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Jainism and Animal Issues
very insensitive. As one result, this breeds and invites crime and violence within the society.
Looking at Jain values of Ahimsa, the scriptures list various sinful trades, sinful acts, and various ways to limit our consumption.
Chandubhai Morbia
for me occurred when I was 15 years old. A friend and I had just caten hot dogs for lunch, and walked next door to a leather shop. I whispered to her that she shouldn't buy anything in there because it is all dead animals. The clerk behind the counter heard my comment to my friend and asked me if I ate meat. I was shocked. I had never made the connection before that moment. I never realized that the meat on my plate was anything but 'food'. As ! realized, while standing in that store, that meat is dead animal, I replied, "No, I don't eat meat" to the clerk. My friend thought I had just lied to the clerk. I explained to her that from this moment on I would not eat meat. That was 26 years ago. My personal evolution continued when I saw the pain of a dairy cow being separated from her calf and realized that the male calves on this farm were being shipped to veal facilities. I then quit using dairy products. I am now a strong advocate of strict vegetarianism for our own health and the well-being of animals and the environment.
Rae Sikora ("Jivan Sanskar")
Does vegetarianism place greater priority on
animal rights than on human welfare? Not really. Vegetarianism is also a human welfare movement. By climinating an animal-based diet and eating plant based healthy foods, humans reap many benefits. The following are a few examples. The incidence of heart disease, strokes, and cancer may be reduced by removing meat and dairy from the diet. A plantbased diet requires less resources and produces less waste which leads to a cleaner environment. Instead of raising animals for food and feeding large amounts of grain to them, that grain can be used to feed many starving humans. World hunger problems may be alleviated when we stop cycling grain through animals. So, what do the humans have to lose for animal rights?
Look at this Jain teaching: 'Live and Let Live' LIVE is human welfare, and LET LIVE is animal rights. They are complimentary. There is an attitude of caring and sharing. This is what vegetarianism includes: sharing this planet with animals and not harming them for human selfishness.
Chandubhai Morbia
Should the Jains use by-products of
slaughterhouses? A slaughterhouse is a product of human greed and hi-tech combined for the mass killing of animals. What are the products from these slaughterhouses? They are flesh, skin, bones, blood, fat, hair, feathers, etc. Sale of each such by-product contributes to the profits of the business. We can, and should, live without any of these. None of them are necessary for a happy and healthy life. If we consume them, we directly or indirectly pay for them, encouraging further slaughter. On the other hand, when we stop buying them, we send a message to the killing plant: "kill less animals, because we still have some unsold products." As our number increases, it will result in a tremendous force to close some of the slaughterhouses.
Chandubhai Morbia
Can one work to improve conditions for animals
without being a vegetarian?
Yes, one can. Many men and women, who were not vegetarian, started working towards improving the conditions of animals. They were born in non-vegetarian families and they were raised with animal flesh and dairy products as their main food. A stage came in their life when they realized what truly fair treatment toward animals would mean. They joined their hands with those who were saving and protecting animals. In the process, not only did they become kind to animals, but also to themselves. This way, many animal rights workers have become vegetarian at some time in their lives. If not, they are kind at heart, but still a slave to old habits of meat eating,
Those who are born and raised vegetarian are lucky. Their minds, speech, and actions are nourished for kindness to animals and all other nonhuman life. Most individuals who are raised with those values will not harm animals, nor will they support any harm to animals.
Chandubhai Morbia Here is a true life example - My Transition to Vegetarian ...
What is the equivalent of "Kosher" food standard
in Jainism? "Kosher" is a set of Jewish procedures of handling animal products. Since Jains follow a strictly vegetarian diet, they do not need "Kosher" standards. However, to observe a compassionate diet to the maximum possible level, Jainism offers some guidelines to observe, as described below.
First of all, meat, alcohol, eggs, honey, fish, etc. are not allowed in the Jain diet. Many Jains consume milk even though it is an animal product, because it is not a direct animal product as meat would be. Traditionally, in the Indian society, cows were part of the family. They were treated humanely, taken care of until natural death in sanctuaries, and the baby calf was allowed to suckle all the milk until his/her needs were satisfied. Only the surplus milk was used for human consumption, so the principle of nonviolence was upheld. Calf was not deprived of its need nor did the cow have to undergo any tortuous life. But in the modern world cows are kept in factory farms and the milk has become a product of violence. Upon learning this, more and more Jains are now turning vegan.
I was born into a Russian American family and raised as a typical American meat eater. My evolution into the animal and environmental rights movement has been gradual. A turning point
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Jain Education Interational 2010_03
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