Why become a vegan/vegetarian on the spiritual path?

Why become a vegan/vegetarian on the spiritual path?

Many times in our life we have come across situations where we have to make a decision which does not have a clear answer. We are forced to analyse the situation and use our intellect and discrimination to chose the right course of action. It is the same when it comes to the food we eat.

There is a quote in Hinduism which says, Jeeva Jeevasya Jeevanam. It translates to “life lives on life.”

We are forced to either kill a plant or an animal to sustain our life. And so the decision is not about killing or not killing, but about doing the least harm possible.

Even though plants are alive and feel pain, it is generally believed they have a lower level of consciousness than animals. Nature has constructed life so plants can be eaten or in most cases cut, in order to spread their seeds. Therefore it is generally believed the level of violence required to kill is less compared to the death of an animal.

Animals are believed to have the same senses as humans and can feel pain and experience emotions at a higher level than plants. The process of reproduction for animals does not depend on them being killed or cut.

As humans, we are not given the ability to kill or not to kill for our food, but we are given the ability to choose the path which causes the least harm. If we decide to fulfil our immediate sensual desires rather than choosing the path of least harm, we downgrade ourselves, and we lose what makes us human, the ability to show love and compassion to all living beings.

If you are in Rochester, New York on April 12th and would like to learn more about veganism and spirituality, please join me for a talk. More info The Mindful Yogi