As I have seen many guys asking this question many times, I would like to tell you complete details before you decide if you want to be vegetarian or non vegetarian Hinduism or sanatan dharma never brings in any strict code of conduct or restriction on being vegetarian or non vegetarian and even if you get any such reference anywhere in our holy books it is not proposed by Hinduism as whole but you might see some suggestions that might be promoting vegetarian diet . it may be for betterment of ecological balance or society. if we talk about Vedic knowledge, From the very beginning Vedic wisdom suggested that that human existance ,society and consciousness will go through many transition forms and metamorphosis before they can get balanced state of self realization/actualization. Our holy texts like purana's and veda's nowhere have said or suggested the total denial of eating non-vegetarian diet and even drinks like madira(alcohol). if you look around the period of which Mandala-7 of the Rig Veda has referred to regarding the the ‘Dasarjana’ battle, we can make out conclusion that it was around 10,000 B.C +/-120 years when subcontinent ?(India, Pakistan, Bangladesh etc)were cold in that period after the long sting of ice age. It was not practical enough for humans to be complete vegetarians or it was not physible to avoid intoxicating drinks in such cold weather and The concept of vegetarian diet & avoiding all forms of liquor or intoxic drinks emerged in much later time when the climate started to get warmer due to a sudden shift in Earth's rotational axis from 24 degrees to 23.50 degrees around 3,100 BC and when Advaita theory was gradually getting into the society and this is same time span when one of our most respected "Swaraswati River" changed its course and eventually dried up. Now next question that will pop up in your mind is then When did we start to move towards vegetarian diet ? Around 850 BC the Jainism came with concept where ideal form of food was vegetarian. Jainism firmly went against the 'Manu Smriti' idea in chapter 5 verse 30 which says “The eater who eats the flesh of those to be eaten does nothing bad, even if he does it day after day, for God himself created some to be eaten and some to be eater.” Their mantra for vegetarian food promoted that ideal form of food for humans should be vegetarian ‘Mahavira’ (24th Tirthankara) who belonged to ‘Lichchavi’ tribe was first person to take complete vegetarian diet and simultaneously there was ‘Shakyan’ tribe which belonged to Gautam Buddha continued with their non-vegetarian diet even when they immerged as one of the major religions of the world around 400BC. the vegetarian concept became a accepted norm in most north India due to 12 years of devastating famines and draught that came in the latter part of north India during the rule of Chandragupta Maurya around 340 BC and this was time when major part of jain community migrated to south India including the kind under the leadership of “Bhadrabahu . Chandragupta Maurya’ ‘Chandragupta Maurya’ and settled around ‘Sravana-Belagola’.Not many people know that the finest of Tamil poems and literature like ‘Jivaka Chintamani’ by Tirutakkatevar and ‘Kural’ by Thiruvalluvar’ were all composed by Jain monks after this mass migration. The Jains of south India laid the foundation of our modern Tamil Grammar and latter laid the foundation of Telegu literature. Those left out regions of ancient bharata where Jainism couldn’t spread properly continued with their non-vegetarian diet. A live example of such thing can be seen in Bengal where even the Brahmins eat non-vegetarian food. However the ideal form of food should be vegetarian was reinforced by Jainism around . Now last question that come out of mind is Should all Hindus become Vegetarian ? well if you ask me ,the answer is very simple the time have changed and Hinduism is like a bark of tree which changes with time. at present time seeing the climatic condition of the globe and depleting digestion power of humans, i would suggest a strong vegetarian diet but this is not a restriction for anyone who counts himself as Hindu.
My recommendation is strongly suggested not only for health reasons, but also karma. I was once a hunter in my childhood. I had to pay for my actions through the horror of realization of what I had done to the animals and their friends and family. I hope that my work in that part of myself has helped me get closer than where I was in my teenage years, though I don't expect to escape the consequences anytime soon.
