Vegetarian Children and Berlin's Progress

In a young family in the suburbs, the clear laughter of a child about three years old rings out joyfully. The little boy runs all around the garden, his bare feet pressing into the lush green grass, his cheeks rosy and his eyes bright with intelligence. What makes him special is that he was born and raised entirely on a lifelong vegetarian diet, beginning from his time in his mother's womb.

His mother, a woman steadfast in her healthy way of living, shares: "Many people worry that a vegetarian diet drains one's strength, but in reality, children like my son are one and a half times healthier than their peers who eat meat and fish. They fall ill less often, recover quickly from even a mild fever, and their minds are remarkably quick." This is not a rare case, but a common outcome among many families who practice together and follow a lifelong vegetarian diet.

Nor is this trend limited to a few small families — it is spreading across the globe, especially in some of the most developed nations. A report on the national television channel VTV1 covered Berlin, the capital of Germany — a city regarded as a symbol of civility and advanced technology. There, people are switching to vegetarianism in great numbers. Vegetarian restaurants are springing up side by side, while many livestock farms are closing because the demand for meat is declining.

The Germans, famous for their meticulousness and scientific approach, did not choose a vegetarian diet out of superstition. They study plant-based cuisine with teams of engineers and scientists. They extract protein from seaweed, fermenting it in seawater to create an appealing umami flavor, making vegetarian dishes both delicious and rich in nutrition. They looked into the slaughterhouses, saw the suffering of animals, and decided to abandon the habit of killing for food in order to protect both health and ethics.

The teacher emphasized: "When a nation as refined and thorough as Germany chooses a vegetarian diet, that is the clearest proof of progress. We Vietnamese have long practiced vegetarianism out of faith in the Buddha and out of compassion. Now the world is returning to the way of life our ancestors preserved. This is the shared step of humanity moving toward true civilization."

The meaning of the story:

Vegetarianism is not merely a religious matter; it is also a scientific choice that brings lasting health and a clear, bright wisdom — especially for children. That developed nations such as Germany are turning to a vegetarian diet shows that this is a progressive trend for humanity. Buddhists should feel proud and remain steadfast in this way of living, seeing it as a way to help build a civilized, clean, and compassionate society, while encouraging the wider community to join in and raise the quality of life for all.

Compiled from a dharma talk by Venerable Thích Chân Quang