World of Philosophy

Author(s): Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave
Publisher: Shanti Prakashan

Page 154

the connection between the violent act of killing and the dead flesh is perceived, it ought to have an impact on one's conscience. This experience, however, was not enough to impact my friend, who upon watching a chicken run around headless, was still willing to eat its flesh in perfectly good conscience.
As the conversation continued, I engaged her to think about the law of cause and effect. "But, I didn't kill it, I'm just eating it," she responded. In all seriousness, your demand for it will create a supply for it. One is directly involved in the killing of the animal if it is eaten. As it is said, one who associates with thieves, though not necessarily a thief, is considered to be a thief. A violent action (be it killing or eating an animal) will lead to a violent reaction. Of this, one can and should be assured.
There is a sneaking irrational belief, seen in the behavior of individuals and nations that we can get away with bad behavior and that, when hardship strikes, we are victims of undeserved bad luck. In times of hardship, people exclaim, "what have we done to deserve this?" Although they may have been model citizens before experiencing a great personal calamity of some sort, they fail to consider the reactions of their past lives. They also fail to consider the violence they've committed in this very life by their seemingly harmless acts of eating meat. The Sanskrit word for meat is mamsa, which breaks down into mam (of me - genitive singular) + sa? (he - nominative singular) = 'of me, he.' The Hindu's say mam sa atti, which means 'he will eat me,' i.e., the one killed and consumed will eat its consumer. It is also said in the Manusmriti:
Count the hairs of the animal you have killed and eaten, and for that many lifetimes you will be killed by that animal. -5:38
For most, physical survival is no longer of primary concern. What is of great concern is the proper distribution of goods, which is beyond the scope of this paper. Humans are no longer hunters. We are gatherers. There is enough natural food and resources on the planet for us to gather and sustain a healthy vegetarian diet for all six billion of us. The amount of grains, vegetables, nuts and fruits that are available suffice to fulfill our dietary requirements. Further, medical studies have proven that vegetarian food is easier to digest and provides an equivalent, if not greater, source of nutrients required for the body. Moreover, a vegetarian diet is healthier for the planet. Environmental degradation and resource wasting associated with the meat industry's operations are unnecessary. It takes a greater amount of resources to raise an animal for meat than it takes to feed a human. By eating meat and supporting this ongoing animal and environmental holocaust, people are essentially choosing to perpetuate this fruitless and destructive cycle in order to gratify their senses. As Jainism will acknowledge, this choice is both selfish and self-destructive.
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