Climate Crisis Series - Part 2 of 3: Why should we care about it?

This is the second in a series of 3 questions and answers about climate change. The prior article explained climate change and how various human activities is causing it. This article below examines why we, as Jains, should care about climate change. The final article will address what actions we can take to limit the adverse effects of climate change.

Q18. Why should we, especially as Jains, care about the climate / environmental issues?

Why does climate matter? Why should anyone care?

From a purely anthropomorphic (human-centric) point of view, taking action on climate change is necessary for our own survival and well-being. To date, climate change has affected poorer parts of the world and animal and plant life more than people in the developing world. The wealthier countries and communities have been mostly spared from the most serious effects, so far. However, climate change does not favor or discriminate. Left unaddressed, it will affect every living being, if not in our lifetimes, then in the coming generations. In the history of mankind, people have generally escaped from disasters by emigrating to new lands. However, the unprecedented nature of climate change is that it engulfs the entire planet, leaving no feasible place for people to escape to. Therefore, even from a purely selfish standpoint, one should care for the sake his or her own comfort and survival.

From a broader moral standpoint, we share the Earth with billions of other humans as well as other life, all of whom desire to live, seek happiness, and avoid pain. A naturally functioning planet is a basic requirement for every living being to survive. The choices we make today will affect the amount of greenhouse gases we put into the atmosphere in future. The basic moral argument is that humans have inherited the resources and boons of a good life from generations before, and we owe it to the younger and coming generations, and for all other life, to leave them a livable planet.

What is the Jain point of view on why climate change should matter?

From Jain perspective, let’s first recognize that Jain dharma offers a treasure of wisdom to help humankind navigate the uniquely global, modern-day challenges posed by climate change. Jain dharma offers extremely relevant and timely guidance not only for Jains, but for all humanity and all living beings. Jains strive to follow five key principles known as Mahavrats (great vows). Two of these Jains principles are most directly relevant to climate change, including Ahimsa (non-violence) and Aparigraha (non-possessiveness). Another two principles also have relevance for climate change, including Asteya (non-stealing), and Satya (truthfulness). Let’s examine each of these.

·        Ahimsa: Our first and foremost basis for life is reflected in the Jain principle “ahimsa paramo dharma” (non-violence is the highest virtue). This “live and let live” principle of non-violence and compassion extends to all living beings, and to the planet itself as an ecosystem of living beings. Jain dharma recognizes the connectedness of all living beings. Parasparopagraho Jīvānām is a Jain aphorism from the Tattvārtha Sūtra, which translates as “all life is bound together by mutual support and interdependence", or more literally as “souls render service to one another.” Ahimsa calls for mutual respect and reverence for all living beings. When Ahimsa is practiced to its full extent, humanity can live with compassion in a more balanced harmony with the environment and the other living beings on the planet.

·        Aparigraha: In Jain dharma, the word parigraha means to crave, seek, or collect material possessions. The Jain Mahavrat of Aparigraha calls for non-attachment, or non-possessiveness. Attachment is considered an obstacle to spiritual liberation because the excessive pursuit of material possessions leads to the desire to own such objects, an insatiable greed for acquiring more, and the fear of losing what one has. All of these can become a distraction to the upliftment of the soul.

For laypeople, Jain dharma recognizes the role of material possessions as merely a temporary means to sustain the body to the necessary degree during its finite physical life. It is believed that we are not the owner of wealth, but merely trustees who should use the wealth to help those in need instead of hoarding and spending lavishly on ourselves. Material possessions should not become the end-goal of life itself. When people form attachments to consumer goods, houses, cars, jewelry, vacations, luxuries, wealthy, and so on, then the underlying attachment not only becomes a distraction to our spiritual growth, but it also results in the exploitation of the environment, which is a major cause of climate change. For this reason, Jain dharma recommends that people should extinguish or minimize desires to only what is necessary and strive to limit one’s needs.

·        Asteya is the Jain Mahavrat concerning the principle of not stealing. For laypersons, non-stealing is usually interpreted as not taking something that does not belong to us, and not to acquire possessions through unfair means. If we further consider the resources of our planet Earth as inherently shared by all living beings, then the principle of Asteya can be interpreted to mean that no one should take or keep more than his or her fair share. Today, global wealth is extremely concentrated in the hands of a small minority of people (including some Jains). Extreme wealth disparities can be considered a kind of theft because it can lead to desperation for survival and a race to the bottom for the many other have-nots. The resulting exploitation of resources has an adverse effect on climate change. To practice Asteya, we should be mindful to be content with our fair share of resources.

·        Satya is the Jain Mahavrat concerning the principle of telling the truth. For laypersons, Satya means observance of truth in thought, speech, and action. In practice, this means to tell the truth, not to lie not to deceive, and not to speak things that cause pain and suffering to others. As it pertains to climate change, there are two aspects of Satya that are important. The first is to avoid deluding ourselves into denying the existence of climate change, our role in it, or our responsibility to address it. Such delusion would amount to lying to ourselves. The second aspect is to promote the truth of climate change. In a democratic world where the future of the planet will be decided by the collective beliefs and actions of many, it is imperative that people understand the facts. Today, there is much harmful misinformation in the world about climate change. To observe Satya, one must not only avoid propagating false beliefs, but also strive to create right awareness with others in such matters.

