Holistic Jain Diet – Holistic Approach to Ahimsa, Environment, Health and Spirituality

Pravin K. ShahJAINA Education Committee509 Carriage Woods CircleRaleigh NC 27607-3969Web - www.jainelibrary.orgEmail - jainaedu@gmail.comTele - 919-859-4994

Holistic Jain Diet – Holistic Approach to Ahimsa Environment Health and Spirituality

Holistic Approach

Holistic means analyzing the whole system of our Jain beliefs with respect to Diet rather than simply its individual components.

• Ahimsa (Compassion)

• Environment

• Health

• Spirituality

Spiritual Aspect of Jain Diet

Goal of Jainism Total Liberation from Karma / from Mithayatva and

Kshaya (Anger, Ego, Deceit, and Greed)• Samvar – Stoppage of New Karma

Right Conduct Ahimsa, Aparigraha, Anekantvad, etc..5 Samitis, 3 Guptis, 10 Yati Dharma, 12 Reflections, 22 Parishaha, 5 Conducts

• Nirjarä – Exhaustion of karma already acquired via Penance

6 External and 6 Internal Penances

Guide Line of Practicing of Ahimsa for Laypeople

• Nonviolence is the highest principle of Jain Religion

• However, life can not exist without violence• Hence, for our existence (food) we must

follow the path of minimum violence

Samvar – Jain ConductAhimsa

Jain Diet – Follow the Path of Minimum Violence (Samvar)

Basic Jain Principle for Minimum Violence• The degree Violence inflicted is proportional to the

number of senses a living being possesses….

• Violence to a living being which has more senses (Five, Four, Three, and Two Senses in these order) is more sinful act than thousands of One Sense living beings.

• It also creates a greater impact on the Environment

• Hence Jainism believes in Vegetarianism even though Vegetables have innumerable living beings which are being killed for our Diet.

Jain Diet – Follow the Path of Minimum Violence (Samvar)

Order of Degree of Violence (highest to lowest) • Self inflicted Violence - Consuming food or drinks that

destroy our ability to think and awareness • Violence or Exploitation to other Human Beings

(Consuming food or clothes prepared by Child labor, Salves…etc)

• Violence to five sensed Animals (Consuming Meat, Dairy products, milk, Fur, Fish, Chicken, etc.. by exploiting and killing animals)

• Violence to four and three sensed movable beings such as Flies, Bees, Insects

• Violence to two sensed Beings such as Bacteria etc..• Violence to One Sensed Beings such as Vegetables, Water,

Fire, Air, Earth

Nirjarä – Jain Penance

Nirjarä is the process of exhaustion of karma already acquired• The karma exhaust themselves by producing the

results (creating environment) when it is time for them to do so.

• However at that time, new karma begin to pour in.

• Hence it becomes difficult to be free of Karma.Therefore, one should destroy the Karma before they produce the result. This is real Nirjarä

Nirjarä – Jain Penance

Real Nirjarä - Removal Ghati Karma (Mohaniya Karma) before Maturity Nirjarä is done by rigorous penance.

Six External Penance:• Relates to Physical Body (Food and

Exercise) • Prepares our mind for Internal Penance

Six Internal Penance:• Relates to Thought Process – which is real

Nirajara

Anasan• Complete abstinence from eating and drinking

Alpähära or Unodari• Reduce the quantity of food one normally eats

Ichhänirodha or Vrittisamkshepa• Control of desire for food and material things

Rasatyäg• Give up stimulating or tasty food

–honey, alcohol, butter, milk, tea, sweets, juice etc.Sanlinatä (Vivikta_shaiyashan)• Stay in a lonely places free from all disturbances.

Restraining the senses from external comfort.Käya_klesha• Penance and tolerating physical pain voluntarily

First 4 out of 6 External Nirjarä relates to Food and other two related to phical body

Nirjarä – Jain Penance : External Penance

Holistic Jain Diet – Food Criteria

• Jain Food must be conducive to the Ahimsa, Environment, Health and Spiritual upliftment.