At an early age I decided not to eat meat because i loved animals and decided that it was not right to eat them.Infact I used to love chicken drumstick.I never got tempted to eat meat at all because of my strong views. My friends used to critise my view and opinions but that never stopped me from being a vegetarian. I feel it is the best step I have taken in my life. I became a vegetarian when I was 7 years old. At that time , the only reason is because I loved animals (my rabbits!). It was quite difficult to give up meat because I used to love KFC. (not tempted at all nowadays). It was nothing to do with my religion at all although every Fridays and Tuesdays my family only consume vege food. I would love to eat in a strict vegetarian restaurant where I can eat whatever is written in the menu.I think i got used to the habit, being picky about my food. Im against slaughter houses because the animals are sacrificed for human consumption. As humans we could eat plently of vegetables and fruits but why meat?. Just imagine yourself being an animal in a slaughterhouse . That is the worst nightmare i can think of!. Please take a moment to view this site :- KfCCruelty.com The way Humans treat these animals are appaling. They have the right to have a good quality of life before they die at least!. I read somewhere that we could feed the whole world if majority of the world population are vegetarians. I know animals have to make a killing for a living but if humans are more superior, we are selfish "He who eats meat, when he honours the gods and manes, commits no sin, whether he has bought it, or himself has killed (the animal), or has received it as a present from others." Chapter 5.31 Manusmriti: The Laws of Manu In hinduism there are no strict rules for a person to consume meat .However if you plan to go to a temple you can't eat meat (maybe you can eat meat after you have made your visit). "Meat can never be obtained without injury to living creatures, and injury to sentient beings is detrimental to (the attainment of) heavenly bliss; let him therefore shun (the use of) meat" Chapter 5.48 Manusmriti: The Laws of Manu Hinduism never tries to restrict an individual to consume meat (except a priest and all hindus are not allowed to consume beef because a cow is considered sacred "provides milk"). It is up to an individual to consider eating meat or to explore the meaning of "vegetarianism". "Having well considered the (disgusting) origin offish and the (cruelty of) fettering and slaying corporeal beings, let him entirely abstain from eating flesh." Chapter 5.49 Manusmriti: The Laws of Manu "He who, disregarding the rule (given above), does not eat meat like a Pisaka, becomes dear to men, and will not be tormented by diseases." Chapter 5.50 Manusmriti: The Laws of Manu There are more problems of eating meat , eat too much of it , you have a greater risk of having diseases. However is vegetarianism a healthy diet?. There is lack of iron and protein in this diet . I try to take these iron supplements. source: yahoo
Non-vegetarianism is murder.All these atrocities would not happen if people were vegetarians. The one who kills the animal The one who cooks or prepares the animal The one who serves the animal The one who eats the animal All the 4s accrue the KARMA. This is how it works. ~ Sathya Sai Baba ~ Please watch guys... know what you are eating.We give the term 'humane slaughter' for what's going on in slaughterhouses.. YOU , watch this video and decide it for yourself... It does not change you to a noble person if you hide the truth,keep them out of mind,and gently tuck in industrial meat products in a 5-star restaurant.Truth is truth. YOU are infesting on the product of fear and violence. The way meat is produced in slaughterhouses and farms is hellish..people infesting on these kind of product will spiritually degrade themselves. Being a higher evolved being is the dumbest reason to eat meat..Love,is the universal language and of the highest frequency..Love can make us communicate with animals and vice-versa... Know what you are eating ! Meat is not the only source of protein.Read up on the many successful vegetarians ! GO VEGETARIAN ! SAVE THE PIOUS PLANET Men are designed to be vegetarians. and the picture below confirms it . Mercy killing, euthanasia are not allowed as per Vedic tradition. Anything against life is not encouraged in Vedic tradition. Practicing Hindus should be vegetarian because saying no to life is the most dangerous. You don't have a right to say no to life. You have no right for atma hana because you are atma gana (embodiment of atma). If you bring the argument of "Oh, we eat plants, even they feel pain." Plants do not have the ability of storing pain as a muscle memory. 30 pounds of agriculture goes into creating one pound of flesh. Being a vegetarian is like doing anna daana (donating food) because by eating agricultural products you are freeing the availability of food for 30 more people. Sri Nithyananda Swami
It is interesting that you mention all of these things, as I had studied Natural Hygiene over 20 years ago, and all this information is there. I got the feeling recently that maybe Natural Hygiene as a "counter-allopathic(medical)" perspective indeed came from Ayurveda. Can anyone confirm?
Here is something which i saw today on facebook, it can inspire even body builders to go vegan 67 years old Arnold looks like old bloke and 75 years old vegan looks like 20 year old folk.
