$JES 904 Compendium of Jainism (Jain Academic Bowl Manual 3rd Edition)

Author(s): JAINA Education Committee
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 174

CONDUCT
C08 - Application of Nonviolence
2% of US cropland produces fruits and vegetables, while 64% of US cropland is for producing livestock feed.
One acre of prime land can grow 5, 000 lb. cherries, 10,000 lb. green beans, 30,000 lb. carrots, 40,000 lb. potatoes, or 50,000 lb. tomatoes versus only 250 lb. beef. 220 million acres of land in the USA 25 million acres in Brazil, and half the forests in Central America have been de-forested for livestock production.
85% of annual US topsoil loss is directly associated with raising livestock. Cost Comparison
The cost of raw materials consumed to produce food from livestock is greater than the value of all oil, gas, and coal consumed in America. Growing grains, vegetables, and fruits uses less than 5% as much raw materials as does meat and dairy production. 2 calories of fossil fuel are used for 1 calorie of protein from soybeans, while 78 calories of fossil fuel are used for 1 calorie of beef.
6.9 kg of grain and soy are used to make 1 kg of boneless trimmed pork. DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA By John Robbins
If Americans reduced their meat/dairy intake by just 10%, the savings in grains and soybeans could
feed 60 million people per year, which is the total number of people who starve to death worldwide. 04 Abstinence from Drinking Alcoholic Beverages For observing the vow of non-violence (Ahimsa Vrata), it is specifically laid down that a person should renounce drinking alcohol. According to the sacred text of Purushärtha Siddhi Upaya, "alcohol stupefies the mind; one whose mind is stupefied forgets piety; and the person who forgets piety commits violence without hesitation." Again, it is important to understand that drinking liquor leads to the commitment of violence because liquor is the reservoir of many lives which are born in alcohol. Similarly, it is significant that many dishonorable passions like anger, pride, deceit, greed, fear, disgust, ridicule, grief, boredom, and lust arise due to the inhibition of senses while drinking liquor and these passions are nothing but different aspects of violence. From the aspect of Ahimsa, in wine making, a clarifying agent, usually an animal byproduct, is added to make wine clear by removing proteins from it. These clarifying agents are egg white, gelatin from skin and connective tissue of pigs and cows, isinglass from bladder of sturgeon fish, and casein from milk. Some old Mediterranean countries use the blood of mammals for this purpose as well. Ethical reasons: Ächärya Samantabhadra, in the book of codes of conduct of a Shrävak, describes not consuming alcohol as one of the eight qualities of a shrävaks. Other Jain Scriptures also list alcohol consumption as one of the seven addictive vices. Alcohol is a mind altering drug, a depressant that alters mental faculty leading to impaired judgment and memory. Under the influence of alcohol, one indulges in emotions of anger, ego, aggression, lust, etc. One can see that any mind altering substance will lead to carelessness (Pramäda) which in turn lead to influx of inauspicious karmas. According to Jain principles, consumption of alcohol and mind altering substances:
Does not allow us to follow the five vows Does not allow us to have full control over the four passions Leads to influx of karmas due to carelessness (Pramada) Involves violence to more than one-sensed beings as it takes a lot more than 48 hours of the fermentation process, and many alcohols contain products from living beings that have more than one sense
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Compendium of Jainism - 2015