Jain Center Los Angeles CA 2008 09 Pratishta Souvenior

Author(s): Jain Center So CA Los Angeles
Publisher: USA Jain Center Southern California

Page 153

Kunal Shah
Vegetarianism is the Way of Life
Vegetarianism is a practice that upholds Mahavirswami's greatest message to the world, "Live and let live." Every creature's soul counts and is just like our own. They cannot convey their feelings in words, but instead do so with screams of terror and pain. By being vegetarian, we are promoting the practice of non-violence and are saving ourselves from the numerous diseases and aggressiveness which are associated with consuming meat.
According to Jainism, all souls are equal. If we cannot give birth to an animal, we have no right to take it away. The law of karma is "one will get what one gives to another." If we consume meat then we have to repay by being killed or going to hell.
The human body was created to be herbivorous. Our teeth are not jagged and sharp for tearing flesh but are smooth and flat for grinding plants. The same is true for our nails; they are not claws. The jaws of carnivores move up and down and do not chew, while herbivores can move their jaws up and down and side to side. The kidneys and livers of herbivores are not capable of handling flesh. Also, carnivores' stomach acid and saliva are ten times more concentrated than herbivores' acid for dissolving meat. The bodies of carnivores are made to hunt in the night. This just proves more that humans were not designed to consume meat.
Vegetarianism means not to eat eggs either. Eggs come from an animal's body while plant food comes from the "earth interacting with the sun, air, and other elements." Cruel methods are used to force hens to produce more eggs. They are put into miserable conditions and injected with hormones for more production. Because of their origin and potential to live, eggs cannot be ingested in a vegetarian diet.
Countless products are manufactured by torturing or using animal body parts do not comply with vegetarianism. Leather (animal skin) is used to make shoes, watch straps, belts, jackets, car seats and furniture. Fur is mainly used to make designer clothes for women. Before introducing most beauty products and drugs in the marketplace, they are thoroughly tested on experimental animals for their side effects. Innovative surgical methods are also tried on animals before being established in humans. All this shows that our lives are made better because of the unwilling sacrifice of animals. This is against the essential fundamentals of vegetarianism.
Here are some quotes from some famous people discouraging a flesh diet:
"Vegetarian food leaves a deep impression on our nature. If the whole world adopts vegetarianism, it can change the destiny of humankind." -Albert Einstein
"I do not see any reason why animals should be slaughtered to serve as human diet when there are so many substitutes. After all, man can live without meat..." -Dalai Lama
Ahimsa is the greatest principle that all Jains should follow. This principle should become a part of our daily lives. Mahavirswami's message is just like the golden rule, "Treat others the way you want to be treated." Being Jain and following vegetarianism since birth makes me feel happy, joyful and guiltfree for not harming an animal. I will continue to commit to it for the rest of my life, to my fullest capacity and will also try my best to spread the message to the rest of the world.
Kunal Shah is a Pathshala student and the winner of the essay competition in the 10-12 age group.
Jain Center is the laboratory to become a good person. Nilay Shah, 8