The relevance of these Jain principles to climate change is very critical. Most humans do not naturally strive to commit violence to the environment. We do not intend to become greedy and hoard. We do not take pride in stealing and lying. But let us consider whether we are applying Jain principles to their full extent to address climate change.

The reality is that most of us, whether Jain or not, remain oblivious to or in denial of the levels of violence that we cause either directly or more often, indirectly. The root cause of our ignorance is our disconnectedness. Governments and business institutions, acting under national and corporate interests, collectively enable hundreds of millions of humans to cooperate with each other to commit unimaginable levels of violence. However, because of the gigantic scale and complexity of such institutions, we individuals may not recognize or feel responsibility for the violence enabled by our own actions, because of our disconnectedness. A person living by principles of Ahimsa would never directly participate in wiping out an entire forest, starving the resident animals, displacing its indigenous people, and poisoning its environment. But the same individuals may not be aware that his/her taxes, consumer spending, and stock market investments may be enabling exactly such violence.

In modern society, we are disconnected from the natural world, from our actions and consequences, and even from each other. Our advanced technology, science, cultural institutions, and specialized economies allow us to distance ourselves almost entirely from the acquisition of the necessities of life. We live in urban and suburban areas, far from nature. Our food is grown far away in massive industrial farms and transported from long distances by people we never meet and environments we never interact with. Similarly, our water, electricity, fuel, clothes, medicines, and other necessities of life are provided through complex processes from which we are largely disconnected except as end-consumers. Even when we do connect with nature, it is often in the form of very limited experiences, venturing into safe spaces in the wilderness, or recreating in curated parks. Whereas our ancestors could navigate by the stars, we hardly know the cycles of the moon, and are dependent on the internet to know the temperature outdoors.

This is not to suggest we should return to living in forests like primates. Rather, let us recognize how our spiritual disconnectedness with ourselves and with the world is making us part of a much greater system of violence than is commonly recognized. A true commitment to stopping climate change using Ahimsa, Aparigraha, Asteya, and Satya requires individuals to create awareness and take responsibility for the effects of the entirety of our actions, individually and collectively, and directly and indirectly.

In summary, Jain dharma is a spiritual practice centered on compassion and non-violence to all living beings and the planet. In Jain dharma, all souls are considered equal, and humans are not entitled to impose superiority over other living beings or hold dominion over the planet. Our religion recognizes the interdependency of living beings for our mutual survival. Jain dharma has great relevance for understanding and addressing the contemporary challenge of climate change. As the spiritual adherents of Mahavir Bhagwan, we are well positioned to share the message of Jain dharma with a world that needs to act decisively and with greater urgency to save the planet.

This concludes our perspective on we, as human beings, and Jains especially, should care about climate change. The next article will explain what we can do to stop climate change and protect the environment.

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Additional recommended reading:

1. The JAINA Ahimsak Eco-Vegan Committee has prepared a comprehensive statement summarizing the problem of climate change from a Jain perspective. We encourage readers to learn more at Jain Declaration on the Climate Crisis.

2. Jainism and Ecology, by Christopher Key Chapple, Loyola Marymount University. This essay describes the Jain perspective of protection of life and its implications for an ecological worldview

 

Climate Crisis Series - Part 1 of 3: What is Climate Crisis?

This is the first in a series of 3 questions and answers about climate change. We will begin by describing what is climate change and what is causing it. Subsequent blog articles will address why we should care about climate change, and what we can do about it.

 

Q17. What is climate change / climate crisis? And what are the reasons for climate crisis?

Climate crisis refers to a long-term change in the Earth’s climate patterns

The term “climate crisis” commonly refers to the long-lasting changes in the planet’s global climate over the past 50-100 years, including changes to temperatures, precipitation, and wind patterns. The dangerous effects of climate change are reflected in many ways, most serious of which include:

1.     Global warming - rising average temperatures (+1.5°F over the past century).

2.     Increases in intense rainfall, flooding, droughts, and more frequent and severe heat waves and forest fires. 

3.     Increasingly acidic and warming oceans, melting polar ice caps, and rising sea levels.

Humans are primarily responsible for recent climate change

The acceleration of climate change has been widely and objectively attributed by nearly all scientists to the activities of a growing population of humans. Over the past century, a rapidly growing human population has shifted into increasingly industrialized societies. Humans have gradually demanded greater amounts of energy to support materially rich lifestyles. Through the burning of fossil fuels to generate this energy, humans have released enormous amounts of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Climate change is directly linked to the increased concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. The effects are further worsened by deforestation, industrial processes using fossil fuels, and some agricultural practices such as factory farming and monoculture (the destructive practice of growing only one crop on giant farms). These greenhouse gases trap energy in the atmosphere and cause the Earth to heat up to levels that are dangerous to the health of the planet’s ecosystems.

Some scientists refer to this geological age as the Anthropocene epoch, in which humans, rather than geological or natural climate processes, are the dominant force shaping the planet and affecting the environment.

