, wholesome (pesticide-free etc.) plant-based foods, I would agree totally.

One is karma. That is the one most of us know about where karma is kind of like a charge upon one's experience. It is just the natural balancing mechanism of the universe. When we learn to act with balance in all things, then we have liberated ourselves from the "wheel of karma" and no longer require incarnation.

The other is called karman. With an "n". The doctrine of karman says that there is actually some kind of "defiling substance" or "uncleanliness" that becomes physically attached to the body when committing certain acts (including eating "unclean" foods). This karman is supposedly what is keeping us "imprisoned" here in our bodies.

What would you say about these?

I'd say meat has both karma and karman...karma because of contributing to the suffering of the animal, and karman because of the toxic substances (artificial hormones, concentrated pesticides, and fear hormones generated at time of death).