Jainism and Animal Issues 1997

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

Page 10

Jainism and Animal Issues
We support and promote veganism. The first Jain criteria, therefore, would be to avoid any food which involves violence.
The main base of Jain diets is grain like wheat, rice, and barley. In America, we have also adopted corn and oats. We also have adopted a variety of foods like pasta, bread, pizza, pita, tostadas, etc. into Jain households. As with many other Asian countries, the traditional Indian diet was healthy, but affluence and modernization has led to high fat diets and unhealthy lifestyles.
However, our traditions revolve around control of the senses. For example, many people voluntarily give up sweets, or other items for a certain time period.
Jain traditions observe certain restrictions for fruits and vegetables. Although all Jains do not practice this, but many avoid taking roots, such as potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, etc. If you wonder why, here is the answer: to minimize violence. Because even if you pluck hundreds of oranges from a tree, you are not destroying the whole tree. However, when you pluck one single carrot, you uproot the whole plant. When so many vegetables are available without destroying a whole plant, why destroy some? Then there is one more reason. All roots have countless (Anantkay) souls under one body (skin). Our need that can be satisfied with one cupful of underground roots (which would have countless souls) could also easily be satisfied with just a few peas or beans. So why kill so many more souls? Therefore, the second Jain criteria is not to eat root vegetables.
You may observe that some fruits and vegetables have only one or a few seeds, while some have many seeds. We believe that each seed represents a potential life. True, we have to eat something in order to survive, but we want to minimize violence by taking as few as possible of those multi-seeded fruits and vegetables. So that is the third Jain criteria of food choices.
Dried beans are considered acceptable for Jains; they are a good source of proteins, vitamins, and other nutrients. Although there are no restrictions on eating beans, the process of sprouting can be an issue. Sprouting is a process in which life is activated in a seed that had otherwise become inactive. This is viewed as violence by some Jains. So they accept as the fourth Jain food criteria: no sprouted beans.
What do the Jain principles teach about the wearing of silk, pearls, ivory, and other clothing and fashion items that involve animal products?
All these items are produced by killing an animal. When we learn the processes used to obtain these products, it becomes obvious that they do not fit into the Jain lifestyle.
Producing silk requires boiling silk worms alive. Producing fur coats requires the killing of fur bearing animals. Do not mistake
There are many more minute criteria which are contained in the scriptures. However, very few Jains follow them. But, very few Jains would ever resort to eating meat.
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Another criteria about food is that one must strive to eat before sunset. That gives plenty of time for the digestive system to do it its work. We are the creatures of day, so our systems want to shut down their functions after dark. Besides, many visible and invisible lives thrive at night. By eating after sunset, we are at danger of consuming them; therefore Jains try to eat early in the day. But this does not go very well with the modern industrialization. In northern hemisphere, away from equator, the days during winter are very short, and the sun sets very early. Even under these circumstances, many Jains would attempt to eat as early as possible, after sunset.
What We Wear
Since animals kill each other in nature, why should the Jains be concerned about the abuse of animals; such as killing them to eat?
Narendra Sheth
In nature, a big fish eats a little fish because its mind is not developed as much as that of a human who can discriminate and restrain him or herself a great deal. Humans can also rationalize what is right and wrong and so why should they support the abuse or killing of innocent animals? Plus, there is a big difference between natural birth and human breeding; and even bigger difference between animals killing each other and mass killing by humans.
The process of raising animals for food involves bringing them into this world by artificial insemination; separating mothers from their young ones; raising them in cages and confined spaces; feeding them unnatural food contaminated with chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics; and finally killing them at a young age. All these actions result in a desensitized attitude and the suppression of compassion at the conscience.
As Jains, we do have to protect all kinds of living beings. There are different laws in the jungle than in human society. In the law of the jungle, the strong ones eat the weak ones, but in the law of the society, the strong one protects the weak one.
Chandubhai Morbia
leather as a useless by-product of meat production either. Leather coat, shoes, belts, and purses are made from animals bred specifically for smooth skins. Ivory is obtained by killing elephants. Wool production causes animal suffering in various ways.
Many people believe that some pearls are manufactured in factories, and they are called "artificial" pearls. Actually, a pearl is a product of pain. When a foreign particle gets into the body, if the oyster or fish cannot get rid of it, then the creature in pain coats it with a special secretion. When solidified, that secretion becomes a