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Fewer than a billion humans are vegetarian and vegans, who avoid eating meat for both  moral and spiritual reasons. There can be no argument in any way to  justify pain, hurting  and killing of lives just because they are in a animal form and not in our human form. We no longer live in the primitive age of hunting for food and today we have choices and alternatives .Every argument in support to kill and eat meat is only a sorry and pathetic excuse to satisfy ones gratification of their sense of taste and the ignorance and arrogance caused by the absence of moral and spiritual bankruptcy in themselves.so we cannot carry on the bullshit of arguments of  being a Vegetarian Vs being  Non Vegetarian.

People are often confused between moral and spiritual.The truth is that they both are one and the same.The basic fundamental of moral and spiritual stems from the fact of being truthful. Truth is accepting,recognizing respecting and loving every soul in every form without inflict pain on any living being directly or indirectly.This is the first and the only truth.

Vegetarianism is a spiritual philosophy that explains the truth that all souls are the same and equal.The almighty that resides in your soul is the same almighty that resides in every living soul. Vegetarianism is directly related to spirituality. The Sanskrit word ahimsa, meaning “to do no harm,” is emphasized in spirituality. Ahimsa also means kindness and non-violence towards all living beings including animals.It respects all living beings as one and includes the fundamental truth that the Almighty exists in every living soul.The Almighty has created this universe, the earth, and its creatures, it is natural for us to respect all life rather than destroy what the Almighty has created. Those who are truly connected with Truth will feel a love for all creatures, great and small They recognize and treat the soul in human beings and living creatures as equal.The Almighty’s light exists in the soul of every living being as much in the humble ant as in the powerful lion. It shines in the snake as well as the cow. It shimmers in the fish, as well as the birds. When we look at life through the eyes of our inner self, we witness truth and love in even the humblest and most smallest of creatures.

This is one of the reasons that many spiritual people turn to be vegetarians. They feel God has provided us tasty and enough food in many forms other than meat and it is not necessary to kill any life or soul for our own selfishness and gratification of our sense of tasting non- vegetarian food.

Enlightened souls like Ramana Maharshi and St Francis have taught that animals too have consciousness and a soul, which makes them also a part of our self. If we wish to find love in our self, then we need to be loving and caring to every living soul. That is why a vegetarian diet forms a part of a spiritual life.The food that we eat not only has physical, emotional, and mental effects on our spiritual consciousness. If we are trying to lead a life of non-violence and compassion, if we are trying to become more serene and peaceful, if we are trying to still our mind to concentrate within our self to find our spiritual treasures, then we will naturally want to follow a diet that involves in non – violence and avoid killing of animals directly and indirectly.

The whole point in being a vegetarian is to avoid inflicting pain and harm to these poor, gentle and defenceless animals.There is so much cruelty involved that shames millions of people to be qualified to be called human beings. In the process of being  killed for meat,these animals are invariably tightly packed, and farmers typically remove the tails and trim the beaks, and typically most do so without anesthetic. Animals are bred to grow fast on a restricted amount of antibiotics, food, and hormonesin such a way that their bodies become heavier than their bones can support. As a result, they “are in chronic pain for the last 20% of their lives” (John Webster, quoted in Erlichman 1991). Animals are killed young—they taste better that way—and are killed in large-scale slaughterhouses operating at speed. Animal farms have no use for, e.g., male chicks on egg-laying farms, are killed at birth or soon after.

It is always impossible to raise animals for food without some form of temporary and permentent pain, and you must sometimes inflict this pain with your own hands. Animals need to be castrated, dehorned, branded, and have other minor surgeries. Such temporary pain is often required to produce longer term benefits.All of this must be done knowing that anesthetics would have lessened the pain but are too expensive.

There is the physical suffering of tail removals, trimming beaks,  removing horns, and castrating, all without anesthetic and transporting them in a painful way.Raising animals in this way enables ignorant people to feed their appetite for meat.The same goes for hunting of animals for pleasure and sport.The same goes for the painful transportation of these poor animals. Both slaughter and transport can be painful and stressful .Hence there can be no sorry excuse or argument in support of these beastly acts of human being. It is morally and spiritually wrong.

