________________
intolerance. "Ogonyok", a Russian magazine published a research paper highlighting that over 70 per cent of a group of violent and hardened criminals had as children burnt, hanged or stabbed domestic animals. A study of 17000 men and women conducted showed that in U.S.A. and Finland highest deaths were due to high consumption of meat products.
Jain community in India has mounted a big campaign for the closure of slaughter hauses and banning of the export of meat. Renowned Digambar Jain Acharya Vidyasagarji has been a strong advocate and has urged Jains and others ton give up use of leather items like shoes, purses, belts, suitcases etc. He has emphasized that Jeev Daya (compassion for animals) also includes 'Jeeva Raksha" (protection of animals from being killed).
What lends greater urgency to propagate vegetarianism is the fact that in western countries, animal are being bred and brought up only for being killed to provide food for the non-vegetarians. This flourishing industry of ‘animal farms' has totally ignored that animals have also souls, sensitivities and emotions. A study done in U.S.A. has also shown that there is much greater drain on natural resources, because to produce a single pound of meat takes on an average 2500 gallons of water- as much as a typical family uses in a month. Rice takes more water than any other grain, but even rice requires only One-tenth as much water per pound of production of meat. One acre of land can grow 20,000 pounds of potatoes, but if it were to be directed to produce cattle feeds, it can produce only about 165 pounds of beef. A cow takes in 16 kgs of food grains to produce one kilogram of beef.
In this age of increasing pressure of population on limited food resources, it is alarming that over 70 percent of the food grains produced in U.S.A. are consumed by pigs and cows for producing meat for human consumption. In a very revealing article in Economic Times (India) in the month of May,2008, Mr. Arun Firodia has pointed out that an average American eats 125 kgs of meat every year and all Americans consume in all 35 million
118
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
A Portrait of Jain Religion
www.jainelibrary.org