• One should not consume any food that can create the violence (Kashaya) within.

• One should not eat any food that involves violence to Movable beings (Human, Animals, Birds, Insects etc..)

• Not to Consume Anishta Food and Anupsevya Food Food which have no or very minimum nutrition

value. No Stimulating or Tasty food

• Eat little less than your hunger for good Health and for proper practice of Meditation.

Holistic Jain Diet – Food Criteria

Consume Only Healthy Strict Vegetarian (Vegan) Food• Food should be obtained with Minimum Destruction of

Environment (Organic Food if available)Vegetables, Water, Fire, Air, and Earth (Strict Vegetarian Food)

• Vegetables, Fruits, Grains, Beans.. etcConsume Minimum for Healthy SurvivalWaste is Violence

• Two Classifications of Vegetarian FoodsPratyek-käya - Vegetables has Innumerable SoulsAnant-käya - Vegetables with Infinite Souls (avoid this if alternates are available)

Anishta Food – Any food which is not good for our health or spiritual upliftment and yet we consume it only due to our intense attachment towards that food.

• Liquor, Drugs, Tobacco etc..• Fried Food• Stale Food (Fruits, Vegetables, or Food that has

developed fungus)

Anishta Food -

Anupsevya Food –

Improper Food which contains no nutrition and hence should not be consumed.

• Coal, Clay, etc.

Anupsevya Food -

Violence to oneself is considered highest sinful act because it affects our Awareness (state of mind) and our Spirituality (which is Samyakva).

Hence the consumption of any intoxication should be avoided first for our spiritual growth.

Intoxication

• Liquor, Beer, Opium, Bhang (Snuff), Drugs

Violence to Oneself (Highest Sinful Act)

• Meat, Chicken, Fish• Dairy Products

Milk, Yogurt, Cheese, Butter, Ice-cream, Ghee, Sweets

• Eggs – Fertilized or Non-fertilized (highest cruelty to birds in factory farming)

• Honey (Bees are produced and raised)• Jello made from fish Gelatin• Varakh (Silver Foil) made using cow’s intestine.

Food Related to Animal Cruelty

StatisticsAnimals Killed per Day in USA

–Cattle - 130,000–Calves - 7,000–Hogs - 360,000–Chickens - 24,000,000

Cruelty to Animals

Cruelty in Dairy Industry

• Cows are kept pregnant continually

• Slaughtering 70% to 80% of baby calves within six months by the Veal industry or within five years by the beef industry

• Slaughtering the mother cow after five years of their fertile life while the life expectancy is 15 to 20 years

• Everyday, hormones or drugs are injected to increase the milk yield.

Greenhouse effect World's 1.3 billion cows annually produce 100 million tons of methane a powerful greenhouse gas which traps 25 times as much solar heat as CO2Water ConsumptionLivestock (Cattle, Calves, Hogs, Pigs) production accounts for more than half of all the water consumed in USA.

Impact on Environment

Land Usage

• A third of the surface of North America is devoted to grazing

• Half of American croplands grow livestock feed for meat and dairy products

• 220 million acres of land in the USA have been deforested for livestock production

• 25 million acres in Brazil, and half the forests in Central America

Impact on Environment

To produce 1 lb. of Meat, an average of 40 lbs. of vegetation is used.• This calculation takes into consideration, the land clearing, as

well as food for the live-stock until slaughter – Food cattle are generally slaughtered prior to 2-years-old Dairy cattle may live 4 years before being turned into burgers.

To produce 1 lb. of Meat, an average of 2500 gallons of water is used. • 1 lb. of wheat requires 108 gallons of water

1 lb. of rice needs 229 gallons of water1 lb. of potatoes require just 60 gallons of water

*Source: USDA 2001.

