Life Cycle of Dairy Cows Ver2F

Author(s): Pravin K Shah
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

Page 3

our scriptures, a person who hurts five-sensed animals is destined to suffer in the hell. In this situation a person acquires the following sinful karma: • Narak Ayushya Karma (Future birth in Hell) -
"Panchendriya Vadha, Mahä-ärambha, Mahä-parigraha, and Raudra parinämathi Narak Ayushya
Bandhaya chhe". - Jain Darshan by Muni Shri Nyaya Vijayji • Adattädäna Karma (Suffering karma due to stealing) -
We are responsible for stealing the cows' milk without her permission Antaraya karma (Suffering karma due to forceful separation) -
We are responsible for forcefully separating the mother and child. There are more than 6 million Americans who are Vegan (New York Times Report), who do not use any animal products including dairy products such as milk, cheese, ice-cream, butter including leather shoes, silk garments, and fur coats etc. About 10 to 15% Jain Youth in America are Vegans who attend YJA and YJP conventions. No Jain youth in America has denied the cruelty that exists in the American dairy industry or in fact in the dairy industries of all around the world. However there is a significant resistance among the adult Jain population in America, India and the other countries. The only argument they provide is that we do not kill the cow during milking operation and we have to remove the excess milk from the cow's body after delivery, otherwise she will suffer with severe pain. Dr. Mukesh Doshi, a well known pediatrician of Chicago explained that under the natural living environment, 95% of cows and human mothers will produce just enough milk to feed their babies (no more or no less). 3% to 4% of cows and human mothers will produce less milk than what is needed for their babies. Only 1% to 2% will produce more than what their baby needs. (ref - Dr. Mukesh Doshi had provided this explanation to Muni Shree Jambuvijayji (near Shankheswar Tirtha) during his visit to India in October 2007 and I was with them.). For meat production, the cows are killed immediately. For milk production, the cows are tortured during their productive life and during this time all their male babies are killed, and then they are slaughtered after four to five years of their productive life. From a cruelty point of view, there is no difference between milk and meat production under the current environment. The dairy cow has no chance to live her natural life. Please reflect on this. (please exclude the dairies run by religious organizations because their milk production percentage is much less than 1.0%. Also these organizations do buy other milk products from commercial market). Jainism believes that every soul is individual and eternal. From time immemorial, every soul is in the spiritual stage of Mithyätva; meaning soul is ignorant about its true nature and ignorant about the true reality. In an addition to the ignorance about self and reality, he strongly believes in the opposite, meaning in untrue reality and its untrue nature. Hence he seeks pleasure and happiness from material possessions and considers his body is his soul and acts accordingly. Believing that there is no direct cruelty to Panchendriya animals during 99% of the production of the milk under today's environment is the highest state of Mithyätva we possess in human life (note - I understand that highest state of Mithyätva exist in the souls of Nigod). If a person accepts that Panchendriya cruelty exist in more than 99% of the milk production of world but he needs to use it for a certain reason (health, his own weakness etc..) then there is a hope because Samyak Charitra occurs in stages. However Samyak Darshan has no stages and hence there is no hope to come out of Mithyätva. We earnestly request the Jain community at large to study the subject from a cruelty point of view. Significant literature is available on the Internet and in book stores worldwide. Jaina Education Committee can also provide some help to you. My great reverence to Gurudev Shri Chitrabhanuji and Pramodaben for their total dedication to practicing vegan life style and spreading the message of true Jain non-violence not only in America but throughout the world. I hope that the other Jain scholars study this subject rationally from the cruelty of Panchendriya animal point of view.