There are numerous health, environmental, mental, spiritual, and ethical reasons for choosing vegan. But many people are choosing vegan simply because they don't want to pay for violence against animals on factory farms. People are starting to understand that paying for animals to be harmed is the same as harming animal themselves, and that moving toward a plant-based diet is now the lowest hanging fruit of kindness to all beings, the planet, and our own bodies.

Once we wake up to what we're paying for when we purchase factory-farmed animal products, it can become difficult to attend meditation gatherings (aka. sanghas or satsangs) where people are talking about topics such as compassion for all beings while still choosing to needlessly harm animals every day with their food choices. Even if we understand that "they know not what they do" continuing to attend such sanghas can increasingly lead to cognitive dissonance, which is likely the opposite of what initially drew us to sangha.

The intention of this group is not to replace those sanghas. As best we can, we should continue to be a voice for beings who have no voice, and as best we can practice compassion for the humans needlessly harming them based on wrong view. The intention of this group is merely to provide some support for those experiencing inner dissonance.

If you'd like to write a letter/email to your current meditation group to help them understand what you're experiencing, here are some templates to get you started:

• Dairy and the Five Precepts
  ~Informing a Vipassana retreat about dairy
• Letter to Spirit Rock
  ~Asking Spirit Rock to stop serving animal products
• Crazy Sangha Member
  ~Following up on a sangha conversation
• At the Crossroads
  ~By someone leaving their sanga
• Blue Cliff Letter
  ~By Thich Nhat Hanh

You might also share any of these videos:

• Tara Brach's 2022 interview:
  YouTube.com/embed/cEIOnfy-qB4
• Thich Nhat Hanh's 2-minute video:
  YouTube.com/embed/GDMwYC9qZ-w,
  or his Being Vegan is a Great Happiness
• A Prayer For Compassion:
  YouTube.com/embed/cEIOnfy-qB4
• Animals and the Buddha:
  YouTube.com/embed/S0MWAAykFuc
• Dalai Lama student and DVA contributor's 16-minute video

Our sessions are primarily intended to provide vegans (and those heading in that direction) a refuge from the challenges encountered in non-vegan meditation groups. While all others are welcome, please keep in mind that our sharing periods are short and not intended for spending time on explaining reasons for choosing vegan. If you haven't yet found motivation for plant-based eating, it might be more beneficial to first spend time on a site like ChoosePlantBased.org or Vegan.com or similar.

Zoombombers/trollers usually prefer to remain off camera because once they're recognized they won't be able to join again. By requiring cameras to be on, we reduce the frequency of disturbances. Therefore, please test to make sure you have Zoom working properly before joining. If you experience tech difficulties and get bounced by mistake, our apologies, please join us next time.

If you prefer to join without video (e.g. you live somewhere without adequate internet), please email us for "join-by-phone" instructions.

Meeting times vary. To be notified of upcoming sessions, subscribe or unsubscribe here.

Other similar groups:

• Every 4th Saturday of the month, IMCW (Insight Meditation Center of Washington) holds a vegan sangha. On their events page search "events" for the word "vegan" and then look for the sanghas hosted by Alexandra.

• Every 4th SUNDAY of the month, Compassion Consortium holds an awesome Sunday Service that typically includes a meditation or other spiritual practice. Learn more here.

• Most Sundays, Meditation for Vegans & Activists Winnipeg holds a Skype or Zoom meditation that's open to all.

Know of others? Please email and let us know!