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Thread: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

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    Talking Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    praNAm
    This idea of eating plants and to say self a vegetarian is clogging my reasoning.

    *(FACT)*
    1 Plants grow and die!

    *(Reasoning)*
    2.IF plants are non-alive( not dead or else they were to be alive at some point of time) , how did they grow?
    **
    3. Because only living thing can die OR/AND grow, even if we the humans did not take away the life of plants, is it not that we eat the dead of plants - as the plants were at some point of time alive and offcourse plants are not stones.
    4.how am i a vegetarian then?, it confuses me.
    please guide!.

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    Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    Welcome to the forum Shiv. First of all we can live without meat, the consumption of meat is purely for our own bodily gains and taste buds. That's black and white in itself.

    Do you need meat to survive? No.
    Do animals need to get killed for you to have meat? Yes.

    Another thing is that it is unavoidable to kill plants and survive, however killing animals is avoidable. There's no way to walk on the ground without killing insects so and so forth, it is unavoidable. If there is an alternative to eating plants please let me know.

    Thirdly plants do not have the same feelings as animals, im pretty sure thats scientifically proven my friend.
    It's like saying hey because I have to kill 'A' thing to survive might aswell kill 'B' all the way down to 'Z' . Even though you can't really compare plants to animals.

    Though, I'm not basing this on hinduism - my personal morals I have formed WITHOUT religion. So maybe wait for a more learned member to describe it from their point of view.

    Take care and I hope you find your answer shivam!

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    Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    Shivam,
    Your question is confusing. The definition of vegetarianism itself is eating only plants based foods. If you mean killing them is same as killing animals then it's different. Plants do not have soul like rest of the living things do..so they can't take part in spiritual journey and reach salvation. If you are killing animals you are destroying their spiritual journey and hence you will encounter sin.
    ॐ महेश्वराय नमः

    || Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya ||

    Hara Hara Mahadeva Shambo Shankara

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    Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    Quote Originally Posted by realdemigod View Post
    Plants do not have soul like rest of the living things do..so they can't take part in spiritual journey and reach salvation.
    Actually, atleast as per Nyaya, the identity mark of a self are desire, aversion, volition, pleasure, pain and cognition. [Nyaya Sutra 1.1.10]

    That is, it is only those entities that can feel desire OR aversion OR volition OR pleasure OR pain OR cognition that can be said to possess a self.

    Now, the Nyaya claims that plants respond to sunlight by growing towards them, etc. because they are able to atleast cognize and grow towards the sunlight out of their volition. [Volition and cognition are marks of the self per Nyaya.] Thus, plant do possess a self.

    To respond to the OP, it is probably true that since plants do not have a nervous system, they do not feel pleasure or pain.

    In general, I think it is a good idea for homo sapiens to consume food that is further away in the evolutionary tree. Plants/Vegetables being further away than animals in the evolutionary tree to humans, I think a moral case can be made for being vegetarian and avoiding meat.

    Here is a counter-question to the OP:

    Assuming you believe in evolution, where would you like to draw the line of which species of animals meat-eating humans can consume and which species of animals should not be consumed? Please provide justification to your answer.

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    Wink Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    thanks @all for replying Actually I found the flaw in my own argument as I was pondering over it,
    WARNING to Readers: post has lot of equations

    First of all , what I think is

    IN the WESTERN(W) CONCEPT

    EATING(W) = EATER(W) +EATEN(W)
    So,
    EATING(W) =

    EATER(W) ( when eaters are Humans =>with a conscious state) +
    EATEN(W) (when animals/vegetables => with NO consciousness)

    ( as in WESTERN sense ,no concept of consciousness on vegetables/animal is imposed may be because they dont think that vegetable/animals have conscioussnes or soul in philosophical sense ),

    IN SANATAN DHARMA(S.D)
    The concept of EATING is deeper. (or perhaps thats what I see or think)

    EATING(S.D) = EATER(S.D) + EATEN(S.D) + *Non-Violence* ,
    So,
    EATING(S.D)=

    EATER(S.D) ( when eaters are Humans =>with a conscious state) +
    EATEN(S.D) (when animals/vegetables => with a consciousness)
    +
    *Non-Violence*,

    so all in all it has an extra layer of codition of non-violence to be with for Eating.

