Spirituality and Vegetarianism
By Paramahansa Jagadish Submitted On October 20, 2014
We approach this subject of vegetarianism & spirituality by bringing you facts presented from several different perspectives, in order to provide the reader with a well-rounded view of the ideologies held by various religions. We hope that you can use this information to make informed decisions concerning the foods you consume.
Ahimsa in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism:
Ahimsa is a Sanskrit term that essentially means "do no harm" and is a rule of conduct in Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism against killing or injuring any living being. Although debate over how to apply this principle has raged on for centuries, the idea of non-violence has strong connections to the negative karmic consequences of violence against another.
Hinduism and Ayurveda:
In Indian tradition, cooking and eating are forms of worship and the body is believed to be a divine temple. This philosophy suggests that food should give rise to love and life and should promote the efforts to develop a pure body. But more than that, vegetarianism has always been central to both Ayurveda and Hindu living principles. This is for several reasons:
• Fear and the breath: Animals will experience extreme fear as they are shipped and moved through the slaughtering experience, which results in the secretion of bio-chemicals into their bodies (adrenalin and dopamine to name two). These chemicals will be passed along to humans, creating in them similar feelings of fear. Fearful humans, like carnivores, will have short, shallow breathing associated with anxiety and tension and unpleasant breath. But vegetarians and other herbivores take deep, slow, peaceful breaths and have pleasant-smelling breath.
• Human digestive process: Carnivorous animals which have short, yet powerful intestinal tracks to minimize the absorption of toxins from the flesh they eat. Humans have a long digestive track more suited to vegetarian diets. Vegetables traveling through the human digestive tract are broken down naturally as they go, but when a human eats meat, during its long journey down the lengthy digestive tract, the meat rots and putrefies.
• Vital energy: Plants are near the bottom of the food chain, close to the source of
solar
energy and therefore close to the source of vital energy. Dead foods, including meats, are considered tamasic foods because they are old, decaying, and distasteful.
Except for perhaps Jainism, vegetarianism runs most strongly in Hinduism. It is not only a part of their faith perspective; it has become an important aspect of the culture.
Jainism:
Jainism, one of the oldest religious traditions originating from India, is a belief system that centers on the idea that all souls are divine and capable of achieving God-consciousness. Jains believe that compassion for all life, both human and non-human, is of prime importance. All Jain monks and laity are required to be vegetarians. In fact, some believe that Jainism was a strong influence in the acceptance of vegetarianism as a common practice in some strains of Hinduism.
They go even further than many other faith traditions in their beliefs surrounding food. Not only do they believe that nonviolence is important in the types of food chosen, they also refuse food that has been obtained with unnecessary cruelty. Therefore many Jains practice veganism to avoid the cruel practices common in conventional, large-scale dairy farms.
Buddhism:
The first of the five beautiful precepts of Buddhism - the ethical code of conduct for all practicing Buddhists - is as follows: "I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures." In other words do not kill and, as much as possible, take no part in killing by proxy. "Metta", the practice of compassion and loving kindness to all beings without selfish attachment, is another strong motivation for Buddhists to refuse meat in their diets.
Although the Buddha did not require his followers to practice vegetarianism, in the spirit of minimizing harm to all living beings and bestowing on them life and joy as much as possible, he strongly encouraged abstinence from meat eating. Although attitudes toward vegetarianism vary quite widely from sect to sect within Buddhism, many traditions consider it an important personal choice.
Islam:
Like most of the other religious traditions mentioned here, Islam doesn't require Muslims to refrain from eating meat. On the contrary, there is much evidence that the Qur'an (Islam's central religious text) condones the use of animals for food and other purposes. After all, it's the only monotheistic religion that still practices animal sacrifice.
Yet the Qur'an and Hadith (oral traditions of the words and deeds attributed to the prophet Muhammad) both support what many Muslims believe: animals hold a special place in God's creation. Animals are considered sentient beings and are to be treated with kindness, compassion, and mercy. When asked whether his companions would be rewarded for kindness to animals in the life hereafter, the Holy Prophet Mohammad replied, "Yes, there is a meritorious reward for kindness to every living creature."