What are the effects of this climate change?

The effects of global warming / climate change have been widely publicized by many respected scientific, environmental, academic, and government institutions. In summary, one can say that it is having major effects on the planet and its inhabitants. The increasing concentration of greenhouse gases is causing warming temperatures in the atmosphere and oceans, melting of Arctic sea ice and glaciers, rising sea levels, increasing humidity, diminishing snow cover, and other related effects. Small changes in the average temperature of the planet are translating into large and potentially dangerous shifts in climate and weather. These changes are leading to extreme volatility in weather, more intense flooding and droughts, intense summer heat, more violent storms, loss of ecosystems and rich natural habitats, extinctions of animals, soil erosion, worsening air quality, increased disease and pestilence, freshwater shortages, food shortages, and other problems. Climate change is even considered responsible for causing forced migrations of people and heightened risks of wars. 

Why are individuals and families not doing more to stop climate change?

There are many reasons for the lack of meaningful action to stop climate change. Let’s begin with the human psychological basis for inaction. For many people, the impact of climate change may not be as top of mind or seem so gravely serious as something like the recent Covid-19 pandemic. This is because the effects of climate change are not as obviously visible or disruptive in our day-to-day lives. Unlike other very urgent and disruptive emergencies, the effects of climate change are different in three fundamental aspects:

1.     A perceived lack of timing urgency: When we are confronted with an immediate danger or mortal threat, we will react quickly. For example, when faced with an earthquake, hurricane, forest fire, flooding, or pandemics, we recognize the danger and seek shelter immediately. Ironically, some of these disasters that happen with increasing frequency are caused by climate change itself. However, we do not clearly connect climate change as a cause of such disasters. By not making this vital connection, we fail to address the root cause.

Root causes are often more difficult to perceive and treat than the resulting symptoms. Climate change is manifesting cumulatively over the past few centuries since the industrial revolution, and accelerating in the recent few decades. The human brain did not evolve to respond quickly and decisively to such a seemingly slow pace of change. When we do not perceive something as an urgent matter of life or death, our bias is to discount the threat, to “deal with it later,” and to compromise for the sake of instant gratification or short-sighted benefits.

2.     The lack of personal disruption. Climate change has a diffuse impact across geographies and socio-economic groups. The effects happen in many different and sometimes remote parts of the planet, so it may not always be visible in one’s own backyard, and it may not affect people that we know or identify with. Those who are in power and in a position to effect change may often be economically privileged and hence less impacted by climate change. Our cognitive tendency discounts things that happen far away and to people outside our immediate circles. Even when species go extinct, giant glaciers melt, or indigenous peoples are erased, it can be subconsciously dismissed as something abstract happening to someone else far away.

3.     The sense of hopelessness. Climate change is a function of the global actions of centuries of industrialization and population growth. Individuals may feel that the problem of climate change is too big to address by oneself, and that our actions will not have any meaningful impact, or that the personal and short-term sacrifices required are too great. When faced with such a seemingly impossible problem, we may feel paralyzed and resigned to inaction.

In addition to these individual factors, there are very powerful population, cultural, geo-political, and economic dynamics that make change difficult. Countries have taken different positions, but the global scale of the problem has not been met with effective global leadership and commitment to address it. Consider the following:

·        The population of humans is very large, approaching 8 billion and increasing by 74 million annually. Among mammals, humans are second only to mice and rats (but human beings have far greater adverse impact on the environment than all other species).

·        To date, politicians have been more motivated by party and national self-interests over global preservation. Political actions on climate change are often more symbolic than substantive, or considered voluntary, and rarely enforced. Furthermore, political strategies are invariably focused on winning the next election, a dynamic which causes politicians to sacrifice the distant future to gain near term advantage.

·        In the currently prevailing system of unconstrained capitalism, businesses are rewarded for short-term profit over long-term sustainability, even when it results in the exploitation of natural environment. The relentless quest for profit and growth disregards the true costs to people and environment.

·        Consumers are increasingly driven by the greed and desire for a life of comfort and pleasure. Humans are estimated to have consumed more resources in the last 50 years than the whole of humanity before us.

·        Last but not least, the age of internet technology has helped make mass communication possible and accessible. This has helped drive awareness and education about climate change. However, the technology has also enabled the spread of false information on media and online resources. This causes people to misunderstand facts. Some organizations and institutions even harness the power of the internet to purposefully spread wrong information and sabotage efforts to protect the environment.

Together, these forces have made it very challenging to address climate change with the unity, urgency, and magnitude of action that it deserves.

Despite these challenges, the good news is that that people globally are gradually becoming more aware of climate change, more accepting of human causes, and more motivated than ever before to address it.

For more information on a Jain perspective about climate change, the JAINA Ahimsak Eco-Vegan Committee has prepared a detailed statement. We encourage everyone to click on this link to read the Jain Declaration on the Climate Crisis that has been endorsed by JAINA and also sign the declaration on Climate Change to make a public commitment to action. 

In the next installment of this series, we will discuss why climate change matters for any person, and in particular from a Jain perspective. The final article will explain what we can do to stop climate change and protect the environment.

