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half a ton of grain, or about 3 pounds of grain/day—that's twice the grain they would need to survive. And that doesn't even include the 225 million tons of soy that are produced every year, almost all of which is fed to farmed animals”. He further writes “The Treatment of Cows in India” The treatment of the majority of cows in India is the worst, for many areas of their life cycle. Only less than one percent of cows get sheltered in animal shelter places called Pänjaräpoles. Hence more animal shelters will not solve the problem. The only rational solution to the problem is to eliminate the root cause of the problem. Eliminate the dairy products from our diets and religious rituals. Once the demand is reduced, the supply will be reduced and in turn fewer cows will be produced by dairy farmers, and hence less cruelty in the world. This will also greatly help our environment. If we consider carbon emissions, animal food contributes about 55% to the environment, while cars and other equipment contribute the remaining 45% of the problem to the environment. Please reflect seriously on our religious practices under the current environment. Do not follow the scriptures blindly, otherwise our supreme ideal of nonviolence will not have any meaningful value attached to it. America is a land where we can practice our religion rationally. Our children will practice our religion rationally but we will miss the opportunity if we do not wake up.” Original article (see below) by Mrs. Maneka Gandhi, a Cabinet Minsiter in India , dated April 9, 2013. This was published widely across India. “I was born a Sikh but have always felt a Jain. It takes a million rebirths to be lucky enough to be born a Jain. That is why I feel upset when I see a Jain eating meat, running a leather, mining, bone china or gelatin industry, buying silk, drinking milk or buying Tirathankar statues on auction so that he/she can put their name in a Jain temple.
An Ahimsa Crisis: You Decide
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