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Gurudev made himself accessible to all. Those who came into his presence commented on how refreshed they felt both in body and spirit. They were delighted to find no stuffy piety; instead they experienced his buoyant carefreeness, his expansion of consciousness; it was contagious! This feeling remained with them hours and sometimes days after having had an interview with Gurudev.
Even some members of the New Zealand cricket team asked to meet with him. They had heard of his physical stamina and spiritual strength and were curious to see how these two blended in one person. They asked him, "How is it you can maintain such vitality and remain so robust without ever eating meat?”
Gurudev smiled and suggested, “Look at the power hidden in a tiny seed! It pushes its way up through the hard earth. It throws off its hulls in order to grow. The vegetable kingdom absorbs the sun's great energy and provides human beings with all the nutrients we need."
They continued, “But isn't it natural to eat meat? After all, the rest of the animal kingdom feeds on each other.”
Gurudev explained, "First of all, I know that I want to live. The cow also wants to live. If I take away its life in order to live my life, how can that be natural? Why should the cow have to die for me? Why should I not die for the sake of the cow? If you're in the jungle and a cannibal comes along and grabs you and says, 'Hey! I want you for my dinner,' though it is natural for hirn, would you consider it natural? Would you allow yourself to be eaten?"
The men sang out, “Definitely not!"
"It shows it is not natural,” Gurudev concluded, “because you try to escape. To prey on anybody's life is not natural. To live, to feel life, to support life, that is natural.”
"What is the purpose of life?” they inquired.
"To realize what you are. To reach that, you take a direction, a universal approach of unconditional respect for yourself and others. You stop doing anything which hurts or distracts you from your growth. And you move toward that which helps you bring out your love, peace, understanding, and inner beauty. You become aware of a greater goal beyond and apart
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