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markandeya 108 dasa
05 July 2014, 05:33 AM
Pranams,

There are talks happening in many places not just those that have influence of the vedic teachings that diary products, milk, cheese, yogurt etc should not be taken anymore.

The reason being that the way the cows are being treated to acquire her milk.

If the cows are being treated well and in accordance with vedic culture then its not a problem to take dairy products, but if the cow is producing milk in an environment that causes her stress then that milk should be abandoned.

I have my own opinions on this and I was curious to know what other members feel about being total vegan ( no diary products) and if it is the way forward in these degraded times.

Ys

Md

Eastern Mind
05 July 2014, 08:35 AM
Vannakkam:

I have been lacto vegetarian for 40 years here in the west, but I'm only now going to switch over to a vegan diet. The cruelty in the dairy industry is absurd and seems to be getting worse, and I now think I'm being hypocritical about ahimsa.

One of the latest things I read is that the average dairy cow only calves 3 times, and its then put to slaughter. This all has to do with milk production going down. So the cow turnover rate is quick. So that's at about age 4-5. But the list of what we would consider cruel by almost any standard is long. if there was a humane dairy around that was accessible, I'd use it.

Aum Namasivaya

IcyCosmic
05 July 2014, 03:22 PM
Namaste,

I agree with EM-ji. It seems that if the only milk you have access to is the ones available in supermarkets it may be wise to forego and indulge in coconut milk/almond milk instead. Not only is the dairy industry disgusting; the cows are injected relentlessly, unnecessary chemicals are dumped in the milk and the finished product is really not the ''milk'' described in our beautiful scriptures that is spoken of so highly. The tenets of Sanatana Dharma would lead me to assume a departure from commercial milk is wise until you have access to a well looked after cow and can attain some in its purest form. I know that I am currently a vegeterian (with vegan tendencies) - I try to avoid dairy as much as I can. I have replaced my morning tea with almond milk or coconut milk; but elsewhere it is hard because so much food I consume involves dairy ingredients. In a few years I hope to be in a space where I can be a vegan unless I somehow have access to a local cow. That is my humble opinion. Have a good day.

ameyAtmA
05 July 2014, 03:50 PM
praNAm

This being is vegan and tries to stay vegan as much as possible. There was a GokuL-period of two years when
"maiya, mohe maakhana mishri bhayo, meetho dadhi meethayi dadhigata..." and
"kanha ne makhana bhave re kanha ne mishri bhave re"

was the reason maintained.
Offered makhan mishri and dahi pohe to Him daily for almost two yrs. Was like living in Golok with Kanha.

Switched back to vegan diet after losing hope on the big picture trying to support and volunteer with a Goshala.

Veganism in other countries and dairy in India made some sense, but now, in India also, it is getting worse in some area like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Hyderabad, northern Bangladesh borders etc.

Take bigger dairies like Chitale Bandhu (Pune) - who breed their own cows - perhaps they do not give the cows away or maybe they do. I wanted to talk
to them. Next time.

Talked to non-profits like BAIF - Bharatiya Agro-Industries foundation - Urlikanchan near Pune (livestock division). The person I spoke to said he would never
sell his cow who gave milk for 12 years , just for a matter of 5 years of non-milk maintenance.
That was very good to hear , and I hope the farmers and villagers that BAIF supports, encourages and helps to increase dairy production are thinking in the same way.

Have you heard of GorakshyAm Trust in Tamil Nadu? Run by devotees of Shrila PrabhupAd. They have a Radha Krishna mandir (Gokul Ashram) and a Goshala that is rapidly expanding
with ox-power station and big dreams and plans for the future. They are trying to reach youth in college, because eating the forbidden has sadly become a "cool trend" in India.
Hindu children are going for this! It is a sad scene.

One lady and her husband were atheists (not Hindus) and ate beef and she said that she is not going to stop.
Born to Hindu parents / vegetarian mother, and living in India.

What more can I say?

renuka
10 July 2014, 05:33 AM
Pranams,

There are talks happening in many places not just those that have influence of the vedic teachings that diary products, milk, cheese, yogurt etc should not be taken anymore.

The reason being that the way the cows are being treated to acquire her milk.

If the cows are being treated well and in accordance with vedic culture then its not a problem to take dairy products, but if the cow is producing milk in an environment that causes her stress then that milk should be abandoned.

I have my own opinions on this and I was curious to know what other members feel about being total vegan ( no diary products) and if it is the way forward in these degraded times.

Ys

Md


None of us have any idea what is in a cow's mind be it Vedic or Non Vedic period..we assume that we humans treated cows well during Vedic era but did anyone try to be a cow whisper and ask a cow 'how do you feel being domesticated?"

Whatever said and done..humans domesticated animals for selfish purposes and took them away from their natural habitat..so in my opinion I dont think its fair for animals to be exploited by human beings.