Narenda, Keep in mind that while genetics play a big role in how one ends up at the end, but dietary does help in keeping you up to your max potential for each year you are alive. Keep in mind that Arnold is originally Austrian, thusly a member of a European stock who abused their bodies for possibly many thousands of years. I'm curious as to how Ayurveda looks at veganism. Can you fill us in on that?
Ahimsa Parmo Dharma is mantra as per Vedas and Shashtras. killing should not be done for sacrifices purposes ( Yagna & Shraadh) as per Shreemad Bhagvatam. Narad Muni In Shreemad Bhagvat explains that ''Para Pritiyatha Na Pashuhinsa'' even if you have to make Pitrus & Devtas happy,even in that condition do not sacrifices animals and donot eat meat. if you closely see many holy books where you see mix of Vegetarian diet and non vegetarian diet it seems like it has been changed by guys who loved easting non vegetarian food our rishi's never wrote any such thing. if you go by shiv puran you will see that anyone who kills any innocent living being (Jiva ) for example dog, sheep, cow etc will have to suffer from same Pain given to him.(Reference: Shiv Puran-Uma Samhita-Chapter 2, 3, 4, 8). If you take my opinion the people who were found of alcohol and non vegetarian diet corrupted meaning of our holy books to full fill their greed ‘Ahimsa Paramo Dharma’ in Mahabharata: 1) ahimsa paramo dharmah sarvapranabhrtam smrtah tasmāt pranabhrtah sarvan na himsyad brahmanah kva cit Book 1, Chapter 11, Verse 12 2) ahimsa satyavacanam sarvabhutahitam param ahimsa paramo dharmah sa ca satye pratisthitah satye krtva pratistham tu pravartante pravrttayah Book 3, Chapter 198, Verse 69 3) ahimsa paramo dharma ity uktam bahusas tvaya sraddhesu ca bhavan aha pitrn amisa kanksinah Book 13, Chapter 116, Verse 1 Yes, every Hindu should be vegetarian because if god want us to eat non veg then they must give us special teeth which help to eat meat. As you can see those teeth in tiger and other carnivore animal. So as per me not even Hindu but all men should not eat meat. Regards,
The following verses are from the Tirukural: How can he practice true compassion who eats the flesh of an animal to fatten his own flesh? Riches cannot be found in the hands of the thriftless, nor can compassion be found in the hearts of those who eat meat. He who feasts on a creature's flesh is like he who wields a weapon. Goodness is never one with the minds of these two. If you ask, "What is kindness and what is unkindness?" It is not-killing and killing. Thus, eating flesh is never virtuous. Life is perpetuated by not eating meat. The jaws of Hell close on those who do. If the world did not purchase and consume meat, no one would slaughter and offer meat for sale. When a man realizes that meat is the butchered flesh of another creature, he will abstain from eating it. Insightful souls who have abandoned the passion to hurt others will not feed on flesh that life has abandoned. Greater than a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificial fires is to not sacrifice and consume any living creature. All life will press palms together in prayerful adoration of those who refuse to slaughter or savor meat. My opinion is as follows: What is a Hindu? Someone who follows and practices the philosophies of Hinduism. The ultimate goal of any Hindu to achieve moksha. Spiritual enlightenment, to discover your inner self, to discover your true spiritual nature. Or whatever you want to call it. Eating meat detracts from that goal, killing can never be of benefit to spiritual progress, it can only hinder it. Nowhere in Hindu scripture does it say eating meat will help in the goal. In fact the opposite is true, according to Stephen Knapp's article. Now, someone who eats meat clearly isn't following the spiritual path of Hinduism, therefore that person cannot be said to be practising or following Hinduism, so according to my logic that person cannot be said to be a Hindu. Karma is always higher than Janama, no one is born Hindu. A Hindu is defined by their actions, so I say a person who eats meat cannot be a Hindu, and there is no such thing as a 'meat eating Hindu'
The sanskrit Word "Maans" from Manusmriti means Flesh, this word derived from a word Mamsa. There are rules in manusmriti for those who cant keep control on the sense of taste & so rules are made to eat flesh. There are few rules which needs to be followed out of which one rule says to chant this mantra MAMSA in the ear of a goat & later chop his head. The word MAMSA is chanted by the one who wants to eat flesh. Mamsa means, "I am taking your life & in next life I give you complete authority to take mine" Now tell me, does any scripture really promotes Non-vegetarinism? No they dont, it is like a mother who bribes her kid with choclate only so that the kid takes his tablet for his good health, mothers intention is not to allow her kid to eat chocolates but because of such bribe if he takes his tablets there is no harm & so Manu smriti or other VEDIC scriptures got such bribes like choclate which is not meant to promote or to guide someone eat flesh but to follow dharma, lift from the mode of Ignorance to passion, from passion to Goodness & practice Dharma which would take us to the Supreme closer. Nonveg diet cant get us closer to god because it would make our senses passionate & ignorant, even not all vegetarian food can make our senses under the mode of Goodness & so to come closer to God one needs to keep control on all the senses & taste is the main senses who gives life to other senses which needs to be controlled. ||Hare KriShnA|| VIA: Dhaval
