{"id":3821,"date":"2023-11-03T11:29:27","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T15:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/?p=3821"},"modified":"2023-11-03T19:43:26","modified_gmt":"2023-11-03T23:43:26","slug":"question-for-diwali-why-does-hinduism-extol-vegetarian-diets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/2023\/11\/question-for-diwali-why-does-hinduism-extol-vegetarian-diets\/","title":{"rendered":"Question for Diwali: Why does Hinduism extol vegetarian diets?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

<\/a>

Hinduism encourages vegetarianism minus mandates \/ Maarten van den Heuvel @ pexels.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

THE RELIGION GUY\u2019S ANSWER:<\/p>\n

In the leadup to Diwali, the Festival of Light on November 12, an article by Richa Karmarkar<\/a>, the Hinduism specialist with Religion News Service, brings the faith\u2019s vegetarianism up to date.<\/p>\n

First, it observes that Hindus can make good use of the increasing availability and variety of plant-based mock \u201cmeat\u201d under such brand names as Beyond Meat and Impossible.<\/p>\n

Second, the article reports on an interesting futuristic issue that faces Hindu authorities: Will meat be permissible if it\u2019s artificially grown from cells in laboratories and therefore does not involve animal slaughter?<\/p>\n

That brings up one main reason for Hinduism\u2019s vegetarian tradition, the principle of ahimsa<\/em>, that is, non-violence and avoidance of any harm to other beings. This teaching from the ancient Hindu scriptures is reinforced by deep cultural reverence for cows as sacred (on which see below), and the belief that a human may be born into animal species in future lives through the process of \u201ctransmigration of souls\u201d a.k.a. \u201creincarnation.\u201d In addition, violent acts accumulate negative karma that affects one\u2019s status in the next life.<\/p>\n