By leading a life of non violence and showing compassion for all the other souls, we will also develop love for own inner self and grow spiritually. Vegetarianism is consistent with leading a life of nonviolence. All faith and traditions teach a common principle—thou shall not kill. If we witness the suffering of these souls – such as a chicken or a turkey or a cow being slaughtered for food or a fish caught on a fishing hook writhing in pain— any person with a spiritual heart will realize the suffering they undergo in these violent acts.

There are those who may think animals, birds, and fish are not conscious or meant to be eaten. However, think of those who own a pet such as a dog or cat. They treat the animal as if it were a human member of the family. The lower forms of life may not have the faculty to know themselves as humans do, but they certainly have a soul just us —they grow, breathe, eat, and reproduce. They also feel pain. In pain we are all the same.

Like Ramana Maharshi, St.Francis of Assisi always showed love to all the animals. There is a wonderful incident from the life of St. Francis of Assisi. One day, he saw a man carrying two lambs on his shoulders. St. Francis asked him what he was doing with the lambs. When the man replied that he was taking them to the market for sale to the slaughterhouse, St. Francis’s heart was filled with compassion for the animals. It is said that he gave away his coat in exchange for the lambs and put the animals in the care of a friend with the instructions to look after the welfare of the lambs and not to kill them or harm them in any way. Those who have been successful on the spiritual path know that vegetarianism helps in meditation and spiritual progress. Once we realize the divinity that lives in all forms on our planet, we will spread peace and love wherever we go.

Every scripture and every saint taught the same. Here are few of the teachings from scriptures of every religion and great saints of the world –

Bible –

Thou shall not – (Christ one of the 10 commandment).“And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” — ( Genesis 1:30 )
“Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy” – New Testament

Bhagavad Gita –

One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities is dear to me – ( Lord Krishna )

Quran:

“It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him.” (22.37)
“Show mercy to all living beings like the mercy and love shown to you by the Lord” – ( Mohammed Words.)

Buddhism

To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana.

Manu-Samhita:

“He who permits the slaughter of an animal, he who cuts it up, he who kills it, he who buys or sells meat, he who cooks it, he who serves it up, and he who eats it, must all be considered as the slayers of the animal. There is no greater sinner than that man who though not worshiping the gods or the ancestors, seeks to increase the bulk of his own flesh by the flesh of other beings.” (Manu-samhita 5.51-52)

“By not killing any living being, one becomes fit for salvation.” (Manu-samhita 6.60)

Saint Tiruvalluvar –

Greater than a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificial
fires is to not sacrifice and consume any living creature.How one can get Grace if he develops his flesh by eating the flesh of other living
beings.

Saint Vallalar

Even if one has the power to bring a dead person alive but if he eats meat then he can never be a Jnani – Enlightened – Liberated. He will never get the grace of lord and his life will be determined by his fate and will never cross the birth death cycle. Person who avoid eating meat and has compassion on all form of life will be eligible for getting divine grace. Vallalar has clearly warned that one of the worst sins to commit is to “Put a bird in a Cage”.

He laid a very great emphasis on being vegetarian. He said God is personification of Grace, Mercy and Knowledge. He said the path of compassion and mercy are the only path to spirituality and God.

The almighty exists in the soul of every living being and we must never cause pain directly or indirectly to any life. We cannot move even one step ahead in our spiritual journey if we eat meat or be a part of killing any living being, directly or indirectly. This is the harsh and bitter truth. If you consume meant then the spirituality will be only be cosmetic, ornamental and superficial. It will never be real. How can we extinguish life and walk the path of spirituality? Where is a humans love,kindness,affection and care for a life or soul if we are part of harming or killing a soul to satisfy our senses of taste and justify them with ignorant justification of science and stupidity. We do not show mercy to these souls and yet ask god for mercy for ourselves. If we do not show mercy to these animal lives and remain ignorant, then we cannot expect mercy for ourselves too from the Almighty.

Vegetarianism is a noble and compassionate diet and way of life because it involves eating food containing the least amount of destruction of life.People who talk about “Love” must adopt a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Always Remember we are all accountable for our actions  and so my dear a honest attempt to become a Vegetarian and take the right path step to humanity, spirituality and enlightenment – Liberation in this life.

So how do you ensure you live your beliefs and help veganism and vegetarianism ?
AS MAHATMA GANDHI SAID – “BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.”
Let the Change begin with ourselves.Let each one us be the change.Let every reader enlighten himself / herself first.By Enlightening yourself,you can enlighten others.Let us avoid non – vegetarian food and be the change that the world needs.