Jainism The Cosmic Vision

SR No.: 034278
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Kumarpal Desai
Publisher: Mahavir Foundation
Publication Year: 2008
Total Pages: 137
Language: English
Classification: Book_English
File Size: 2 MB

Page 38

Vegetarianism
Jainism: The Cosmic Vision which summarises my theme of the day
We are the living graves of murdered beasts, Slaughtered to satisfy our appetites, We never pause to wonder at our feasts, If animals, like men, can possibly have rights, We pray on Sundays that we may have light,
To guide our foot-steps on the paths we tread. We're sick of war, we do not want to fight, The thought of it now fills our hearts with dread, And yet, we gorge ourselves upon the dead. Like carrion crows, we live and feed on meat, Regardless of the suffering and pain, We cause by doing so, If thus we treat Defenceless animals for sport or gain How can we hope in this world to attain The PEACE we say we are so anxious for ? We pray for it, O'er hecatombs of slain, To God, while outraging the moral law, Thus cruelty begets its offsprings - war.
We may not have generations any more, but we do have a few years to accomplish the task.
[Lecture delivered at the Parliament of the World's Religion,
Cape Town, South Africa on 2nd Dec. 1999)
M y visit to Belgium, lying at a far off corner of the European continent, has proved to be very memorable. My challenging meeting with Stella Maria, Chief Keeper at the hotel and her two friends Paul and Rene is an unforgettable experience for me. When we entered the city fully committed to non-vegetarianism, I asked Stella Maria who was looking after my stay in the city, "Can you please arrange for vegetarian food ?"
One striking feature about the foreign lands is the smiling manner with which everyone whom you ask any question satisfies your query. In case, you fail to understand and repeatedly ask the same question, the smile never disappears.
She had a smile on her face as she listened to my query. She said: "Please tell me if you are an Indian. I feel sorry, but I have observed that Indians are the most fussy people about their food. Vegetarianism is, I think, the food made of leaves and vegetables." I, too, had a smile on my face as I replied: "Who told you that a vegetarian lives by
63
62