The Key to Health and Happiness
The
term Vegetarian is derived from the Latin word vegetal meaning �whole,
lively, sound, fresh.� Thus from a Jain point of view, a vegetarian is
one who dopes not eat any meat, fish, fowl or eggs. But there are many
who consider themselves to be vegetarians even though they eat eggs.
There are three categories of vegetarians; 1) lacto-ovo-vegetarians: those
that include milk, dairy products and eggs in their diets; 2)
lacto-vegetarians: those that include milk dairy products but no eggs in
their diets; and 3) vegans: those that do not include any animal; products
like milk or eggs in their diets (most even eschew honey).
Since time immemorial, studies and research have led us to one thing that
is common to all living beings; the desire tops live and be happy.
However, man in his pursuit of pleasure and happiness uses everything and
everyone to satisfy this yearning to the extent of hunting, confining and
taking the life of freely roving animals. In this way, not only does he
abuse living creatures, but abuses himself as hye too is a living creature
and cannot remove himself from the universal vibrations of the living,
until, subconsciously he reaches a point of hating himself. When one does
not have reverence for one�s life, how can one have reverence for other
living beings? To have reverence for oneself, one must be non-violent to
oneself which then extends to others.
The
first step is to watch one�s eating habits. One starts to observe what
one puts into the body where the soul is housed. The body is, therefore,
provided with healthy and wholesome foods, pure and untainted by blood and
negative vibrations. One is often not aware of the fact that when one
eats meat, one takes in protein as well as the chemicals which are
injected into the animals top control; diseases and fatten them up. One
also forget that in flesh, the negative vibrations of pain, fear and
rejection do exist, and they permeate the cells of the human body creating
there the feelings of fear, pain and rejection. How can one hope to live
with good feelings of health, when negative vibrations blended with
chemicals are working in the body? These, then lead to fatal diseases.
Statistically, approximately two million Americans die each year of which
68% are victims of the three major chronic diseases in which diet is a
major contributory factor: heart disease, cancer and stroke. The foods
that have been singled out for special; concern in connection with theses
diseases are meat and animal fat. So feed the body with those foods which
involve a minimum and violence. Grannies, legumes, beans, vegetables and
fruits are goods souses of protein, vitamins, minerals and other
nutrients.
One never
stops to think that eating meat for palate and stomach involves much pain
and torture to a life! A life that cannot be created in the laboratory! A
very precious life with a strong will to live! A life that needs time to
unfold its own destiny on earth, fopr a premature death breaks the cycle
of a natural unfoldment. Leonardo da Vinci rightly said, �The time will
come when men will,. Look one the murder of animals as they nor look on
the murder of men.�
Here,
many ask the question, �Why, then, kill vegetables if not animals?� The
school of Jain philosophy answers this question precisely. Basically,
this universe is made up of two substances,. I.e., �living� and
�non-living�. Classified as �living� as human beings, animals, birds
insects, smaller organisms, vegetation, air and water. Non-living
substances are sand, rock, buildings, trains, cars, machines, etc.
Wherever there is life,. There is consciousness, there is a response to
stimuli. According to Jain philosophy, all life is divided into five
groups, embodying the various stages of evolution. Vegetables are
one-sense beings and animals are five-sense beings. Life has top go
through a laborious and strenuous proposes to evolve from one-sense top
five-sense beings. By slaughtering an animals, one destroys completely
the evolutionary progress of that life which it has attained through one
destroys completely the evolutionary progress of that life which it has
attained through suffering and pain. The vegetable kingdom has not
reached the bood �consciousness� which the animals (and humans) have.
Where there is blood there are feelings, emotions and possibility to feel
deep pain.
Two
thousand five hundred years ago, Mahavir, the great teacher of
Non-violence, emphasized that thoughts which govern our actions are the
products of the food we eat. The food that feeds the system has a
definite influence on the person physically as well as emotionally,
psychologically and spiritually. Healthy, whole and harmless foods give
rise to healthy whole and harmless thoughts. Once our thoughts are
harmless and healthy, our actions reflect the same qualities. Weaknesses
of character always develop in those who are in poor health. Science
discovered in recent years that character and personality are attributes
opf the inner workings of the body and have a great bearing upon our
success in life and happiness. The personality reveals and expresses
itself through the physical body. The expression of the face, the smile;
which is the manifestation of joy,. Happiness and compassion, reveal and
personality within. Without a healthy body these manifestations would not
be possible. Thus the vegetarian way is a key to health and happiness.
