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carnivora animals By physical attributes man must bc and is a vegetarian both for health and longivity Vegetarianism is better for man Many nutritive clements required by the human body are available more easily and in a more assimilable form in vegetarian food than can be bad from non-vegetarian food There is no dearth of scientific and authoritative literature on the subject which substantiates and confirms this fact
Our great teachers of the past were not unpractical vegetarians They knew that it is possible to live on vegetarian food In Hinduism including Jainism, vegetarianism is considered to be the best way of living Today science has come to help us still further and is teaching us how to be vegetarian
The results of some of the researches on non-vegetarian diet are frightening They speak of higher occurrence of various types of diseases It causes indulgence in liquors etc Many of the present abdominal, cardiac and mental diseases are due to taking of non-vegetarian food and liquors and immoral habits generated out of that Non-vegetarian food tends to lead the man away from humadness Gradually, the finer sensibilities are vitiated and are imperceptibily but surely replaced by cruelty, brutality, inhumanity and ruthlessness which Abimsa never permits to occur Vegetarian food is, therefore, in complete conformity with the ideals of non-violence
Diet is a powerful factor in moulding temper and thinking A well selected balanced vegetarian diet is in harmony with the laws of nature and in the words of Nathaniel Altman, "helps to assure a healthy, vital and strong body which serves as the temple for our thoughts, feeling and spiritual essence Vegetarian diet is favourable to purity of thought and chastity and leads to refinement of character
A movement in favour of vegetarianism has now been growing in many parts of the world Upsurgence of vegetarian societies, Hare Krishna Hare Rama, vegetarian clubs, vegetarian leagues etc is the clear indication that even the conventionally meat eating West has now woken up to the cause of vegetarianism realising the bad points of non-vegetarianism and good points of vegetarianism It is now the pious duty of the doctors, the scientists and the social workers in particular to undertake more and more researches and surveys in the field and propagate the same through their reports We should hope that the coming era would be of the vegetarians who are decidedly the more rational and peaceful people
Secretary General Third International Jain Conference Ahimsa International 688 Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi-110001 (INDIA) Phone 344022
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