Domestication is NOT Ahimsa cos it took away the freedom of an animal that was supposed to be in the wild.

Believer
10 July 2014, 09:16 PM
Namaste,



humans domesticated animals for selfish purposes and took them away from their natural habitat..so in my opinion I dont think its fair for animals to be exploited by human beings.
To paraphrase Carl Segan, 'humans are parasites to the animal kingdom as they take away the food meant for animals'.
At intellectual level it may be true but we too were put here on earth and we too have to have food to stay alive. People may shun certain items based on their beliefs and analytic conclusions reached, but I don't want anyone dictating to me what I can or can't eat. Just as you frame everything with 'in my opinion.....I don't think', I too have an opinion and I too can think what is good for me. So, NO ONE should expect me to follow the dictates of their opinions or thinking. If I feel pious and don't eat any meat and not have dairy products in my regimen, I will decide that without any outside pressure. If God put me here, I WILL eat to stay alive, regardless of whether I am taking food away from animals or not.


Domestication is NOT Ahimsa cos it took away the freedom of an animal that was supposed to be in the wild.

I have been domesticated by my wife to help in the maintenance of the house, I have been domesticated by my employer to show up every morning and work 8 hours a day. I too am part of the animal kingdom with a little bit, I should say very little bit :) of intelligence. I too would prefer to live in the wild and just eat and procreate. Why am I bound by all the laws of this so called civil society? Does anyone think about poor me? Sometimes our forum community goes off the deep end and becomes impractical. We live in a world of REAL people who have needs and desires. We should be more worried about the inhumane treatment meted out to the animals for testing all the new cosmetics or exposing them to new strains of viruses/bacteria and then testing out new medications, rather than a little milk being taken away from cows or a little honey being taken away from the bees, or a little bit of ganja being taken away from Aghori sadhus, whom some of the people in the forum love to discuss.

Pranam.

Eastern Mind
11 July 2014, 12:49 PM
I have been domesticated by my wife

Vannakkam B, We tread this path together.:)

Aum Namasivaya

renuka
11 July 2014, 10:13 PM
I have been domesticated by my wife to help in the maintenance of the house,

Pranam.

But you are not bound by a rope to stay in a shed and have the mammary glands pulled on daily basis..so there is a lot of difference between domestication and a change of atmosphere..marriage is just a change of atmosphere in a persons life and some would like to call it a change.

Alekander
17 July 2014, 06:19 PM
Sorry i made a new Thread before reading this one that is about the same thing. But This is something i have been thinking alot about and has aloso been a struggle how i should do with eating diary (as im doing now), is this wrong to do to be a right way Hindu ?

Eastern Mind
18 July 2014, 06:12 PM
Sorry i made a new Thread before reading this one that is about the same thing. But This is something i have been thinking alot about and has aloso been a struggle how i should do with eating diary (as im doing now), is this wrong to do to be a right way Hindu ?

Vannakkam: Most Indian vegetarians are lacto-vegetarian. Dairy is okay, but eggs aren't.

Aum Namasivaya

ameyAtmA
26 July 2014, 08:26 PM
Dear Vegans

Please take care. Make sure you have enough B12, calcium, iron and folate in your diet.

In the United States fortified Soy Milk (25% calcium, 50% B12, protein) and fortified breakfast cereals ( Recommendation: Basic 4 by General Mills - has plenty of B12 B1, B2, B6) are available. Almond Milk may not provide as much B12 and calcium although almonds are vey good for you.

The other B vitamins come from wheat, grains and fortified pastas and breads.

Other countries may do this but you may have to check the labels on foods.

Leafy greens and broccoli are good sources of calcium and iron.

Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage) give Choline (for the brain).

Anti-oxidants and folates come from citrus and berries.

Nuts are good for vegans.
Sprouted Legumes combined with grains help absorb protein better than just the legume / bean.

---

Overall, a good balanced vegan diet needs the addition of a fortified plant milk + fortified cereal that match the calcium, protein, D and B12 in milk.

B12 is not found in plant food, but it comes from microorganisms and algae in the soil. Lacto vegetarians get it from cow-milk. Therefore vegans have to have alternatives. It is needed for proper brain function, and in kids - it is very essential for brain development.

jay mAdhava madana murAri S

yajvan
10 August 2014, 08:12 PM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté

Some insights on this B12 idea....
http://www.wholevegan.com/vitamin_b12.html



iti śivaṁ

sydsnyper
28 August 2014, 12:08 AM
Sadar Pranaam to all.

I wanted to understand how we would respond to the argument that when we insist on a vegetarian diet, we are essentially cause himsa against plant life (for example, onions, leafy vegetables etc). The act of farming in itself is not devoid of himsa because after we reap the food grains, the crops are destroyed.

So, if the very basis of sustenance is centered around himsa, why spare meat.

I apologize in advance if this offends you, but this argument is pretty logical in its technicality, and I would like to know what the fellow members think of it.