[Prev][Next][Index]
Possible Reasons for Vegetarianism
-
To: alt-hindu@uunet.uu.net
-
Subject: Possible Reasons for Vegetarianism
-
From: pqp5307@is2.nyu.edu (Prasad Popuri)
-
Date: 31 Jan 1995 16:34:36 GMT
-
From notes@cmcl2.NYU.EDU Tue Jan 31 11: 24:24 1995
-
Newsgroups: alt.hindu
-
Organization: New York University
In this essay I hope to convey my theory as to why one should
adopt a vegetarian lifestyle.
Firstly, a vegetarian is one who eats vegetables only. Eggs and
meat from any animal, whether fish or chicken or cow, are not part of a
vegetarians diet. There are two exceptions to vegetables that a vegetarian
can eat. These are milk and milk products, such as cheese.
Basically a vegeatarian is one who does not promote killing directly or
indirrectly.
Some ask, what is wrong with eating meat that others have
killed? The fault with this is that if there was no demand for meat than
there would be no supply and consequently a reduction in the killing of
animals. So, eating meat that others have killed supports that killing.
Secondly, many of the Hindu and Bhuddhist scriptures tell us that
eating meat will cause bad karma. What do they mean?
Well, to understand this we need to go into a little bit of
psycology. As Freud stated, there is an aspect in us that constantly
desires, the id, and there is also an aspect in us that is a total saint,
the super-ego. Our ego is caught in the middle of these. Most of us, I
hope, would like to associate with saints rather than sinners, for it is
the saint that can free us from bondage. This saint, that is within us,
knows everything we do, whether we want it to or not. A good example of
this is the state of drunkeness. When a person is drunk he or she knows
they are drunk, although there physical state would mislead us to believe
that they have no idea of what is going on.
If this is the case, then when a person eats meat his or her saint
within them will sub-consciously tell them that what they are doing is
bad. This causes some guilt in them and each time we eat meat we add to
this guilt. This guilt prevents the mind from thinking clearly.
