I am sure we all have questions in mind when we take certain actions and we ask every-time whether they were right or wrong. Like eating non-vegetarian food, some say it does not matter and some say it does, some say its important for world to have people eating non-vegetarian food as the food is available in limited quantity. Some say its just a question of few generations and we will have human meat as acceptable food considering the rate of population growth and availability of food in the future.
Given the fact that i have a choice now which may not be available for people in the future. I wanted to understand why monks are vegetarian? What spirituality has to do with what you eat? and how eating or not eating affects your 'self'? I am not sure i could provide any logical answer. Neither i want to advocate and preach why should you have vegetarian diet.
However i came across something which challenged some of my thoughts and pushed me to understand the fundamentals of life. This is expert from Mahavira's Jain Sutras (simplified and put into context)
"A man that does not understand and (become aware) renounce the causes of sin, descends and wanders, , is born again and again in manifold births, experiences all painful feelings"
Truth is comprehension (understand) and renunciation (become aware and growth in consciousness). Those who knows this called a reward-knowing sage (muni)
As somebody may cut or strike a blind man (blind man cannot see the wound is used as an example to explain the plants and animals, to be precise water bodies, fire bodies and earth bodies), as somebody may cut or strike the foot, the ankle, the knee, the thigh, the hip, the navel, the belly, the flank, the back, the bosom, the heart, the breast, the neck, the arm, the finger, the nail, the eye, the brow, the forehead, the head, as some kill (openly), as some extirpate (secretly), (thus the earth-bodies are cut, struck, and killed though their feeling is not manifest).
He who injures these bodies (earth-bodies, water-bodies, fire-bodies, wind-bodies) does not comprehend and renounce the sinful acts; he who does not injure these, comprehends and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards earth, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. H e who knows these causes of sin relating to earth, is called a reward-knowing sage.
There are numberless lives or souls, not only embodied in animals, men, gods, hell-beings (tasa, trasa), and plants (vanassaî, vanaspati), but also in the four elements--earth, water, fire, wind. Earth, &c., regarded as the abode of lives is called earth-body, &c. These bodies are only perceptible when an infinite number of them is united in one place.
There are beings living in water, earth and fire, many lives; of a truth, to the monks water has been declared to be living matter. See! considering the injuries (done to these bodies), those acts (which are injuries, but must be done before the use of water, eg. straining) have been distinctly declared. Moreover he (who uses water which is not strained) takes away what has not been given (i.e. the bodies of water-lives).
He who injures these bodies does not understand this sinful acts; he who does not injure these, comprehends and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards these bodies nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows these causes of sin relating to water/fire/earth, is called a reward-knowing sage."
Lets keep aside the part of sin (difficult to understand in many cases). the way i understand is we need to respect life in every form as we have the same life, the same spirit. If we do not respect and revere (reverence to life) then who will understand? All forms of life exist such as humans and we as humans possess no special rights to kill and use the other forms for selfish reasons. The real question is that aren't we killing the plants in case we eat vegetarian food?
If you have read this and have an opinion, do write!!
Given the fact that i have a choice now which may not be available for people in the future. I wanted to understand why monks are vegetarian? What spirituality has to do with what you eat? and how eating or not eating affects your 'self'? I am not sure i could provide any logical answer. Neither i want to advocate and preach why should you have vegetarian diet.
However i came across something which challenged some of my thoughts and pushed me to understand the fundamentals of life. This is expert from Mahavira's Jain Sutras (simplified and put into context)
"A man that does not understand and (become aware) renounce the causes of sin, descends and wanders, , is born again and again in manifold births, experiences all painful feelings"
Truth is comprehension (understand) and renunciation (become aware and growth in consciousness). Those who knows this called a reward-knowing sage (muni)
As somebody may cut or strike a blind man (blind man cannot see the wound is used as an example to explain the plants and animals, to be precise water bodies, fire bodies and earth bodies), as somebody may cut or strike the foot, the ankle, the knee, the thigh, the hip, the navel, the belly, the flank, the back, the bosom, the heart, the breast, the neck, the arm, the finger, the nail, the eye, the brow, the forehead, the head, as some kill (openly), as some extirpate (secretly), (thus the earth-bodies are cut, struck, and killed though their feeling is not manifest).
He who injures these bodies (earth-bodies, water-bodies, fire-bodies, wind-bodies) does not comprehend and renounce the sinful acts; he who does not injure these, comprehends and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards earth, nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. H e who knows these causes of sin relating to earth, is called a reward-knowing sage.
There are numberless lives or souls, not only embodied in animals, men, gods, hell-beings (tasa, trasa), and plants (vanassaî, vanaspati), but also in the four elements--earth, water, fire, wind. Earth, &c., regarded as the abode of lives is called earth-body, &c. These bodies are only perceptible when an infinite number of them is united in one place.
There are beings living in water, earth and fire, many lives; of a truth, to the monks water has been declared to be living matter. See! considering the injuries (done to these bodies), those acts (which are injuries, but must be done before the use of water, eg. straining) have been distinctly declared. Moreover he (who uses water which is not strained) takes away what has not been given (i.e. the bodies of water-lives).
He who injures these bodies does not understand this sinful acts; he who does not injure these, comprehends and renounces the sinful acts. Knowing them, a wise man should not act sinfully towards these bodies nor cause others to act so, nor allow others to act so. He who knows these causes of sin relating to water/fire/earth, is called a reward-knowing sage."
Lets keep aside the part of sin (difficult to understand in many cases). the way i understand is we need to respect life in every form as we have the same life, the same spirit. If we do not respect and revere (reverence to life) then who will understand? All forms of life exist such as humans and we as humans possess no special rights to kill and use the other forms for selfish reasons. The real question is that aren't we killing the plants in case we eat vegetarian food?
If you have read this and have an opinion, do write!!
