Are you a Vegetarian?

[Ali]

My good Friend is a Hindu and he eats different kinds of meats except red meat (Cow) Is it okay to eat meat if you're a Hindu?

I know few Hindu's (We work together) and they call themselves pure vegetarian. I asked them, if you say you're pure vegetarian then why do you wear leather gloves durning winter, wear leather jackets and leather shoes? I know that when drinking milk from the cow, is like drinking the milk from your Mother. Cow is considered a Mother, so how can you wear the skin of your Mother?

[reflections]

Namaste Ali,
Hindus need not be vegetarian. However for spiritual aspirants, vegetarianism is highly commendable. Something like 'Fardh and Wajib' . You will see Yogis, priests in temples will be definitley vegetarian.
Vegetarianism has its roots in Ahimsa meaning Non-violence, which has got its oldest reference in yajur Veda, Chhandogya Upanishad and Patanjali Yog sutra.

Historically, strict vegetarianism in diet started with Jainism. It got accepted in Hinduism. Never the less, many Hindus have been vegetarians from generations since 3 millenias so it is a Hindu practice. And most Hindus will avoid eating meet on religious days.

Hinduism very well accepts law of nature, 'Jeevo Jeevasya Jeevanam' (One life makes life for the other.) So, we can not avoid killing in absolute terms, however, we need to minimize it as best as we can.

There are some Hindus who don't mind eating beef. I think Javanese Hindus.

I personally don't wear leather things. You will find many Hindus who don't. Basiacally, in Hinduism we are given with principles and not exact dos and don'ts. So the prinicipal is 'ahimsa'. How to implement it and upto what extent depends on individual's conscience.

Regards.

[Eastern Mind]

I kind of don't wear leather, if its convenient. Right now I'm working in a warehouse where by company demands I need to have steel toed boots, and as far as I know there is nothing on the market to replace the leather one, which is often the essence of the problem here in the west..wallets, belts, and the like are kind of hard to find not made of leather. I think the times will change though as with the availability of vegetarian food.

Regarding vegetarianism, recently once again I have come to appreciate the fact (for me at least) that Hinduism is primarily an experential religion. A colleague, after listening to some discussion on a healthy diet, decided last week, to do his personal experiment..become a vegetarian for a week, and see how he felt (which was exactly what I did some 37 years ago).. well this week, he came back with at least a temporal continuation of his experiment. The discussion I'm having with him is quite interesting..BTW he's not a Hindu, but a sort of non-practising Xian.

[c.smith]

What about the whole "vegan" thing? Yes, I do believe that cows are holy by nature, but in the west they are treated so poorly, often bread just for milk and/or meat. Would it be considered proper to drink the milk of a cow that has been brought up just for our palatal pleasure with total disregard for the cow itself? Where does true ahimsa stop?

These are the questions that pepper my mind as I contemplate the switch from vegetarianism to vegan. Please add your comments and share insights.

Om Namah Sivaya

[Pretnath]

Namaste,

I have to say something.

There is a quote that Hinduism adopted vegiterianism from Jainism - Thats not true. Even Adi Aryans were strict vegiterians.

Some so called Historians had said that Aryans were factious characters, but after their existence was accepted by neutral historians, those so called writers dubbed Aryans as firce blood sucker, nonvegiterian, drunkyard etc etc.

We do not found a single shalok in Vedas, Upnishad or any other accepted Hindu text that flesh eating is ok, but those writers even say that eating beef is allowed in Hindu Text.

In fect Budhdhism and Jainism adopted veg. from Upnishads all their text have the teaching of Upnishads and Darshans in this regards, but in their own words.

I wonder when no sanskrit scholer has accepted the theory of nonvegiterism in hindu text is accepted so easily. If somebody is nonvegiterian, it is their personal choice, Hinduism should not be defamed for this.

If somebody wants any discussian in this regard they should prove it with the support of sanskrit scholars or should learn sanskrit themselves to prove the point.

[devisarada]

What about the whole "vegan" thing? Yes, I do believe that cows are holy by nature, but in the west they are treated so poorly, often bread just for milk and/or meat. Would it be considered proper to drink the milk of a cow that has been brought up just for our palatal pleasure with total disregard for the cow itself? Where does true ahimsa stop?

These are the questions that pepper my mind as I contemplate the switch from vegetarianism to vegan. Please add your comments and share insights.

Om Namah Sivaya

Gandhi felt the way you do, for a time. He wrote in his book, "My Experiment with Truth" that for a time he chose to live without dairy products because of the inhumane treatment of cows. He came to the conclusion that a vegetarian must have dairy products in order to maintain a reasonable level of health. he then began eating dairy products again.

[Eastern Mind]

Not sure where you are getting information. I'm a staunch Saivite, and a staunch vegetarian. vegetarianism is throughout Saivism and Saiva scripture. But if your ethnocentricity is what it is, then so be it.

Aum Namasivaya

[OmSriShivaShakti]

My previous comment got deleted for some reason. But anyway, its not really ethnocentrism, its just trying to get back to the ancient roots of Hinduism which lie in practices such as meat offerings, spirit worship, animal worship, etc. and if you interpret that as ethnocentrism, that is fine with me but I just wanted to clarify my veiwpoint here. Thanks.

Om Namah Shivaya. Om Subramanya Namah. Bharati Mata Jai.

[dhruva023]

My previous comment got deleted for some reason. But anyway, its not really ethnocentrism, its just trying to get back to the ancient roots of Hinduism which lie in practices such as meat offerings, spirit worship, animal worship, etc. and if you interpret that as ethnocentrism, that is fine with me but I just wanted to clarify my veiwpoint here. Thanks.

Om Namah Shivaya. Om Subramanya Namah. Bharati Mata Jai.

Backup your claim with some thing. Dont just say it.

[Eastern Mind]

My previous comment got deleted for some reason. But anyway, its not really ethnocentrism, its just trying to get back to the ancient roots of Hinduism which lie in practices such as meat offerings, spirit worship, animal worship, etc. and if you interpret that as ethnocentrism, that is fine with me but I just wanted to clarify my veiwpoint here. Thanks.

Om Namah Shivaya. Om Subramanya Namah. Bharati Mata Jai.

How ancient? Before writings? In the Tirukkural (an old Tamil ethical scripture written about 200 BC, there is a whole chapter titled 'Abstaining from eating meat") Perhaps what you are referring to is caveman days and then its just conjecture.

On the topic of ethnocentrism, one does not have to travel very far (i.e. - to the next village where the natives will claim it is the best village in all of India, in fact the whole world, to see it, but perhaps still not understand it.) Whether you like it or not ethnocentrism runs throughout debate such as this. For example I am totally unfamiliar with Kali worship.

Aum Namasivaya


Please lets not get into whether the sound in Namasivaya is sh, s, or ch 'correctly'.