Here is something which osho had to say about vegetrianism Osho - Vegetarianism is of immense help in Meditation Osho - Pythagoras' contribution to Western Philosophy is immense. It is incalculable. For the first time he introduced vegetarianism to the West. The idea of vegetarianism is of immense value; it is based on great reverence for life. The modern mind can understand it far better now we know that all forms of life are interrelated, interdependent. Man is not an island: man exists in an infinite web of millions of forms of life and existence. We exist in a chain, we are not separate. And to destroy other animals is not only ugly, unaesthetic, inhuman -- it is also unscientific. We are destroying our own foundation. Life exists as one organic unity. Man can exist only as part of this orchestra. Just think of man without birds and without animals and without fish -- that life will be very very boring; it will lose all complexity, variety, richness, colour. The forests will be utterly empty, the cuckoo will not call, and the birds will not fly, and the water will look very sad without the fish. Life in its infinite forms exists as one organic unity. We are part of it: the part should feel reverence for the whole. That is the idea of vegetarianism. It simply means: don't destroy life. It simply means: life is God -- avoid destroying it, otherwise you will be destroing the very ecology. And it has something very scientific behind it. It was not an accident that all the religions that were born in India are basically vegetarian, and all the religions that were born outside India are non-vegetarian. But the highest peaks of religious consciousness were known in India and nowhere else. Vegetarianism functioned as a purification. When you eat animals you are more under the law of necessity. You are heavy, you gravitate more towards the earth. When you are a vegetarian you are light and you are more under the law of grace, under the law of power, and you start gravitating towards the sky. Your food is not just food: it is you. What you eat, you become. If you eat something which is fundamentally based on murder, on violence, you cannot rise above the law of necessity. You will remain more or less an animal. The human is born when you start moving above the animals, when you start doing something to yourself which no animal can do. Vegetarianism is a conscious effort, a deliberate effort, to get out of the heaviness that keeps you tethered to the earth so that you can fly -- so that the flight from the alone to the alone becomes possible. The lighter the food, the deeper goes the meditation. The grosser the food. then meditation becomes more and more difficult. I am not saying that meditation is impossible for a non-vegetarian -- it is not impossible, but it is unnecessarily difficult. It is like a man who is going to climb a mountain, and he goes on carrying many rocks. It is possible that even when you are carrying rocks you may reach to the mountain peak, but it creates unnecessary trouble. You could have thrown those rocks, you could have unburdened yourself, and the climb would have been easier, far more pleasant. The intelligent person will not carry rocks when he is going to the mountain, will not carry anything unnecessary. And the higher he moves, the lighter and lighter he will become. Even if he is carrying something, he will drop it. When Edmund Hillary and Tenzing reached Everest for the first time, they had to drop everything on the way -- because the higher they moved, the more difficult it was to carry anything. Even very essential things were dropped. Just to carry yourself is more than enough. Vegetarianism is of immense help. It changes your chemistry. When you eat and live on animals.... The first thing: whenever an animal is killed the animal is angry, afraid -- naturally. When you kill an animal... just think of yourself being killed. What will be the state of your consciousness? What will be your psychology? All kinds of poisons will be released in your body, because when you are angry a certain kind of poison is released into your blood. When you are afraid, again a certain other kind of poison is released into your blood. And when you are being killed, that is the utmost in fear, anger. All the glands in your body release all their poison. And man goes on living on that poisoned meat. If it keeps you angry, violent, aggressive, it is not strange; it is natural. Whenever you live on killing, you don't have any respect for life; you are inimical to life. And the person who is inimical to life cannot move into prayer -- because prayer means reverence for life. And one who is