Angående vegetarism

“Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds them. We live by the death of others. We are burial places! I have since an early age abjured the use of meat.”

Leonardo Da Vinci

En av många faktorer som attraherade mig till vaisnaiva-filosofin (Krishna-medvetande) var den konsekvent medlidsamma attityden gentemot andra levande varelser. En vaisnava äter inte kött, fisk eller ägg.

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I Krishna-medvetande finns inget av den högfärd som placerar människan på en piedestal, som vore vi de enda levande varelserna som förtjänar barmhärtighet och medlidande; något som vi däremot gärna förnekar djuren.

Det är svårt att förstå de som kallar sig religiösa och predikar godhet och kärlek till nästan, samtidigt som de skickar djuren till slakthuset. Man försöker döva samvetet med att säga att djuren skall slaktas på ett "värdigt" sätt. Jag begriper då inte vad som skulle kunna vara ett "värdigt" sätt att ta andras liv.

Någon värdig död syns inte till i denna ögonvittnesskildring från ett svenskt slakteri. Det är ingen rolig läsning, men kanske ändå nödvändig för alla dem som helst stoppar huvudet i sanden i den här frågan:

http://www.jensholm.se/gammal/?artikelarkiv&tidning=3&artikel=42

Inget djur kommer levande härifrån

ur Djurens Rätt, 5/02

Lite andra aspekter på vegetarism:

http://www.dandavats.com/?p=3840
ANATOMY
Let us compare some of the physiological features of flesh eaters, planteaters & human beings:

Features of flesh eaters

- Intestinal tract only 3 times bodylength, so rapidly decaying meat can pass out of body quickly.

- Small salivary glands in the mouth( not needed to predigest grains and fruits )

- Acid saliva; no enzyme ptyalin top redigest grains

- No flat back molar teeth to grind food

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Features of Plant eaters

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- Intestinal tract 10-12 times bodylength, fruits do not decay as rapidly, so can pass more slowly through body.

- Well developed salivary glands,needed to predigest grains & fruits

- Alkaline saliva; much ptyalin to predigest grains

- Flat back molar teeth to grind food

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Features of human beings

- Intestinal tract 12 times bodylength

- Well developed salivary glandsneeded to predigest grains & fruits

- Alkaline saliva; much ptyalin to predigest grains.

- Flat back molar teeth to grind food.

HEALTH
Due to their unnatural diet meat-eating human beings are far more susceptible to diseases and disorders as compared to their vegetarian counterparts. Comprehensive investigations by groups such as the National Academy of Sciences have linked meat eating to cancer, and the Journal of American Medicine reports: “90-97% of heart disease could be prevented by a vegetarian diet.”

ENVIRONMENT
Meat eating also has hazardous effects on the environment, such as forest destruction, agricultural inefficiency, soil erosion and desertification, airpollution, water depletion and water pollution.

WORLD HUNGER
Consider the following data. One thousand acres of Soyabeans yield 1124 pound of usable protein. One thousand acres of rice yield 938 pound of usable protein. One thousand acres of corn yield 1009 pound of usable protein. One thousand acres of wheat yield 1043 pound of usable protein. Now consider: this one thousand acres of Soyabeans, corn, rice or wheat, when fed to a steer, will yield only about 125 pounds of usable protein.
These and other findings point to a disturbing conclusion: meat eating is directly related to world hunger.

A few statistics are as follows -
If all the Soyabeans and grains fed yearly to U. S. livestock were set aside for human consumption, it would feed 1.3 billion people.
It takes 16 pounds of grains and Soyabeans to produce 1 pound of beef. Therefore about 20 vegetarians can be fed on the land that it takes to feed 1 meat eater.

Feeding the average meat eater requires about 4,200 gallons of water per day, versus 1,200 gallons per day for lacto-vegetarian diet.
While it takes only 25 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat, it takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat.

Harvard nutritionist Jean Mayer has estimated that reducing meat production by just 10 percent would release enough grain to feed 60 million people.
In summary, millions will continue to die of thirst or starvation, while a privileged few consume vast amounts of proteins wasting land and water in the process. Ironically, this same meat is their own bodys’ worst enemy.

“When a man wants to murder a tiger, he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity.”
George Bernard Shaw

Konst, filosofi och poesi Del 2

Några fler utdrag från Light of the Bhagavata.


Verse 25

The Lord reciprocated the feelings of the inhabitants of the forest of Vrindavana. When there was rainfall, the Lord took shelter at the feet of the trees or in the caves and enjoyed the taste of different fruits with his eternal associates the cowherd boys. He played with them, sat with them, and ate fruits with them.

