________________
milk is produced today (not in the past), I humbly submit the following for consideration by the Jain community. • Rational, critical, and factual debate is healthy and must
continue; • We must look at each viewpoint from an anekantavad
perspective; • At the minimum, we should admit that today (and I stress
again, today) the production of milk the world over is full of untold cruelty and suffering for the producers of milk
—the cow and her children; • Milk is a product of himsa and it has clear footprints of
himsa; • Mr. Atul Gandhi; a Jain in USA calls milk as "Liquid Meat” • Wherever possible and feasible, the Jain community must
start the journey to reduce the consumption of milk and dairy products. The thousand mile journey starts with the
first step; and, • If we don't do that, then “ahimsa” will just become an
empty slogan. Happily, there are many non-violent alternatives. Instead of cow's milk, one might try delicious, healthy, and cholesterol-free soy milk, rice milk, pecan milk or almond milk and available in many flavors, these options can be found in nearly every major grocery store. Better still, one can purchase a soy milk-making machine; these allow users to create their own soy and other milk at home. In India, soy milk is readily available in supermarkets and from Godrej Products and several other distributors. As for other non-dairy products, companies such as Tofutti, So Delicious, Soy Cream, and Rice Dream all make rich, tempting ice cream. Tofutti also makes sour cream and cream cheese, Soy Garden makes a healthful non-dairy butter, and there are numerous non-dairy cheeses too. Remember, all of these alternatives are guaranteed to be non-violent as well.
114
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