inimical to God's creatures cannot be very friendly towards God either. If you destroy Picasso's paintings, you cannot be very respectful towards Picasso -- it is impossible. All the creatures belong to God. God lives in them, God breathes in them, they are HIS manifestation, just as you are. They are brothers and sisters. When you see an animal if the idea of brotherhood does not arise in you, you don't know what prayer is, you will never know what prayer is. And the very idea that just for food, just for taste, you can destroy life, is so ugly. It is impossible to believe that man goes on doing it. Pythagoras was the first to introduce vegetarianism to the West. It is of profound depth for man to learn how to live in friendship with nature, in friendship with creatures. That becomes the foundation. And only on that foundation can you base your prayer, your meditativeness. You can watch it in yourself: when you eat meat, meditation will be found to be more and more difficult. Buddha was born in a non-vegetarian family. He was a KSHATRIYA -- belonged to the warrior race -- but the experience of meditation slowly slowly transformed him into a vegetarian. It was his inner understanding: whenever he ate meat, meditation was more difficult; whenever he avoided meat, meditation was easier. It was just a simple observation. You will be surprised to know that the greatest vegetarians in the world have been Jainas -- but all their twenty-four Masters were born into families of non-vegetarians. They were all warriors; they were brought up as fighters. All the twenty-four Masters of the Jainas were KSHATRIYAS. What happened? Why did these people who were brought up, conditioned from their very beginning to eat meat, create one day the greatest movement in the world for vegetarianism? Just because of their experiments with meditation. It is an unavoidable fact that if you want to meditate, if you want to become thoughtless, if you want to become light -- so light that the earth cannot pull you downwards, so light that you start levitating, so light that the sky becomes available to you -- then you have to move from non-vegetarian conditioning to the freedom of vegetarianism. Vegetarianism has nothing to do with religion: it is something basically scientific. It has nothing to do with morality, but it has much to do with aesthetics. It is unbelievable that a man of sensitivity, awareness, understanding, love, can eat meat. And if he can eat meat then something is missing he is still unconscious somewhere of what he is doing, unconscious of the implications of his acts. But Pythagoras was not heard, not believed -- on the contrary, he was ridiculed, persecuted. And he had brought one of the greatest treasures from the East to the West. He had brought a great experiment -- if he had been heard, the West would have been a totally different world. The problem that has arisen today, that we have destroyed nature, would never have arisen. If Pythagoras had become the foundation for the Western consciousness, there would not have been these great World Wars. He would have changed the whole course of history. He tried hard, he did whatsoever HE could -- it is not his fault. But people are blind, people are deaf; they can't hear a thing, they can't understand a thing. And they are not ready to change their habits. People live in their habits, mechanically they live. And he had brought a message of becoming aware. Great meditative energy would have been released in the West. It would have become impossible to produce Adolf Hitlers and Mussolinis and Stalins. It would have been a totally different world. But still the same old habit persists. We cannot change human consciousness unless we start by changing the human body. When you eat meat you are absorbing the animal in you -- and the animal has to be transcended. Avoid! If you really want to go higher and higher, if you really want to go to the sunlit peaks of your consciousness, if you really want to know God, then you will have to change in every possible way. You will have to look all around your life. you will have to observe each small habit in detail -- because sometimes a VERY small thing can change your whole life. Sometimes it may be a very SIMPLE thing, and it can change your life SO totally that it looks almost unbelievable. Try vegetarianism and you will be surprised: meditation becomes far easier. Love becomes more subtle, loses its grossness -- becomes more sensitive but less sensuous, becomes more prayerful and less sexual. And your body also starts taking on a different vibe. You become more graceful, softer, more feminine, less aggressive, more receptive. Vegetarianism is an alchemical change in you. It creates the space in which the baser metal can be transformed into gold. source:message from masters
simple as that when a crocodile can become vegetarian why can't people around the world. Click below to read about it. The Vegetarian Crocodile