Verse 27

After good rains the grazing ground for the animals was full of green pasture, and both the bulls and the cows sat down on the grass fully satisfied. The cows, followed by their calves, appeared tired of grazing, because of full milk bags. Calmly and quietly the cows and calves rested and ruminated, chewing their cud.



Verse 28

The fully beautiful scenery after the rainy season was attractive to the eyes of everyone, including Sri Krishna, the cause of all causes.


Verse 35
When the small pools of water become too hot because of the scorching heat of the autumn sun, the poor, small creatures, with their many family members, suffer terribly, as poor householders with too many family members suffer economic strains and yet go on begetting children because of uncontrolled senses.

Verse 38

After the rainy season, the farmers begin to rebuild the partitioning walls of the paddy fields so that the water will be conserved, just as yogis try to use their conserved energy for self-realization.


Verse 40

In the clear autumn sky the twinkling stars appear brighter and brighter, just like a transcendentalist clear vision of the purpose of the Vedas.


Verse 41

In the clear sky of autumn, the beautiful moon among the beautiful stars becomes the cynosure of all eyes, just as Lord Sri Krishna is the central attraction in the Vrsni dynasty or in the family of Yadu.


Verse 44

In the autumn season all the reservoirs of water are full of lotus flowers. There are also flowers that resemble the lotus but are of a different class. Among them is a flower called kumuda. When the sun rises, all the flowers but the kumuda blossom beautifully. Similarly, lotuslike men take pleasure in the advent of a responsible king, but men who are like the kumuda do not like the existence of a king.

Verse 48

The moon, or Candraloka, is one of the four important places of residence for the demigods. Beyond Manasa Lake is Sumeru Mountain. On the eastern side of this mountain is the planet Devadhani, where Indra resides. On the southern side is the planet known as Saàyamani, where Yamaraja resides. On the western side is the planet known as Nimlocani, the residence of Vayu, the demigod who controls the wind. And on the northern side of the mountain is the moon, which is also known as Vibhavari.

Konst, filosofi och poesi

Denna poetisk-filosofiska lilla skrift, Light of the Bhagavata, författades av Srila Prabhupada inför en konferens i Japan år 1961. Skriften illustrerades 1978, av den kinesiska konstnärinnan Li Yun Sheng.

Här är några exempel, hela boken kan ses på http://www.iskcon.com/galleries/lob/1/index.htm

Verse 3

Attracted by electricity throughout the sky and driven by forceful winds, clouds gradually cover the surface of the earth to satisfy the needy people by supplying water, which is the substance of their life. The clouds bestow rains upon man as the mercy of the Lord, who is always kind to the needy living being.

Verse 7

The small rivulets that almost dried up during the months of May and June now begin to overflow their banks, like upstarts that suddenly overflow the limits of expenditure.

Verse 10

Just as a living being attains a transcendentally attractive form by rendering service to Lord Hari, similarly, all the in habitants of the land and the water assume beautiful forms by taking advantage of the newly fallen water.

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Verse 11

In the rainy season, when the rivers swell and rush to the ocean, and as the wind blows the waves about, the ocean appears to be agitated. Similarly, if a person engaged in the mystic yoga process is not very advanced in spiritual life, he can be affected by the modes of nature and thus will be agitated by the sex impulse.

Verse 13

In the rainy season some of the roads are not frequently used and become covered with long grasses, and thus it becomes very difficult to see the road. Similarly, in this age the transcendental scriptures are not properly studied by the brahmaëas. Being covered by the effects of time, the scriptures are practically lost, and it becomes very difficult to understand or follow them.

Verse 17

When the clouds appear in the sky the peacock begins to dance in ecstasy, as a sincere soul becomes overwhelmed with joy on the appearance of a saint at his house.

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Verse 20

Fierce torrents of rain break over the strands and the partition walls of the paddy field. These disturbances resemble those created by the seasonal opponents of the standard principles of the Vedas, who are influenced by the age of Kali.

Verse 21

The wind carries the clouds to different parts of the globe, and the clouds distribute rains, to the satisfaction of the people in general, just as rich kings and merchants distribute their accumulated wealth, inspired by religious priests.

Verse 24

When the Lord entered the forest of Vrindavana, all the inhabitants of the forest, both animate and inanimate, were eager to receive Him. He saw that the flowers of the forest, all fully blossoming, were weeping in ecstasy, honey flowing down their petals. The waterfalls on the hilly rocks were gladly flowing, and one could hear sweet sounds from the caves nearby.