Jainism and Animal Issues 1997

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

Page 13

Jainism and Animal Issues
Focus on Vegetarianism
When we focus on vegetarianism, the first question that comes to our mind is: will, if ever, this meat cating stop? But don't despair. As the Sheth brothers explain, very soon the normal vegetarian way of lifestyle will resume. You may think it is merely optimism, but it is not so. It is a fact of life. All the indicators of recent times point to vegetarianism. Just look for yourself!
Next, in support of our vegetarian beliefs and lifestyles, Surabhi Shah presents a series of articles - Some Winner Arguments -
Vegetarian Resources - World Wide Web of Vegetarians. Then, she presents over 40 recipes, along with tips on "new" ingredients, shopping for vegetarian foods, and substitutions in cooking and baking.
How about eating out? What can we eat? You'll also get these answers in this section.
And finally read an inspiring life story - from Monali Shah.
MEAT-CENTERED DIETS ARE A FAD!
The Human Diet in Evolutionary Perspective
According to the Jain scriptures, there is no beginning or ending of time. Man always existed, and he was a vegetarian. Adinath Rooshabhdev taught the art of agriculture before becoming the first Tirthankar of this time. However, modern scientists believe in Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Here in this article, we will show how the man was always a vegetarian, even according to that theory. Meat-centered diets are only a fad of recent times, and they will soon disappear.
For our community, vegetarianism is a core practice that goes later. These more recent forbearers to modern humans were back thousands of years. In North American society, however, a different in important ways from their ancestors. From a dietary vegetarian diet is regarded as a trendy, new age phenomenon. The perspective, they had molars and pre-molars that were reduced in core of this society regards meat as an essential and central part of size, suggesting a decrease in the amount of chewing required in the their diet, with plant-centered diets as nothing more than a diet of Homo erectus. Stone tools found among their fossil remains health-oriented fad. Has it always been so? Have westerners, or may explain this change, as these implements suggest that Homo most human societies for that matter, always eaten mcat-centered erectus were able to further process their food, removing portions diets? If we were to believe prevailing notions we might think so, that were difficult to chew. Plant foods constituted the vast majority but a critical study of human evolution suggests otherwise. By of food consumed, and if any animal food was eaten, it was derived understanding the dietary patterns of
from scavenged carcasses, from the human species since its
which the remaining flesh might inception, we may come to A meat-centered diet is a relatively recent, and have been removed. appreciate the true historical role of highly aberrant change from evolutionary norms.
After a long period of plant and animal foods in the human diet. As the following
evolution as an almost exclusively
plant-eating species, Homo discussion illustrates, a meat-centered diet is a relatively recent, and
erectus, and then Homo sapiens, which emerged 300,000 years ago highly aberrant change from evolutionary norms.
began to hunt for food. However, the relative contribution of food According to evolutionary theory, the hominid line, from derived from hunting activities was small and incidental. Plant which homo sapiens evolved, came into being around five million foods remained an easy and relatively safe source of nutrients, while years ago. The first hominids lived in small clan-based gathering hunting was a risky, potentially low-return activity. In cold climates societies in the savannas of Africa where seeds, fruits, and roots were where plant food was seasonal, an ability to hunt helped people to in abundant supply. These hominids used their ability to walk survive. However, except for these extreme circumstances, the upright, invention of tools, and manual dexterity to obtain and consumption of animal products did not provide any survival prepare these locally available foods. The fossil record from this advantage to early humans and they did not take up the practice in time shows that these earliest of humans had large molar teeth that any significant way. would have been best suited to the diet of tough plant-based
The anatomic and physiologic features of the human body, material that was naturally available to them. It is almost certain
throughout evolution, have been herbivorous. The human dental that their diet was entirely dependent on the seeds, fruits, and roots they found in their environment.
structure, hands, tongues, and most importantly, digestive tract are
suited to a plant-based dict, not a meat-based one. Indeed, studies A major change in this pattern of existence occurred when have documented that the human digestive tract, despite 5-6 million Homo erectus emerged as a unique species a full 3.5 million years years of evolution, has changed little from that of chimpanzees, who