This might help as well: For each and every living being, one's personal life is very dear, very costly. Each living being has love for their own life. A man who, knowing this fact, realizing this fact, loves others as he loves himself, is called a sádhu. A man should not be carnivorous, like cats, dogs and tigers. A man must not eat meat but must love each and every living being as he loves himself It is, however, very necessary to remember two things in respect of edibles. First, as far as possible, articles of food must be selected from among those items in which development of consciousness is comparatively little; i.e., if vegetables are available, animals should not be slaughtered. Secondly, under all circumstances before killing any animal having developed or under-developed consciousness, it must be considered whether it is possible to live in a healthy body without taking such lives. The human body is constituted of innumerable living cells. These cells develop and grow with the help of similar living entities. The nature of your living cells will be formed in accordance with the type of food you take. Ultimately all these together will affect your mind to some extent. If the cells of the human body grow on rotten and bad-smelling food, or on the fresh flesh of animals in which mean tendencies predominate, it is but natural that the mind will have a tendency of meanness. The policy of eating, without due consideration, whatever is available cannot be supported in any case, even though there may not be any question of hiḿsá or ahiḿsá. It should not be your policy to do what you wish. You must perform actions after due thought. For continued subsistence a policy will have to be adopted for taking food; otherwise it will be against the code of aparigraha. **Before killing birds and animals for food, you must think a hundred times whether you can stay alive without killing them. - Shrii P.R Sarkar
I've been vegetarian for around 40 years now ... started out as a carnivore. But there is another simple reason. When I first started out, it was on a one month trial. Simple ... I felt better. Lighter, and more spiritual. And I didn't think I was particularly in tune with this physical body. So I can't imagine the effects on someone who is in tune. But that reason by itself is enough to go vegetarian.
1. A vegetarian diet has sufficient proteins. 2. Vegetarian people are active, healthy and live a long life. George Bernard Shaw was pure vegetarian. He lived a healthy life of 94 years. 3. Famous western people were vegetarian. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Russo, Goldsmith, Milton, Newton, Shelley, Walter, Caesar, Vejnet, Thorro, Tolstoy, Field master Montgomery, Harry Whitcraft, Brigadier Grophy, Trogy, Anthony Qineej, Malcolm, Mugeris, Peter, etc. All of them say that a person can lead a healthy life with vegetarian diet. 4. Modern science has undoubtedly proved the supremacy of vegetarian diet. – Gurudev Doctor Kāteswāmiji
Meat eating one of main reasons for global warming In a 2006 report, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) concluded that worldwide livestock farming generates 18% of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions — by comparison, all the world's cars, trains, planes and boats account for a combined 13% of greenhouse gas emissions. Much of livestock's contribution to global warming come from deforestation, as the growing demand for meat results in trees being cut down to make space for pasture or farmland to grow animal feed. http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1839995,00.html Global demand for meat has multiplied in recent years, encouraged by growing affluence and nourished by the proliferation of huge, confined animal feeding operations. hese assembly-line meat factories consume enormous amounts of energy, pollute water supplies, generate significant greenhouse gases and require ever-increasing amounts of corn, soy and other grains, a dependency that has led to the destruction of vast swaths of the world’s tropical rain forests. Just this week, the president of Brazil announced emergency measures to halt the burning and cutting of the country’s rain forests for crop and grazing land. In the last five months alone, the government says, 1,250 square miles were lost. Similarly, a study last year by the National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science in Japan estimated that 2.2 pounds of beef is responsible for the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the average European car every 155 miles, and burns enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for nearly 20 days. -- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html