Jainism view on Eggs Consumption

Q13. Are Eggs unfertile? Then why are eggs not considered vegetarian food and why are Jains not allowed to eat eggs? What are the facts about Eggs?

Let’s first look at some of the most commonly followed diets, including Vegan and Vegetarian:

Within Vegetarian diet following community, Eggs have been a controversial food. As many argue that eggs produced for commercial sale are unfertilized then why are they not considered part of a vegetarian diet, like dairy products?As you can see from the above listed visual chart that definition of Vegetarian diet changes as you go across different parts of the world. People follow several different types of vegetarian diets. Vegan diet across the globe is the only diet that is purely plant-based diet and does not include consuming any direct or by-products from Animals.

How do Hens produce Eggs? Are all Eggs Unfertile?

Just as Female humans, Hens ovulate for the same reason: to reproduce. Female human ovaries also contain developing eggs. In women, a mature egg is released from the ovary once a month. If the egg becomes fertilized by male sperm, then it attaches to the wall of the uterus and begins to form an embryo. If the egg is not fertilized, it is eliminated during monthly menstrual cycle 

In chickens, the ovary is a cluster of developing ova, or yolks. If Rooster mates with Hen before Hen lays eggs, then these eggs can be fertilized, otherwise Hens lay eggs which are unfertilized. Most commercially available eggs are unfertilized since Hens are kept separately on farms for breeding eggs only.

Even though commercially produced eggs are unfertile, why should we avoid consuming as part of our vegetarian diet?

Let’s understand how birds produce eggs in the wild vs. on commercial farms today:

Although Hens do not menstruate like Female humans, the cycle of creating and passing much larger eggs relative to their body size and weight is arguably even more physically taxing, especially in modern hens who have been genetically manipulated to force them to bred to produce such unnaturally high rates of eggs. 

In fact, the process of making and passing an egg requires so much energy and labor that in nature, wild hens (aka The Red Jungle Fowl - from whom domestic hens are descended) lay only 10 to 15 eggs per year. Their bodies could never sustain the physical depletion of laying hundreds of eggs that domestic chickens have been forced to produce through genetic manipulation. 

It is a common misconception that Hens are always just naturally “giving” eggs, because modern Hens have been intensively bred to lay between 250 to 300 eggs a year. But in the wild, chickens, like all birds, lay only during breeding season — primarily in the spring — and only enough eggs to assure the survival of their genes.

Egg harvesting from chicken does not require killing chicken, like caviar or fish eggs are obtained by killing fish. Not every product that comes out of an animal requires killing that animal, the best example being milk. However, it does not mean there is no animal cruelty or violence (Himsa) involved in the process of harvesting these products (Eggs, Milk) even if direct killing act is not conducted. Extreme cruelty is inflicted on cows for milk and all associated dairy products as outlined in the View on Dairy Products Usage and Consumption blog post.

When you look closely, it becomes clear how the entire process of harvesting eggs involves inhumane cruelty or violence against these animals 

Any animal food that is produced at a large scale for commercial purposes, brings many unwanted and often unknown (to mass population) violence. Many inhumane practices are carried out to increase and sustain high production of eggs. 

Hatcheries often breed chickens in an undesirable/inhumane way. For example, 

• Female chicks are given hormone injections to boost their reproductive cycle earlier than nature intended. 
• Chickens are kept in a very tight space, crawling on top of each other, not able to stand on ground, no outdoor space.
• Chickens are poorly fed, which has many negative effects on chickens’ health. 
• Female chickens are left to die or used as food (for animal consumption) once their reproductive cycle stops and are not producing eggs anymore. 
• Most of the male chickens born are grounded up for food (while they are alive) as they do not have any reproductive value. 

Please refer to some of the highly viewed YouTube videos showing Egg production lifecycle, showcasing how much cruelty and violence is involved (Viewer discretion advised):

1.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9aQx8czbt8 - 6 min

2.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssOEJpBQErc - 3 min

3.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-gSoXwFlIE  -  1 min

All this violence is inherently part of producing “Unfertile” eggs that some may consider as valid vegetarian diet. 

What about eggs from free-range or cage-free, farm raised birds? Are they cruelty free?

With recently raised awareness of commercially raised chickens, many people recognized ethical problems that arise from animal factories producing animal products. And so, to distance themselves from such inherent cruelty and harm done to these animals, they turned to free range birds’ eggs, farm raised organic chicken eggs or some using their own backyard chickens. 

So, what’s wrong with that? This non-commercial egg production happens almost without human manipulation or intervention, where is the ethical problem or Himsa involved in there? 

Well, if you just scratch little beneath the surface. Such as:

1.    How are these hens bred? All hens in small farms, big farms or in animal factories are bred in hatcheries. 

2.    What happens to these hens when they no longer produce eggs? 

3.    What happens to roosters (male chicken babies) in this type of farming? 

Just because they are kept in a pleasant open farm space, free of medicines and antibiotics does not free then from untimely, unnatural killing. Killing of under productive Hens or unproductive Roosters are done regularly by these farms that declare their hens happy or consider them free range animals. 

