Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), 28 October 2018: Moved by Jain seer Acharya Vidyasagar’s philosophy of vegetarianism, French ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler has pledged to turn vegetarian.
Alexandre Ziegler had visited Khajuraho on Thursday, along with his wife and two daughters. While taking a tour of the famed temples, he expressed his interest to meet Jain Muni Vidyasagar, who is camping in the historic town for Chaturmas – four months of religious penance.
Before visiting the saint, the French diplomat wanted to know about the spiritual guru, and was impressed by the seer’s simple lifestyle, said Vinod Kumar Sen, a tourist guide who had accompanied the diplomat in Khajuraho.
In the ashram, Alexandre sat on floor along with his family and heard the sermon of the Acharya for almost 20 minutes while the Jain Muni was meeting people. This was followed by a one-on-one meeting of the Jain Muni with the diplomat and his family.
‘Vegetarianism on the rise in Europe’
The conversation started with the saint asking him in English: “Where do you come from?” The diplomat explained what had brought him there and during his interaction with the Jain Muni, talk veered around to vegetarianism. “Seeing Alexandre’s interest in vegetarianism, the seer explained his philosophy on simple living and vegetarian food, both the humanitarian and scientific aspects,” said Sumati Sagar Jain, a spokesperson for the Jain congregation.
“It was at this juncture that Alexandre said he wanted to become a vegetarian. He said vegetarianism is spreading fast in Europe and he would try to be one,” Dr Sagar told. Alexandre said he felt “peaceful and blessed” after his interaction with the Jain Muni. – News Courtesy: Times of India