Article written by Prashant Parikh Adhering to strict vegetarianism should no longer be seen as an option, or even a lifestyle we have to adapt to. Rather, it is something that is de facto natural to us. It goes without saying, that both the findings- based on ancient scriptures as well as modern science- support vegetarianism unanimously. Along with ethical reasons, we will also explore physiological, environmental and numerous other reasons as to why a vegetarian diet is imperative. BIOLOGICAL REASONS Compared to non-vegetarians, Western vegetarians have:- · A lower average Body Mass Index (BMI) · A lower mean plasma total cholesterol concentration · A lower mortality from IHD (by about 25 percent). · They may also have a lower risk for some other diseases such as constipation, diverticulitis disease, gallstones and appendicitis. · The evidence available suggests that widespread adoption of a vegetarian diet could prevent approximately 40,000 deaths from IHD in Britain each year. Furthermore, vegetarians had; · 1/2 the high blood pressure and diabetes · 1/2 the colon cancer · 2/3 the rheumatoid arthritis and prostate cancer Breast, lung, & uterine cancers tended to be lower in vegetarians. Some might argue that these results are biased, or they might be due to random chance, but no; they are spread out over a large sample size and are very conclusive, and hence irrefutable. This is a research conducted worldwide, and it holds true for all people from all countries. Any reputable health journal will also confirm these facts For anyone who has suffered, or known someone to have suffered from a chronic disease, the first thing the doctor would advice them is to cut down on meat consumption, and completely stop eating red meat. . Numerous diseases such as high blood pressure, coronary problems, liver problems, parasitic ailments like brain cysts, mad cow disease etc are caused by eating non vegetarian food Many studies have positively linked vegetarianism and a person’s lifespan, and this isn’t news to us. Ancient Rishis (monks) who used to feed off of fallen fruits, and eat a completely satvik diet lived much longer than the average person. . Meat Eaters: Have claws, no skin pores, perspire through tongue, sharp front teeth for tearing, no flat molar teeth for grinding, intestinal tract 3 times body length so decaying meat can pass through quickly, strong hydrochloric acid for digesting meat . Herbivores: No claws, have skin pores, do not perspire through tongue, no front sharp teeth, flat molar teeth, intestinal tract 12 times body length, weak HCL in stomach... . Humans: No claws, have skin pores, do not perspire through tongue, no front sharp teeth, flat molar teeth, intestinal tract 12 times body length, weak HCL in stomach. Biologically, we are clearly Herbivores . Hence from longevity to a disease free body - in every single capacity of healthy living, vegetarianism is far superior. In fact the very nature of our physical anatomy points to human beings as essentially vegetarian. Also, as George Bernard Shaw put it “I do not want to make my stomach a graveyard of dead animals” Nutritional Reasons One of the most popular arguments are where people will crib that vegetarian food lacks omega 3 fats, and that it can only be acquired through seafood. That is a fallacy. Omega 3 fats are abundantly found in flax-seed oil and olive oil. So the next time you are making pizza or pasta at home, make sure to sprinkle some olive oil! Now we come to the most popular argument of meat eaters- Protein ! Yes, protein is a very essential component of our body, and especially so for growing kids. I know plenty of people who lead a very active lifestyle, playing competitive sports, bodybuilding etc, and they are pure vegetarians. The staple Indian meal of dal, chaval, sabji and roti suffices more than enough for the body’s protein requirement. Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, curd(yogurt) contains every single essential amino acid that the body requires, and there is no meat product that even comes close to providing these nutrients. For my vegan friends out there who do not consume milk or milk products, or feel they lack protein in their diet, they should simply eat more pulses, lentils, beans and grains, and that will serve their requirement. One is often under the impression that Vitamin D can only be found in meat products (especially seafood), and not in any other vegetarian food. That is true, but fortunately, taking a 3-5 minute walk in the morning or evening sunlight as little as a couple of times a week is enough to synthesize the Vitamin D that we need, and it certainly is worth (not to mention healthy) to talk a walk. Five minutes is the least one can spare to save a life each day. Ecological Reasons One might say eating plants is killing life too. Unfortunately, it is, and it is the only way we can live. Now, let us take a look at the following line of logic A vegetarian eats ‘X’ number of plants. A Non vegetarian not only kills ‘Y’ number of animals, but also in the process of animal husbandry, they feed the animals at least 40 ‘X’ amount of vegetarian food as the animal’s weight, and then eat the animal as well. So if a vegetarian has killed ‘X’ number of plants, a non vegetarian has killed minimum ’40 X + Y’ number of plants and animals. Which is the greater sin? That I’ll let you figure out for yourselves. Let me explain using the example of a chicken. Chickens are especially reared in poultry farm, in numbers far greater than their natural population; so as to not inconvenience people who would like to eat them. The chickens are fed a large number of worms to increase their mass and to fatten them up for consumption. These worms in turn feed on an