Compassionate Practices

List of absolute or almost non-violent food

During Her intensive meditation retreat for the survival of the planet and the redemption of humans and animals, Supreme Master Ching Hai naturally discovered certain foods that can be consumed by humans, while causing least harm to the plants. Early this year, at the international gathering, Master generously shared the information with the disciples. She cautioned that it is important to take enough nutrition and if needed, consider adding supplements such as vitamins to your diet.

She explained that even though with the list, our food choices may seem to be more restricted, compared to many people in the world, we have more than enough. In addition, when we take any food, the plant will automatically share our spiritual merit to evolve. Master said, “Because I love the trees, and I feel the pain they have, not because I want to go higher level with that… The trees cannot scream out, that is the worst thing. Just like you, you are tight, or you are made immobile, but then someone just keeps beating you or cutting you and you can’t do anything. That is terrible. We can run, we can kind of struggle and we can scream, but the trees cannot. The plants cannot.” That’s the reason She personally prefers to refrain even from cutting flowers. Master also explained at the December 22, Golden Year 9 (2012) video conference with Supreme Master Television staff, that She personally chooses to eat only the plants that have no feeling which include “two or three kinds of vegetables, melons, cucumbers.”

Based on Master’s research, the following crops and fruits can generally be harvested without harm to the plants or trees, causing them minimal or no pain:

Peace and Loving Food List
Cereals	Wheat grain Wheat products like bread, noodles, couscous
	Millet, Quinoa, Amaranth
	Muesli (as long as ingredients are from the Peace and Loving Food List)
Nuts	Cashews, Pine nuts, Pistachio (Other nuts are sure only if they fell off the tree by themselves)
Seeds	Melon seeds, Pumpkin seeds, Sunflower seeds
Beans	Dry beans (dry harvested, not fresh beans), Lentils (dry)
Vegetables	Chinese cabbage or Pak choi, Baby Pak choi, Coriander, Celery, Chinese celery, Romaine lettuce, Chicory, Cress, Water spinach, Spinach (only the leaves, not if the whole twig or plant was cut)
	Arrowroot, Beet root, Carrot, Radish, Potatoes, Turnip
	Garlic, Ginger, Ginseng
	Dry corn (dry harvested, not fresh corn)
	Any sprouts (only water in there)
	Bitter gourd (or bitter melon), Cucumber
	Mushrooms (fresh or dry) and any of the fungus family (e.g., black fungus)
Fruits	All fallen fruits
	All berries (no strawberry)
	Citrus fruits (without the stem or parts of the stem, like the fruit head at the stem)
	Dates (fresh and dry), Figs (fresh and dry)
	Melons
	Coconut, Apricot, Peach, Star fruit, Tomatoes (if harvested without the stem), Avocados (if black ripened and harvested without any attachment to the fruit)
	General guideline: Painless for the plant, if the fruit is harvested without any parts of the tree or plant (e.g. apples without stem), or if the fruit is cut at 2/3rd and 1/3rd is left on the tree, or if the fruit just fell off the tree to the ground by itself. Also painless, if the fruit is ripe, is very easy to pluck, and immediately falls into your hand. The best is to plant and harvest our own fruit trees, to be sure. For example, a banana can be peeled when still hanging on the tree, or cut below the stem (at 2/3rd of the fruit)
Condiments	Star Anise, Cloves (dry)
	Coriander seeds and powder, Cumin seeds and powder
	Maggi-Sauce, Soya-Sauce, Salt
	Vegetable broth (if made of foods from the Peace and Loving Food List)
Sweeteners	Beet sugar (from sugar beet, radish and alike), Agave juice
Vegan Protein	Dry soy texture and powder, Dry wheat texture and powder
	Vegan ham, Vegan sausages, Vegan Seitan
	Tofu (e.g. mixed with mushrooms or plain)
Herbs	Any herbs and wild herbs if just the leaves are plucked off the plant and the stems are not harmed.

Aulacese Herbs and Vegetables, additional to peace and loving food list above

Aulacese Name Ngổ also known as ngò ôm English Name Rice Paddy Herb	Aulacese Name Cải cúc (Tần ô) English Name Chrysanthemum Coronarium Linn.	Aulacese Name Rau răm English Name Vietnamese Coriander(Hot Mint), Laksa leaf, Daun laksa	Aulacese Name Tía tô English Name Perilla frutescens also known as violet shiso
Aulacese Name Ngò gai English Name Thorny Coriander	Aulacese Name Diếp cá English Name Fish Mint	Aulacese Name Húng quế English Name Basil	Aulacese Name Húng lủi English Name Mint

To harvest the following crops and fruits hurts the plants or trees (incomplete, only few examples):

Rice, Fresh Beans, Sugar Cane, Banana (unless cut from the tree at 2/3rd like mentioned above)

Sesame seeds, Peanuts, Sweet Yams, Cassava, Zucchini

Master mentioned that the list above is by no means complete, but it serves as a guideline for us if we want to act in this direction. She lovingly reminded us to always be humble, always think of God and always have compassion in our heart no matter what we eat. “Be very grateful for the sacrifice of all creations. And be thankful to Heaven, to all involved in your meal, so that you have such a delicious fruit or vegetable, raw or not raw. So, don’t be proud of anything that you do, because we are zero here. Whatever we do, without the grace of Heaven, without the grace of initiation, whatever you do is all sin. Don’t ever be proud that you are vegan, vegetarian, or raw or whatever you eat or not eat.”

We are extremely grateful to Supreme Master Ching Hai for sharing such precious information with the world. May more Earthly people cherish the knowledge and strive to live a simple life with minimal destruction to other beings while following the noble spiritual ideal.

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