Some eye-opening facts:

• Between 470 Million to 490 Million chickens are produced every year for eggs harvesting. Approximately, half of them are male babies. These male babies have no value in the egg production cycle and thus are killed through suffocation, maceration, carbon dioxide poisoning, electrocution, cervical dislocation etc.
• There is no such thing as slaughter free animal agricultural system. Animal factories, farm raised, cage-free, however they are bred.
• Even if one considers byproducts such as eggs as technically Vegetarian food, production/harvesting of eggs inherently involves violence and cruelty against these animals.
• Many studies show that eggs are harmful for human consumption due to high saturated fat in yolk. Many alternative plant-based proteins are healthier options.
• Animal farming and harvesting of animal by-products have much higher environmental impact compared to Vegetables/Fruits farming.
• As learned above, consuming eggs conducts harm against five-sense living beings vs. one-sense living beings when you follow only plant-based diet.
• As per https://unitedegg.com/facts-stats/, U.S. table egg production totaled 95.3 billion in 2018, up 3 percent from 2017. 
• The U.S. has 328 million commercial laying hens (January 2018), up 3 percent from January 2017. The daily rate of lay averaged 79 eggs per 100 layers (January 2018). On average, each laying hen produces 289 eggs per year.
• According to www.statista.com › Consumer Goods & FMCG › Food & Nutrition, In 2019, consumption of eggs in the United States was estimated at 289.5 per person.
• Millions of male chicks and laying hens are slaughtered every year as they lose their reproductive value - https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/chickens/egg-industry/
• Detrimental Environmental effects: In comparison to plant-based produce, the production of eggs, like other animal-based produce, generates negative effects on the environment, including the emission of greenhouse gases or the contamination of soil and water.

In short, even though immediate harvesting of animal byproducts such as MILK, EGGS are not killing them directly, if looked closely at the whole agricultural life cycle of its production, it comes to realization how much cruelty and violence is involved in every step of the way.

Lastly, we want to emphasis on why it is so important to stand by your compassionate choice and not make exceptions:

Many vegetarian diets following people in the modern world often make exceptions by allowing themselves to consume eggs as part of an ingredient of a food product, dish, while not consuming eggs directly as food. 

If you think - what harm do I really cause, what violence do I really conduct when I consume just one cookie, one piece of cake, a slice of bread, baked pie or a small chocolate bar once in a while… then

Think deeply and think broadly!  

1.    By saying YES to consuming products containing Eggs, you are promoting that industry at large. 

2.    You are participating in the cruel agricultural life cycle by consuming products made from eggs in any shape or form. Since the commercial industry is all about demand and supply. 

Think about the possibility if you decide to say NO to all products that contain animal products (e.g. Eggs) and instead ask for, demand for products made without animal products, byproducts. 

If enough of us choose to stay strong by our choice of being compassionate, we will help in creating demand for cruelty-free products of all kinds. Today we have so many Vegan options available in grocery stores, restaurants and shopping malls. 

Today, we are able to consume these cruelty-free products thanks to those before us who chose to stay strong by their choice of compassion. 

Jainism view on having a Pet...

Q9. Is it acceptable in Jainism to have a pet?

First, let’s talk about the basic tenets of Ahimsa relevant for this question. Once we understand and internalize the basic principles, we need to use our own wisdom to apply them in our current environment:

-        Ahimsa means to not hurt any living beings, including animals, through our thoughts, words and actions

-        Ahimsa means to respect all living beings and have compassion towards all living beings

-        Ahimsa means to let the living beings live in their natural habitat

-        Ahimsa means to not use animals, directly or indirectly, for our physical, emotional or any other needs

Jainism advocates following path of minimum violence for lay-people (Shravak and Shravikas), which implies using only one-sense living beings for our healthy survival and not hurting any movable two sense and higher living beings.

When it comes to having a pet, there are few basic questions: Why do you want a pet? How/where are you going to get the pet from? And other considerations like what would you feed the pet, environmental impact, companionship of same species?

Why do you want a pet?

The reasons for owning a pet can range from companionship, therapy, want to give a shelter to an animal, just because all my friends have it, it is becoming a trend now etc.

Whatever the reason might be, adopting a pet animal and bringing it inside a house restricts their freedom and deprives them of their natural habitat and companionship of its own species. Animals aren’t meant to be used by humans for their needs. Domestication of animals started only because of humans.

Buying a pet from a pet store / puppy mill

There is a lot of violence in pet breeding industries. For example, the state of Kansas is the largest puppy breeder in America. For every 1 puppy to put into market, 3-4 puppies are killed which are non-sellable.  

The pet industry also causes other kinds of violence to the animals that it sells. They separate the mothers from their litters shortly after birth, causing emotional anguish that may be out of sight to the pet owner, but very real, nonetheless. They also generally neuter or spay the animals. Even though this is done for the good intention of preventing more unwanted animals, it still causes violence and prevents them from having normal reproductive functions. As a result, if you buy animals from pet store, breeder or any commercial sources, then you are becoming a direct contributor towards such violence and this would be harmful to your spiritual growth even if you are treating that animal kindly with shelter, food, and companionship.