even greater amount of plant and organic matter, on land which could otherwise have been used for growing crops. Let us look at the equation again in this new light and calculate the damage done. Vegetarians consume ‘X’ plants, non vegetarians consume ‘Z chickens + Z.Y worms + Z.Y.X plants’. Does this sound unbelievable? I know it does, and yet it is very unfortunately true. These numbers too are the lower estimate approximations that I have given. A human being consumes on average 36,000 kgs of food in a lifetime, so you can imagine the harm done in eating meat If we grew crops on all the land that was being wasted to feed non-vegetarians, there are studies which show that the world food crisis would come to an end. Every man, woman and child would have food to eat. Other studies have also shown that the factors involved in producing non vegetarian food (waste of crop land, waste of natural resources, transportation, etc) are the leading causes of global warming, which too would stop if everyone became a vegetarian. Moral Reasons Non vegetarians claim that plants have nerve endings and can feel pain. This is an unqualified assumption of facts that do not exist. For example, when you touch a mimosa (a touch-me-not plant), the reason it curls up isn’t because it feels something and it consciously decides to close its leaves, it is due to the potassium ion chain, that when applied pressure to the cell wall there will be a transfer of ions and it will act as a lever to close the leaf A plant has no central nervous system- meaning it has neither brain, nor nerve endings, and hence no sensation of pain. It is a well established fact that animals feel extreme pain, not only when they are being slaughtered, but also during the long periods they are held captive. Pigs are battered with rods in order to kill them. Piglets are lifted and thrashed head first onto the ground. Cows are shot at with stun guns, often they do not die from the first assault and have to endure extreme pain until the time they are hit again. Roosters, chickens, ducks are immersed in a steaming cauldron and boiled alive so their feathers are plucked easily. These are only few of the ways animals are mistreated, there are several more which cannot be listed due to space restraint. Egg and Poultry Industry Chickens are cooped up in tiny enclosures, where they peck at one another. To stop this behavior, the poultry de-beaks the chickens, which causes them a tremendous amount of pain. The normal egg laying period of a chicken is 14 days, but due to hormones injected into their bodies, they lay eggs around once a day. These hormones make the chicken very fat, so that their weak legs break off. Also to stimulate egg laying, they are exposed to bright light and are deprived sleep. Due to this they get cranky and fight with one another. . In these inhumane conditions, the chickens are kept for a few years during which time their eggs are collected for human consumption. After they “retire” from egg laying, they are sent away to slaughter houses. The chickens are transported in tiny cages in open trucks, without any protection against the extreme heat or cold. Statistics show that 25% of chickens die before they reach their destination. The remaining chickens are thrown into a hot cauldron, and boiled alive so their feathers can be easily plucked from their hot bodies. All of this pain and suffering, only to end up as a delicacy on someone’s plate?
In conclusion One might say that if vegetarians care so much for life, then why not starve instead of eating plants also. The reason vegetarians aren't starving, is because as per Dharm, suicide is a very great sin. We will survive on the bare minimum food, but we won't kill ourselves in the process. Life has no purpose, evolution has no direction, and our souls have no upliftment if we end our lives intentionally. Yes, We will certainly pay for the plants we eat, and we will face karmic consequences, but we have to use our lives wisely to also do the finer deeds, and keep violence and harm to other creatures at the lowest possible level. Unfortunately, non vegetarians cause more harm to the ecology as a whole. . Being a vegetarian means trying to live in a world with the least amount of violence, and in harmony with nature. A non vegetarian will care about superficial things; about how the food on their plate tastes, rather than how much the animal it’s made of has suffered for it, and how that “food” was once a happy and thinking animal that was mercilessly slaughtered to be made lunch or dinner out of. . Remember, each time you eat meat and bite into it, with relish, one by one you're destroying parts of what was once a living creature’s body, remember that it has been through immense torture simply because of your demand to consume it. By eating an animal, you are making your stomach the ultimate grave for a free living being, that unfortunately didn’t even get a chance to remain free since it was in captivity since birth, to one day end up in your abdomen, digested over time, and that is the end of a being that was once free, and wanting to live, just like any of us.