Vegan vs. Vegetarian<\/h3>\n \ Note that Hindus are vegetarian, not vegan. Both groups avoid eating animal flesh, but a vegetarian diet may include animal products like dairy items and eggs that vegans totally shun. The same with the use of leather goods. In India, the faith\u2019s homeland, believers especially delight in sweet dairy dishes and regularly use ghee (clarified butter) in cooking.<\/p>\n Anglo-Indian historian Nirad Chaudhuri said Hindu scriptures from ancient times depict meat-eating as widespread and celebrate warriors. According to another expert, K. M. Sen, the ahimsa<\/em> concept, though established long ago, was originally imported from India\u2019s separate religions of Buddhism<\/a> and Jainism. Observant Jains have the strictest imaginable practice, seeking to protect even insects and microorganisms and avoiding agriculture where vegetables need to be uprooted, as with onions and potatoes.<\/p>\n Limits on \u201cAhimsa\u201d<\/h3>\n*** ** Regarding ahimsa<\/em> otherwise, Hindus as a whole are not pacifists who totally oppose killing in warfare, even in cases of justifiable defense, although some do hold to that belief. As for the controversy over treatment of human fetuses, Pew Research Center\u2019s Religious Landscape Study found that 68% of U.S. Hindus wanted abortion to be legal \u201cin most cases,\u201d and the same for 82% of U.S. Buddhists and 83% for those of Jewish identity. (All three groups were notably more supportive than U.S. Christians and Muslims.)<\/p>\n ** Although Hinduism extols vegetarianism it does not mandate the practice with diet left to individual decision. Hindus\u2019 avoidance of meat is less widespread than, for instance, the aversion toward pork and pork products among observant Jews (following Leviticus 11:7 and Deuteronomy 14:8) and Muslims (per Quran 2:173 and 6:145).<\/p>\n ** Incidentally, Jewish vegetarians contend that God\u2019s original creation design in Eden provided a diet of fruits and vegetables, with meat-eating only allowed after the great Flood (see Genesis 9:3). Among Christian groups, the Seventh-day Adventist Church has this distinctive stance: \u201cWe encourage a balanced vegetarian diet, and to avoid unclean foods as listed in the Old Testament,\u201d referring to Leviticus 11.<\/p>\n ** Though not religiously enforced, India has more vegetarians relative to population than any other nation. A comprehensive 2021 Pew Research survey of 30,000 adults in 29 territories in India found that 44% of Hindus are vegetarians, and 81% practice at least certain limits such as avoiding specific meats, especially beef, or abstaining on holy days.<\/p>\n ** Experts say vegetarianism historically has been nearly universal among those in the upper Brahmin caste with lesser prevalence in the lower classes. Pew reported that observance varies considerably by the various regions within India, highest in the North and lowest in the East, and that only 36% of Hindus will eat in restaurants that serve both non-vegetarian and vegetarian dishes.<\/p>\n ** ***Hindu Web sites designed to explain the faith to outsiders offer other reasons why believers avoid meat-eating. Some advocate general harmony with nature and restraint to control natural cravings or teach that a simple diet enhances spiritual depth and mental awareness.<\/p>\n Central Scriptures<\/h3>\n***** ** Scriptural teaching is central. The Rig Veda venerates all life forms and specifies, \u201cdo not kill the cows and the horses; do not deprive life from the swift two-footed [that is, humanity] nor from the one who gives many gifts,\u201d a reference to birds. Other classic texts: \u201cThe sins generated by violence curtail the life of the perpetrator. Therefore, those who are anxious for their own welfare should abstain from meat-eating\u201d (#115:33 in the Anushasana Parva or \u201cBook of Instructions\u201d). \u201cHow can he practice true compassion who eats the flesh of an animal\u201d? (#251 in the Tirukaral compendium on everyday virtues).<\/p>\n ** Otherwise, Hindu vegetarians favor what\u2019s regarded as a healthy and spiritually Sattvic (\u201cpure\u201d) diet, united with concern for animal rights and environmental protection that have popular secular support in the West. These arguments involve abuses in factory farming, water conservation, global warming from greenhouse gases, deforestation, biodiversity, and sustainability.<\/p>\n ** *****A bit more detail on the status and protections of cows, as explained in the invaluable Britannica.com. Hindus generally see the cow as representing divine and non-violent generosity whose products provide sustenance. Also, the cow is associated with the gods Krishna, Shiva, Nandi and Indra, and dairy products are employed in certain religious rituals.<\/p>\n Foodies might have fun exploring recipes for s vegan diet at www.plantbasedindianliving.com<\/a> based on \u201cvegetables, fruits, whole grains, tubers, nuts, and legumes\u201d while excluding meats and \u201cdairy products, eggs, refined sugar, oil, ghee and highly refined foods like bleached flour.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE RELIGION GUY\u2019S ANSWER: In the leadup to Diwali, the Festival of Light on November 12, an article by Richa Karmarkar, the Hinduism specialist with Religion News Service, brings the faith\u2019s vegetarianism up to date. First, it observes that Hindus can make good use of the increasing availability and variety of plant-based mock \u201cmeat\u201d under […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1275,"featured_media":3827,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[48,248,245],"class_list":["post-3821","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-hinduism","tag-seasonal-holidays","tag-vegetarian"],"yoast_head":"\nQuestion for Diwali: Why does Hinduism extol vegetarian diets?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One main reason for Hinduism\u2019s vegetarian tradition is the principle of ahimsa, the non-violence and avoidance of any harm to other beings.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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Ostling was a longtime religion writer with The Associated Press and with Time\u00a0magazine, where he produced 23 cover stories, as well as a Time\u00a0senior correspondent providing field reportage for dozens of major articles. He has interviewed personalities such as Billy Graham, the Dalai Lama, the late Mother Teresa, and the late Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI); ranking rabbis and Muslim leaders; and authorities on other faiths, as well as numerous ordinary believers. Ostling was the first correspondent regularly covering religion for a network TV newscast, working part-time with the PBS NewsHour\u00a0and airing CBS Radio religion reports for two decades. He and his late wife Joan coauthored Mormon America: The Power and the Promise (1999, revised 2007, HarperOne), which The New York Times Book Review praised as \"eminently fair\" and \"well-researched.\" Professional distinctions include a Pulitzer Prize nomination; \u00a0the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Religion Newswriters Association (for specialists in the general media), and religion writing honors from the American Academy of Religion, Episcopal Church, and Religion Communicators Council. In one MediaGuide edition, Ostling was the only Time staff member ranked among the nation's \"highest rated journalists.\" He is listed in Who's Who in America. Ostling earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan (With High Distinction, Phi Beta Kappa), an M.A. in religion from George Washington University, and an M.S.J. from Northwestern University's School of Journalism, which named him a charter member of its Alumni Hall of Achievement.\u00a0 The father of two adult daughters, he lives and works in northern New Jersey and is an active lay member of Ramapo Reformed Church.","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/author\/religionqanda\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1275"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3821"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3821\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3821"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3821"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/religionqanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}