Rescuing a pet or using a pet as a guide/therapy/service animal

For Example, a neighbor is moving, he can’t find a home for his pet dog and he offers you to take care of it or he will put the dog to sleep. In this example, if you are willing, capable and you can take care of the pet then you are saving a pet’s life and you are having a pet out of compassion.

Another example is adoption of abandoned animal from shelter that in returns provides valuable companionship and possibly even support for an older or special needs person.

These are few such justifiable scenarios in which you may be saving a life and preventing violence.  However, you want to be mindful of directly/indirectly not promoting use of animals for human needs.

Feeding pet animals

Among the two most popular pets, dogs and cats, both are generally carnivorous. By keeping a pet, you obligate yourself to feeding the animal its preferred and natural diet. Often that will lead the owner to feed the pets non-vegetarian food, which, in turn, makes the owner complicit in supporting the entire meat industry, not just the portion eaten by the animals. This is because the meat industry uses the by-products of slaughter that are not suitable for human consumption for pet food, effectively subsidizing the cost of animal agriculture. By keeping a pet that requires non-vegetarian food, one is effectively engaging in the killing of cows, pigs, chickens, and fish to support their need for a pet.

If you decide to feed your pet vegan or vegetarian food, then it is very important to make sure your pet gets regular vet checkups to make sure they are getting the nutrients they need. For example, it is typically said that cats have to be carnivorous due to their need for taurine and arginine, which are not normally found in plant-based foods. Taurine and arginine aren’t just desirable for cats, but they are essentially because without enough taurine cats will go blind. Fortunately, Taurine and arginine can both be synthesized from vegan sources, and so these are typically found in vegan cat foods, including the brands Wysong, Benevo, and Ami. This is just one example but if you keep a pet, then you have to do the due diligence and research in determining their nutritional needs and alternatives.

Pets also have an adverse effect on the environment. A recent study by UCLA found that dogs and cats are responsible for 25 to 30 percent of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the United States. Furthermore, they can also carry disease, pollute waterways, and coastal zones through runoff from areas with feces, and have adverse effects on wildlife.

Companionship of its own species

Most pet animals are social / pack animals and require the company of others of their own kind. However, few pet owners are able to adopt multiple animals to keep them company. In other cases, these animals are locked up in homes like prisons for long periods of time, at the mercy of their owners to come home and interact with them. The justification that they appear happy and lead materially more comfortable lives than they could in the wild, are not valid justifications for subjugating animals for the purpose of our entertainment, companionship, or functional support. 

What is the root cause? And how can we address the root cause?

If it weren’t for humans, animals would never have been domesticated. Humans mostly started domesticating animals for their needs and now we are in this vicious circle. Just because the need keeps on increasing, puppy breeder keeps on increasing the supply. And as noted earlier for every 1 puppy to put into market, 3-4 non-sellable puppies are killed.

If these domesticated animals were sent back to their natural habitat without preparing/training them, then they wouldn’t be able to survive in the new environment either.

We cannot change all the impacts of animal domestication overnight. But at an individual level, we can stop contributing towards increasing the demand. And we can also focus on our spiritual growth so that we aren’t depending on pet for our emotional needs.

Bottom line

We strongly suggest against buying a pet animal from a pet store or commercial sources. In specific scenarios, we must use our own wisdom to do what's right at the time.

If we can help any living being in any way, then we must do so. We should never miss an opportunity to help all different forms of life around us if we have the capacity to do it.

We should also work towards growing spiritually and becoming emotionally strong, so we can eliminate our dependence of our emotional well-being on any external factors.

Eating Meat of Naturally Dead Animals

Q8. One of the students at Pathshala wants to know why one cannot eat naturally dead cow's meat. She does not want to do it. However, her classmate asked, and she could not answer. Do you have a good answer for it?

On the surface this question might seem extraneous with an obvious answer, however, it stems from systematic understanding of Ahimsa principle and awareness about existence of life in one, two, three, four and five sensed living beings. Please refer to this blog post for details about five senses and their role from Ahimsa point of view.

This question can be addressed in one of the two ways:

·       Asking an individual to “not question it” and just follow what is being said. Using this approach is easy and simple, but in the long run, it will either drive the individuals away from religion and spiritual lifestyle, or create a community that would follow religion blindly, that is, without any understanding of their own.

Or

·       Aid individuals in understanding the values, principles and logical reasoning, so that the individuals can use their own logic and wisdom. Nowadays, people have information at their fingertips, there is increased awareness and they want to think, understand and reason it out for themselves.

Our intent in addressing this question is to create a positive and enriching experience about the religion, enable understanding and answer questions for curious minds who want to understand rather than follow blindly.

This question can be interpreted in many ways. The question is not about eating meat or debating on natural causes for animal's death. The focus and intend of the question is:-

• If an animal is naturally dead (animal’s soul has parted/the dead body is not living)
• By eating meat of that animal equivalent amount of plant lives are saved
• Assumption is that technically there is no violation of non-violence principle. Then is it allowed in Jainism?

And the answer is NO.

