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tonnes of meat annually. An average Chinese consumes 70 kgs of meat annually. All Chinese put together consume 100 million tonnes of meat annually In India, the per capita consumption of meat is presently around 3 kgs, and overall annually one million tonnes of meat is consumed. This figure is steadily rising with standard of living going up particularly in affluent classes of society. This calls for an imme - diate and well-sustained plan to ensure that vegetarianism does not get a sharp setback in India. Indeed world meat consumption has surged five-fold in the last 50 years forcing diversion of food grains to feed the animals. Little wonder that the demand for food grains is racing ahead of supply of food grains and global prices are rising. This critical situation underlines the need to strengthen the movement for vegetarianism. Not only in terms of ethics and piety, but on sound economic grounds, it is imperative to drastically reduce consumption of meat and take to increasingly vegetarian and fruit diet. If humans were to directly consume grains rather than cycle them through animals to eat their meat, there would be ebough to feed the world and there would be no food shortage. Jain religion also highlights the environmental perspective of vegetarianism. Wiping out of a large number of species at the rate of over 1000 species a year now threatens the global life system pattern of interdependent and mutually supportive growth. Rapid and reckless deforestation all over the world has led to adverse climatic change. Jain philosophy recognizes that trees are also living elements and have souls-even with limited sensitivities. Protecting vibrant natural flora and fauna is an integral part of the Jain non-violence culture. Jain experience has been that vegetarianism strengthens the moral and ethical fiber and reinforces qualities of tolerance, piety and kind-heartedness. It is simultaneously nourishing for the body as well as tonic for the soul. It becomes an element in the spiritual
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A Portrait of Jain Religion
Jain Education International
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