How can we explain to others that meat-eating is undesirable?
From: n surya prakash:
Answer Podcast
Transcription
How to convince people that meat eating is not meant for human beings & it will drag us down to lower forms of life?
when ever we are trying to share the spiritual wisdom that we have received from the vedic literature, it is very important that we share it according to the level of people. This giving knowledge according to the level of the people is an integral part of the vedic tradition, and is phrased in the sanskrit word ” adhikar”, adhikar means the level, or the authority or the qualification , of the person to receive that knowledge. so in modern times due to not having any facility for systematic spiritual education, most people, are not aware that they are not the bodies and that they are souls and they have spiritual eyes, and if we try to tell them that “if you eat meat you will have to take a future life an an animal “, this would seems like a absurd and unpersuasive arguments, because they may not believe in future lives, they may not believe in the fruits they may get in future life, So we have to convey the message of the vedic literature , according to their level. If our goal is to help them see the dangers of eating meat, then we can talk to them about the adverse health consequences, we can talk about adverse environmental consequences, and also about the great pain that is caused to the animals and even the world hunger that is aggravates, (Please refer to the article ” logical arguments to become vegetarian” ) that is there in the web site, So these are the logical and universal reasons that may appeal to any person and help him to move forward and in choosing the diet which is better in harmony with the environment and with that person’s own spiritual nature. So, the scriptural truth are true , not only because the scripture say so, but also because , they can be experienced to be so, as we observe the world and see thoughtful. it must be Lord Krishna while instructing Uddhava in tenth canto of Srimad Bhagavatam says that, the truth of the scripture can also be observed it to be true, We can have historical tradition and records which confirm how it is true, and we can also use logical inference, anumana, to understand how it is true. So the scientific evidence, and the scientific reasons that call upon people to switch to vegetarianism, are in one sense the confirmation of shabda through anuman, now of course, as people develop faith in the scripture, see how the scriptural words are true , then they will also understand that the human bodies are not suited to eating animal food, and if we eat animal food, the way the material nature works, is that material nature provides us what we desire, so if we desire to eat flesh and we don’t have teeth that can rip apart the flesh we do not have claws or fangs that can cut through the flesh, so therefore, nature will tisay human body is not suitable for you, you take animal’s body, a lions body, or a tiger’s body, or even more non significant carnivorous animals body to fulfill your desire to flesh eating, So according to our desires and of course also according to our karma we get new body. so one we understand the basic truth of the scripture, we will easily see the logic in the , the logical coherence of the scriptural warning, that those who are attached and addicted to eating flesh in this life, will degenerate into forms of animal that are more suited to eat flesh. So while sharing wisdom , focus on sharing it according to what the level the person is right now.