Hindu Ethics - Five Reasons to Be a Vegetarian & Ten
Arguments Against Eating Meat

What Is Hinduism:*Section 6 Hindu Ethics

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Chapter 43: The Meat-Free Life

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Five Reasons to Be a Vegetarian & Ten Arguments Against Eating Meat

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Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

In article
>
Max Boot > posted:
>
> Dr. Jai Maharaj posted:
>
> > WHY HINDUS DON'T EAT MEAT
>
> Most Hindus *do* eat meat.

I am aware that there are people who eat meat and call
themselves "Hindu" and there are people who think of some
meat-eaters as "Hindu".

Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

WHY HINDUS DON'T EAT MEAT

Hinduism Today
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Besides being an expression of compassion for animals,
vegetarianism is followed for ecological and health
rationales

REASONS

In the past fifty years, millions of meat-eaters --Hindus
and non-Hindus -- have made the personal decision to stop
eating the flesh of other creatures.

There are five major motivations for such a decision:

1. The Dharmic Law Reason

Ahinsa, the law of noninjury, is the Hindu's first duty
in fulfilling religious obligations to God and God's
creation as defined by Vedic scripture.

2. The Karmic Consequences Reason

All of our actions, including our choice of food, have
Karmic consequences. By involving oneself in the cycle of
inflicting injury, pain and death, even indirectly by
eating other creatures, one must in the future experience
in equal measure the suffering caused.

3. The Spiritual Reason

Food is the source of the body's chemistry, and what we
ingest affects our consciousnes, emotions and
experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher
consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all
creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl
or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal
foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger,
jealousy, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of
death, all of which are locked into the the flesh of the
butchered creatures. For these reasons, vegetarians live
in higher consciousness and meat-eaters abide in lower
consciousness.

4. The Health Reason

Medical studies prove that a vegetarian diet is easier to
digest, provides a wider ranger of nutrients and imposes
fewer burdens and impurities on the body. Vegetarians are
less susceptible to all the major diseases that afflict
contemporary humanity, and thus live longer, healthier,
more productive lives. They have fewer physical
complaints, less frequent visits to the doctor, fewer
dental problems and smaller medical bills. Their immune
system is stronger, their bodies are purer, more refined
and skin more beautiful.

5. The Ecological Reason

Planet Earth is suffereing. In large measure, the
escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient
rainforests to create pasture lands for live stock, loss
of topsoils and the consequent increase of water
impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the
single fact of meat in the human diet. No decision that
we can make as individuals or as a race can have such a
dramatic effect on the improvement of our planetary
ecology as the decision not to eat meat.

HISTORY

The book FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT, VEGETARIANISM AND THE WORLD
RELIGIONS, observes, "Despite popular knowledge of meat-
eating's adverse effects, the nonvegetarian diet became
increasingly widespread among the Hindus after the two
major invasions by foreign powers, first the Muslims and
later the British. With them came the desire to be
'civilized,' to eat as did the Saheeb. Those atually
trained in Vedic knowledge, however, never adopted a
meat-oriented diet, and the pious Hindu still observes
vegetarian principles as a matter of religious duty.

"That vegetarianism has always been widespread in India
is clear from the earliest Vedic texts. This was observed
by the ancient traveler Megasthenes and also by Fa-Hsien,
a Chinese Buddhist monk who, in the fifth century,
traveled to India in order to obtain authentic copies of
the scriptures.

"These scriptures unambiguously support the meatless way
of life. In the MAHABHARAT, for instance, the great
warrior Bheeshm explains to Yuddhishtira, eldest of the
Paandav princes, that the meat of animals is like the
flesh of one's own son. Similarly, the MANUSMRITI
declares that one should 'refrain from eating all kinds
of meat,' for such eating involves killing and and leads
to Karmic bondage (Bandh) [5.49]. Elsewhere in the Vedic
literature, the last of the great Vedic kings, Maharaja
Parikshit, is quoted as saying that 'only the animal-
killer cannot relish the message of the Absolute Truth
[Shrimad Bhagvatam 10.1.4].'"

SCRIPTURE

He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating the
flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever
species he may take his birth. MAHABHARAT 115.47

Those high-souled persons who desire beauty,
faultlessness of limbs, long life, understanding, mental
and physical strength and memory should abstain from acts
of injury. MAHABHARAT 18.115.8

The very name of cow is Aghnya ["not to be killed"],
indicating that they should never be slaughtered. Who,
then could slay them? Surely, one who kills a cow or a
bull commits a heinous crime. MAHABHARAT, SHANTIPARV
262.47

The purchaser of flesh performs Hinsa (violence) by his
wealth; he who eats flesh does so by enjoying its taste;
the killer does Hinsa by actually tying and killing the
animal. Thus, there are three forms of killing: he who
brings flesh or sends for it, he who cuts off the limbs
of an animal, and he who purchases, sells or cooks flesh
and eats it -- all of these are to be considered meat-
eaters. MAHABHARAT, ANU 115.40

He who sees that the Lord of all is ever the same in all
that is -- immortal in the field of mortality --he sees
the truth. And when a man sees that the God in himself is
the same God in all that is, he hurts not himself by
hurting others. Then he goes, indeed, to the highest
path. BHAGVAD GEETA 13.27-28

Ahinsa is the highest Dharm. Ahinsa is the best Tapas.
Ahinsa is the greatest gift. Ahinsa is the highest self-
control. Ahinsa is the highest sacrifice. Ahinsa is the
highest power. Ahinsa is the highest friend. Ahinsa is
the highest truth. Ahinsa is the highest teaching.
MAHABHARAT 18.116.37-41

What is the good way? It is the path that reflects on how
it may avoid killing any creature. TIRUKURAL 324

All that lives will press palms together in prayerful
adoration of those who refuse to slaughter and savor
meat. TIRUKURAL 260

What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroting life,
for killing leads to every other sin. TIRUKURAL 312, 321

Goodness is never one with the minds of these two: one
who wields a weapon and one who feasts on a creature's
flesh. TIRUKURAL 253

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Jai Maharaj, Jyotishi
Om Shanti

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