    So even having said that, when we impose the concept of EATING (S.D) on western EATING(W)

    Result(Test passed) for EATING(S.D) = EATER(W)( Humans with consciousness.) +EATEN(W)(animals/plants with NO coscioussness even when alive)+ *Non-Violence*
    here as in western concept animal/plants don't have any consciousness, their is no violence done by the EATER on EATEN. hence test passed,

    Whereas when concept of EATING (S.D) is applied on S.D itself,

    Result(Test failed) for EATING(S.D) = EATER(S.D)( Humans with consciousness.) +EATEN(S.D)(animals/plants with A coscioussness even when alive)+ *Non-Violence*
    here as in S.D concept animal/plants have any consciousness, their is A violence done by the EATER on EATEN. hence test failed,


    The flaw is in defining the concept of *Non-Violence*.

    So,basically I should ponder over what is *Non-Violence* instead of what is Vegetarianism or Non-Vegetarianism..
    Can anyone guide how to *Look THROUGH* the concept of *Non-Violence* and NOT to "LOOK AT" it,

    For starting point let me throw a wild guess,
    I think Non-Violence is Minimum harm for Maximum Good with MAXIMUM harmony ( of two states of consciousness= here in example of EATING ,the consciousness states are of HUMANS AND ANIMALS/PLANTS. )
    whats you all say? am just *wondering*.
    thanks for reading. please enlighten with your comments., plz ignore any spelling mistakes

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    Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    Namaste,

    You can't survive even a few minutes without killing some or the other life-forms. So, don't try to be too literal on "AhimsA" ... it is your intention that matters.

    OM
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

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    Light Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    Quote Originally Posted by devotee View Post
    Namaste,

    You can't survive even a few minutes without killing some or the other life-forms. So, don't try to be too literal on "AhimsA" ... it is your intention that matters.

    OM
    praNAm
    Thanks for your reply,
    I also think that the concept of non-violence is more wide in S.D than in any other concepts.
    As Buddha once said,
    Their is suffering, the first Noble truth
    so also I think that the truth of the Manifested Form(shape,idea,thoughts,actions etc)+Material(conscious material,physical material) is as and when two or more Forms/material coexist the violence is unaviodable, may be thats why Karma is always clinged . Sri Krishna tells us in B.G to
    remember his Ultimate form and then He guides us to break that cycle of clinging of karma
    May be the violence is an unaviodable truth that No One can deny but then their is a way to Minimize the violence and that is Non-violence, so Non-Violence must be far wide than we think of it.
    What all you think, am I thinking right?.

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    Light Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    I think because of karma(like eating) there is a violence( among different states of life and form) so their is the sufferings attched at the end result. So to minimize the effect of karma and the end result sufferings non-violence is a path, may be it means harmonizing the *gunas* and then enhancing *sattva guna* as much as possible first , and then after that we need the realization of our true nature that we are Brahma , the purest and beyond the three gunas so that the cycle of karma is broken. How to realize that we are Brahma?(I know it but I am unable to feel it may be due to disharmony in my gunas).

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    Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    Quote Originally Posted by Shivam View Post
    praNAm
    This idea of eating plants and to say self a vegetarian is clogging my reasoning.

    *(FACT)*
    1 Plants grow and die!

    *(Reasoning)*
    2.IF plants are non-alive( not dead or else they were to be alive at some point of time) , how did they grow?
    **
    3. Because only living thing can die OR/AND grow, even if we the humans did not take away the life of plants, is it not that we eat the dead of plants - as the plants were at some point of time alive and offcourse plants are not stones.
    4.how am i a vegetarian then?, it confuses me.
    please guide!.
    If you want to take it to the extreme you need to become a fruitarian. Fruit is produced by the plant as a means of spreading the seeds, so eating it is part of the natural process and does not kill the plant.

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    Thumbs Up Re: Is eating plants a vegetarianism? *if yes then how?*

    Quote Originally Posted by Tāṇḍava View Post
    If you want to take it to the extreme you need to become a fruitarian. Fruit is produced by the plant as a means of spreading the seeds, so eating it is part of the natural process and does not kill the plant.
    praNAm,
    aha! it struck me in accord with Non-Violence, yes,in that way - using food grains(cereals, pulses), fruits ,milk and its byproducts ,honey, lemon,coconuts, leafs (tea, coffee), seed, etc for EATING we are following the definition of Non-violence , as they do No or do Minimum Harm possible and in that way I can remain sattvic, it satisfies me now,
    Dhanyvad. , so we need no killing of plants, am relieved, am happy now.

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