Jain Digest 2006 04

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 26

many kinds of cancer, most notably cancer of the colon, today one can find out for themselves the change in the breast, cervix, uterus, ovary, prostate and lung.
state of mind and the body.
Statistically, approximately two million Americans die each year of which 68% are victims of the three major
chronic diseases in which diet is major contributory factor: heart disease, cancer and stroke. The foods that have been singled out for special concern in connection with these diseases are eggs, meat, poultry, sea- food, animal fat and many more. If the body is fed with pure, natural and wholesome food, that involves minimum of violence. minimum of environmental damage and minimum of ecological imbalance; it helps create harmony within the body and harmony without.
It is good to know the statistics. It takes 273 litres of water to produce 450 grams of wheat ic. (1228.5 cups of water), 1136.5 litres of water to produce 450 grams of rice and approximately 9092 to 27.276 litres of water to produce 450 grams of meat. A chicken processing plant uses 454 million litres per day - enough to supply the water needs of 25,000 humans. Livestock are responsible for consuming 80% of the world's water supply. A litre is 41⁄2 cups of liquid. We are the cause for the scarcity of the natural resources in this world.
Methane from cattle accelerates the global warming and the ozone layer depletion. PETA's (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animal) research shows that 26 billion animals are killed for food in the U.S. alone each year (9 billion land based, 17 billion aquatic). In this way when man lives a life involving gross violence like this he becomes a terrible threat to himself and to the entire planet.
The planet's entire petroleum reserves would be exhausted in 13 years if the whole world were to take on the technological methods used in the U.S. that produce the standard American meat-centered diet.
Trees are being cut down at an alarming rate all around the world for meat production. If people made radical change in their diet only in U.S. alone 200 million acres could be returned to the forest.
If one becomes a vegetarian he saves 2,400 animals in a lifetime thus becoming a blessing to oneself and a blessing to the Mother Earth.
Today we see many people around the world slowly becoming aware of the animal abuse and environmental pollution and are turning vegetarians. Though it may be for religious reasons, for ethical reasons, for ecological reasons or for health or environmental reasons. Whatever the reason
may be the awareness is gaining momentum day by day and people are questioning their beliefs and conditioning. If one can try this way of diet for a few months from
Let us see what vegetarianism means in today's world. The term Vegetarian is derived from the Latin word vegetus meaning "whole, lively, sound, fresh." Thus a vegetarian is one who does not eat any meat, fish, fowl or
eggs. There are those who consider themselves to be
vegetarians even though they cat eggs. So the vegetarians
are divided into three categories:
(1) Lacto -ovo-vegetarians: those that include milk. dairy products and eggs in their diets;
(2) Lacto-vegetarians: those that include milk, dairy products but no eggs in their diets:
(3) Vegans those that do not include any animal products like milk, cheese, curd (yogurt), butter or eggs in their diets (most even eschew honey).
A vegetarian thus can easily sustain on foods like grains, legumes, beans, nuts, seeds, vegetables and fruits that are good sources of protein, vitamins, minerals and other
nutrients.
We just saw the ethical, ecological and the health point
of view of vegetarianism.
Now let us address the philosophical aspect of the issue in brief.
Since time immemorial scriptural studies and researches have revealed one thing that is common to all living beings and that is the desire to live and to be happy and not to die and be unhappy. But man in his pursuit of pleasure and happiness forgets this and goes to the extent of exploiting everything and everyone for his greed. To satisfy his yearning he engages in violent acts like hunting. killing. confining, or taking the life of freely roaming innocent creatures and ignores their right to live happily. In this way. not only does he abuse the living creatures, but in turn abuses him self by doing this. He forgets that he too is part of the planet and cannot remove him self from the universal law of vibrations of the living which is, that which you throw out comes about.
To kill someone one has to be callous inwardly and then take a life. When one acts from a state of hard
heartedness, one is gradually erasing the goodness in the self and reaching a point of hating everyone including the self. If one does not have reverence for one's own self. how can one have reverence for other living beings? So in this way the act of brutality perpetuates and the vicious circle of hate and violence continues.
One never stops to think that eating meat for taste involves much pain and torture to a life! A life that cannot
24/JAIN DIGEST-Summer 2006