Impact on Environment (continued)

WasteWaste released in the Environment by US Meat and Dairy Industry:

• 230,000 pounds per second, polluting our land, air and water systems.

*Source: USDA 2001.

Impact on Environment (continued)

• Impact on Health – Meat and Dairy Products

High Cholesterol

High Saturated Fats

High incidence of Prostate Cancer

Calcium Deficiency (recent study)

Less Hygienic

Impact on Health

Cruelty in Egg Production

Poultry Farms – Hens / Chicken are considered Egg producing Machines

Confined to Narrow SpaceAttack One AnotherDe-beakedFood GivenBone meal, Blood meal, Excreta food, Meat meal, Fish meal, GrainUnfertilized Egg is the Result of Biological Cycle of a Hen but they go through the same crueltyUsage of ByproductsCosmetics, Cakes, Cookies, Candies, Wine "clearing" agent, Shampoos, Skin Care Products

• Used to decorate sweets, betel nut, paan, Temple idols etc..

• Annually 255,000 Kgms used ($40 Million)

• Manufactured using Cow's Intestine (Ox-gut) obtained from slaughterhouses

• Thin strips of Silver placed between intestine and manually hammered to create Silver Foil.

Cruelty in Varakh (Silver Foil) Production

Relates to Cruelty to Movable Beings (Trasa Souls) also known as Vigai

01. Meat02. Liquor (Madira)03. Honey (Madha)04. Butter

Vegetables with Infinite Souls05. Kandamul or Root Vegetables

–Potato, Onion, Ginger (Aadu), Turmeric (Haldar)

22 Abhakshya Food Non-edible Food

Dairy product mixed with beans06. Dvidala

Milk, yogurt, or buttermilk mixed with beans and human saliva - Trasa souls are borne

Five Udambars07. Green Fig08. Vada Teta09. Umarda10. Kotha11. Pipara Teta

22 Abhakshya Food Non-edible Food

Relates to various degrees of Violence12. Eating at Night (Ratri Bhogan) – Timing of Eating13. Madak (Vishaya) Padarth or Poison14. Hail Stones, Snow (Kara)15. Ice (Baraf)16. Stale Food (Rasa Chalit Food) – Food Quality

17. Eggplant or Aubergine (Brinjal or Ringana)18. Fruits with large quantity of Seeds (Bahu Bij Fala)19. Pickles (Bol Athanu – Achar – old Pickles)

• Non-edible after 24 hours20. Eat Less and Through Away More (Tuchha Fal)21. Unknown Fruits/Vegetables22. Raw Clay

22 Abhakshya Food Non-consumable Food

Caring for the Earth and Environment is the way of Life for the Jain Community by following the two key principles of Jainism in every day lifeAhimsä• Be Compassionate including to ourselves• Minimize injury to all forms of life including

Air, Water, Earth, Plants and Animals• Be Strict Vegetarian / Vegan and avoid the use of Animal

based productsNon-possessiveness / Self-restraint• Reduce our needs and wants as far as possible• Reuse / Recycle products, Eliminate Waste• Share Resources

Jainism in Action – Eco friendly Religion

The Book of Compassion – List of Articles

The Book has the following Articles:• Universal Declaration of The Rights of Animals• My Visit to A Dairy Farm• Dairy Cows - Life, Usage, and Sufferings (New

York Times)• Recycling of Slaughterhouse Waste (Rendering

Plants)• Milk - Its Impact on Health, Cruelty, and

Pollution• Is Nothing Sacred? - Cruelty towards India's Holy

Animals

The Book of Compassion – List of Articles

• Vegetarianism - A Compassionate Approach to Life• Varakh (Silver Foil)• Facts about Eggs• Story of Silk• Story of Pearls• The Myth about Milk• Puppy Mills: Breeding Ills• Alternatives to Animal Abuse• How our Diet affects the Environment

Note – All articles are available on Jain eLibrary Websitewww.jainelibrary.org