Jain Acharyas did not allow it and consequently the Jain societies have been protected from the negative implications that may result from these types of actions.

As an example - Buddhism has the similar five great vows like Jainism. However, the non-violence vow has been mis-interpreted and exploited and meat eating has proliferated in some Buddhist culture.

“According to Theravada sect of Buddhism, Buddha allowed his monks to eat pork, chicken and fish if the monk was aware that the animal was not killed on their behalf.” 

In other words, Buddha allowed eating meat of a dead animal with some caveats in place. Those caveats and loopholes are now being taken advantage of by some.

In Bangkok, some restaurants have signs “we sell only dead animal’s meat”. This implies that animals were not killed for their meat.  Rather animals died naturally and then their body is being used as meat.  Hence many Buddhist people and monks eat the meat in the restaurant without thinking twice or feeling guilty about it.

One can see that industries and businesses take advantage of this kind of loopholes.  How can that many animals die naturally where the restaurants always have meat dishes for their customers?

Every action by which a person directly or indirectly supports killing/injury to animals and/or every action that knowingly or unknowingly promotes the industries that involves cruelty towards animals is a form of violence (himsa). When it comes to any form of violence, whether we are doing it (karyu), making someone else do it (karavyu) or directly/indirectly promoting others to do it (karta anumodiyu), then it results in karma bondage and limits our spiritual growth.

In Jainism, food is restricted to that originating from plants, since plants have only one sense (ekindiya) and are the least developed form of life. Research shows a plant-based diet, which emphasizes fruits, vegetables, grains, beans, legumes and nuts, is rich in fiber, vitamins and other nutrients also has health benefits, such as reducing your risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Consuming any food that is harmful to our body is violence towards ourselves.

Death of an animal will promote growth of bacteria in the body. This fact can lead to questions about himsa at bacteria level related to food consumption. However, consumption of yogurt or fermented food (dosa/idli/ dhokla batter) also incurs bacteria growth. Even farming also incur himsa at bacteria level. From a layperson perspective, for our healthy survival we cannot avoid himsa at the bacteria level but attempt to minimize it. Here our aim is to discuss himsa to five sense animals, which is considered highest sinful act than millions of bacteria (one or two sense invisible living beings) in Jainism.    

Jainism has one of the most rigorous forms of spiritually motivated diet on the Indian subcontinent.  Whether the animal is dead naturally or butchered, the meat is still “meat”.  We should think about how our food choices fit into our spiritual path or our vision for transforming ourselves?

If Jain Acharya’s would allow the exceptions to such rules, then people will find ways to exploit it and compromise ethical standards. People forget the circumstances or the caveats and start following it as a norm. If there is a leeway, people get a tendency towards eating it and when something becomes part of the culture then it takes time to overcome it and people continue to follow it blindly. In Jainism, this is what happened with dairy consumption, people are culturally programmed to consume dairy products, despite of the cruelty towards five sense animals in current times. (See this blog post for details). In the past, milk and other dairy products were allowed only for medical purpose and with Acharya’s permission, however it has become a norm even though raas-tyag is the fourth vow of nirjara.

Because of such negative implications to society and people going into wrong directions, Jainism does not allow such exceptions/actions with meat consumption.

Jainism perspective on Alcohol Consumption...

Q7. Is it okay to drink alcohol according to Jainism? What is Jainism’s guidance on occasional, social drinking or once in a year?

Youth and Parents frequently ask this question. Drinking of all forms (occasional, social, at parties, happy hours) are widely proliferating among Jain youths and adults in Western world in many places. The intent of providing information here is to empower individuals to make their own decisions and be able to defend their decision. Once we have the information and clarity behind guidance provided by the religion then we can use our own wisdom to take the decisions that are right for us.

Bottom Line Up Front: Jainism Principle/Outlook on Alcohol Consumption

According to Jainism, alcohol consumption of any kind is not allowed. Jainism has never allowed any exceptions either, like allowing occasional or social drinking. This kind of position has protected the Jain societies (to a certain extent) from the negative implications that have resulted and/or can result from alcohol consumption. Now let’s explore the reasons/logic behind this position.

Ingredients and Process of Alcohol Production

From ingredients perspective, beer for example is made from four basic ingredients: Barley, water, hops and yeast. The basic idea is to extract the sugars from grains (usually barley) so that the yeast can turn it into alcohol and CO2, creating beer. The process includes malting, mashing, boiling and fermentation. The entire process takes a few weeks to produce the final product. There are no animal products in the ingredients, except fermentation which includes innumerable bacteria that is similar to making yogurt, dosa/idli or dhokla batter.  

From production process perspective, some beers and wines go through a process of filtration called ‘fining’ using animal-derived products like fish gelatin or isinglass (produced from swim bladder of fish) or plant-derived products like Irish moss. Even though the fining agent is removed before consumption, the process involves himsa when using animal-derived products. Most breweries do not reveal if they do or do not use animal products in the processing of their beers/wine, however there are some exceptions.