Vegetarianism, therefore, is a personal choice, although not one specifically recommended or supported by the Islamic faith community or religious tradition.
Judaism:
Of all the Abrahamic religions (to which Christianity and Islam also belong), Judaism likely has the most well-articulated arguments for choosing a meat-free diet. Of course, as with all other faith groups, there is diversity in the Jewish community on the issue of vegetarianism, but there are many who see strong arguments for vegetarianism in the Torah and other scriptural texts. The following are some of the central arguments for Jewish vegetarianism:
• Animals in Jewish tradition: The Hebrew Bible emphasizes a special kinship between animals and humans, which can be seen in the creation narratives as well as other important passages. Not only were mammals and humans created on the same day, according to the principle of tsa'ar ba'alei chayim, Judaism stresses compassion for animals.
• Good stewardship of creation: "The earth is the Lord's" according to the Psalms. Everything in it belongs to God, including animals of all types. God's people were given the task of dominion over creation, but not the domination of a harsh ruler who treats his subjects with cruelty and unkindness. Rather, Judaism, at its core, instructs its people to treat all of creation with compassion and the care of a concerned steward given the responsibility to return creation to God in better shape than it was left with them.
• Messianic vision: During the time that humans were dwelling in Eden, God admonished all creatures to adopt a plant-based diet. After the fall, this principle was largely abandoned due to the selfish cravings of humans, but visions of the messianic era are full of tranquil images of animals coexisting peacefully with each other and humans (the lion shall lay down with the lamb, etc.). By extension, many believe that living by the principles espoused in the creation narrative and messianic prophesies is important for true Jewish living.
Although vegetarianism isn't overly common in the Jewish community, the number of vegetarians and vegans grows with every year as more people understand these interpretations of the biblical texts.
Christianity:
Christianity is rooted in the Jewish tradition, and therefore refers to many of the same scriptural traditions about God's creation as Judaism does. Like vegetarian Jews, Christians who practice vegetarianism do so because of their conviction that as stewards of God's earth, they are to treat all life-including animals-with care and kindness. And, as in Judaism, Christians interpret prophesies, such as those found in Isaiah 11:6-9, to mean that with the return of the Messiah, the world will return to a life-affirming state where all animals live peacefully together.
But for Christians, the Messiah, Jesus Christ, has already come. The New Testament narrative, which tells the story of Jesus, outlines how Christ has already inaugurated the new Kingdom here on earth and bestowed upon humans the task of re-creating earth as God intended it-without death or sorrow. Therefore, while acknowledging human sinfulness, many Christians believe that starting now they should strive toward the peaceful world envisioned in Isaiah. That means choosing a lifestyle that celebrates life, and for many this means becoming a vegetarian.
Sikhism:
The tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh, argued that the Sikh belief that sacrificing an animal in the name of God was mere ritualism (which should be avoided), and therefore prohibited the Sikhs from eating meat. In general, other gurus espouse a simple diet.
Sikhism believes that people should not increase their burden of the Karmas, and since there is karmic value in every living thing, and more karmic value in the higher life-forms, eating meat can result in high karmic dues. To avoid this, some Sikhs choose not to eat the flesh of any higher life-forms, including animals. These two Sikh principles mean that the majority of all Sikhs practice a vegetarian lifestyle.
Religious traditions around the world tell compelling stories for how we are to live our lives. What we eat is no different, and as you have seen, there are plenty of philosophies on which to base a choice of vegetarianism, regardless of your faith perspective. These admonishments should encourage us to live non-violent lives that celebrate the joys of coexisting with other earthly creatures.
While opting for a meat-free diet may not be promoted by the mainstream authorities in your particular religious tradition, if you allow yourself to examine your faith texts and oral histories in a new light, you may just see that advocating such a lifestyle choice can be both a way to express your commitment as a person of faith, but also a fulfilling, life-affirming change.
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