Primary reason against alcohol consumption

The most important reason against alcohol consumption is the effect of alcohol on the mind and soul. In Jainism, any action or reaction that alter or impacts our mind is violence/himsa towards our own self, which is a five-sense human being. Violence to other five sense beings or to our self is same violence.  In fact, our mental state is more Kashayaful when we hurt our self than others. 

Alcohol affects our mind, which affects our Samyaktva (Right Faith and Right Knowledge) and negatively affect our spiritual progress. Spiritually successful life is about being aware moment to moment and making mindful choices every moment. Any food that affects or has a potential to affect our mind is absolutely prohibited in Jainism.

Alcohol severely deteriorates our decision-making capability, degrades our judgement to decide right from wrong, loosen inhibitions and lead people to speak and act in ways that are harmful to self and others. In that moment, we lose spirituality that we might have acquired with numerous practices over a long period of time.

Additionally, there are seven major addictions (maha-vyasan) defined in the Jain literature. Jain lay people should not indulge in those addictions and alcohol is one of them. 
1) Non-vegetarian diet (mansahaar), 2) Alcohol (daaru), 3) Gambling (jugaar), 4) Stealing (chori), 5) Illicit relation with somebody who is not your spouse (para-stri-gaman), 6) Relation with prostitute (veshya-gaman) and 7)Hunting (shikaar).  These activities have the potential to become addictive and habitual with severe negative implications. And if these addictions become habitual necessities of the body then one experiences severe withdrawal symptoms when trying to give up any addiction.

So, to be clear, it is not only the product that is wrong, but primarily it is the characteristics of the product and the way it affects our mind that is harming us.

Effect of Alcohol on our health / body

Alcohol is a poison for the body. It is associated with a variety of negative effects on health (contributing to liver damage, obesity / diabetes, heart health, etc.). In this sense, it is harmful first to our mind, and also to our body. Abusing alcohol means that we are polluting the home of our soul.

Occasional or Social Drinking

Characteristic of alcohol is that it slows down our thinking. Alcohol changes the we way think and feel, and hence influences the way we act. Of course, the impact of alcohol increases with amount consumed. How many people just have one drink occasionally their entire life and never indulge in more? How many people started with one drink and now drink often? There may be such people, but they are very rare.

Jainism has never allowed exceptions like allowing one drink or social drinking because of the negative implications to the society and people going into wrong direction. Once there is leeway, people get the tendency towards drinking and it can become a problematic situation. And when something becomes part of the culture then it takes time to overcome it. When we allow an exception to such rules then people will find ways to exploit it.

Overcoming External Factors and Belief Systems

There are always going to be external factors that come into play like social pressure, peer pressure, desire to fit in, that’s the way to make friends, that is what all my friends do, that’s what the majority of people at work do, we feel out of place if we don’t drink, we are drinking to socialize, we are drinking to relax… and the list can go on and on. These are all the factors that people do face in current times. But we need to be aware and mindful of what we are doing and why.

Also, we need to recognize widely spread belief systems related to alcohol consumption like drinking is normal, drinking doesn’t do any kind of damage, drinking is required for parties and to enjoy. There are many such beliefs/misconceptions in the society that will continue to exist and change with time. For example, party should be all about how good the food was, parties rotate around food, food is wasted instead using the next day, weddings have to be gala or it’s no celebration, one must travel to many places to experience life, one should have kids to complete their life, one should try non-vegetarian food once to explore taste and experience, pictures or likes on social media is an indicator of a good life or self-worth and list can go on and on. We all face such belief systems in various aspects of our lives day in and out, however, we need to recognize and challenge any such belief systems. And we need create our belief system based on our own values and principles.

There are plenty of studies that have found that drinking leads to anti-social behavior, abuse, violence, crime, blackouts, falling into dangerous situations, increased aggression, sexual assault, domestic violence, addiction as well as increasing the risk of self-harm and suicide. We should have complete clarity within us about the choices we make, reasons for those choices and full understanding about the consequences of those choices for us.

Saying no to drinking and going against the majority requires courage. We need to internalize our belief system such that we can defend our decision, find strength internally do what’s right for us and especially not get influenced by any of the external factors.

Recommendations for Way Forward:

So, now you have the information, think about this information, do more research, create your own belief system, decide what is right for you and what is good for you long-term.  

There are numerous famous teetotalers (nondrinkers) to take inspiration from (see lists in references below). Drinking is not a requirement to be socially successful. Just as smoking or taking drugs is not a requirement, one can choose to avoid alcohol. Also, for social situations, there are non-alcoholic beers available for people who choose not to drink.

Use your own wisdom and make your own decision keeping your goals, purpose and the aim of spiritual growth/religion in the forefront.

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_and_beer 

www.barnivore.com

https://www.peta.org/living/food/everything-you-need-to-know-about-vegan-beer/ 

https://www.peta.org/about-peta/faq/is-wine-vegan/

https://www.alcohol.org/effects/inhibitions/

Famous Teetotalers references:

https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/celebrities-who-never-drink-alcohol

https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmXoypizjW3WknFiJnKLwHCnL72vedxjQkDDP1mXWo6uco/wiki/List_of_teetotalers.html

https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-who-don_t-drink-alcohol/celebrity-insider