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HINDUS AND MODERN ISSUES: 2 BYTE ANSWERS

Forwarded message from "Vishal Agarwal" <vishalsagarwal@yahoo.com>

[ Subject: Hindus and Modern issues: 2 byte answers
[ From: "Vishal Agarwal" <vishalsagarwal@yahoo.com>
[ Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005

On Saturday, the local Hindu Students Society
participated in a conference primarily organized by CASH
(campus atheists and secular humanists of UMN). During a
panel discussion, there were Hindu, Buddhist, Christian
and atheism representatives. One part of the panel
discussion was a set of 11 questions addressed to each of
the 4 participants. We were fortunate to have Dr Kak fly
in from Louisiana to be our representative. Due to a
paucity of time, only 6 of the pre-decided 11 questions
were put to the panelists. I will leave other HSS
participants in the audience to summarize the entire
conference. Below, I give short answers to the unanswered
5 questions. These are open for discussion [here]. I
personally of course do not know how Dr Kak would have
responded to these questions.

Note that these are just 2 byte answers. Not a detailed
analysis.

Sincerely,

Vishal Agarwal

- - -

What is the status of an animal? Do your beliefs
state how an animal should be treated?

Ans: Animals have the same soul as human beings, although
their minds are not as evolved as us and though they have
different bodies from ours. In fact humans who perform
evil karm are reborn as plants or animals. Animals also
feel pain as humans do, and have family relations (many
species). Therefore, they are treated not as an object
that can be dispensed at will, but as living beings who
ought to treated with respect and as friends. The most
famous Hindu religious epic of Ramayan was composed after
Sage Valmiki saw a female bird cry out in despair when
her husband was shot dead by the arrow of a hunter. Her
cries caused the Sage to compose verses of pathos
spontaneously, and he set about to write the poem of
Ramayan. Many animals such as the cow, monkey, king
cobra, peacock etc are considered sacred by Hindus, and
we still worship the Divine in many anthropomorphic
forms. Hunting is severely frowned upon although it was
allowed to soldiers, warriors and royalty so that they
could become good marksmen. Many ancient Hindu
collections of parables employ animal characters to teach
morality (just as Aesop's fables).

Hindu scriptures are full of stories where out of
compassion, God manifested to liberate not just human
beings but also distressed animals who were praying to
the Divine for help (e.g., Gajendramoksh of Bhagavat
Puraan). Vegetarianism is encouraged, but not a
requirement. Meat eating has a stigma attached to it even
for a lot of the 75% Hindus who eat meat (the remainder
25% are vegetarians). [See "WHY HINDUS DON'T EAT MEAT"
appended below. - Jai Maharaj]

How does your faith handle euthanasia (is it OK for
animals but not humans?)

Ans: Suicide in general is condemned in Hindu scriptures
and funeral ceremonies for such people are often not
performed. But exceptions are allowed. The lawbook of
Atri (verses 214-215) states that if a man commits
suicide by throwing himself into a precipice or into fire
or water or by fasting because he is very old and cannot
observe the rules of bodily purification, or if he is so
ill that medical help cannot help him, then he is
entitled to sacraments performed for a person who died a
natural death.

Another Hindu law digest (Aparaarka) states (citing texts
such as Vivasvaan Dharmashastr and Brahmagarbh) that if a
person is tormented from an incurable disease, then he
does not commit a sin by ending his life. Hinduism also
permits person to end his life if he has fulfilled all
his duties in his life, has nothing left to accomplish,
has no responsibilities and is highly spiritual. For such
a person, suicide is merely a means of releasing his soul
from the coils of his body, and merge with the Divine.
This practice is largely prevalent today in the Jain
community, and the specter of a Jain monk committing
suicide by slow starvation ('santhaar') attracts crowds
of reverential worshippers who keep vigil till the Saint
attains Nirvana. In 1980s, a Hindu monk named Vinoba
Bhave passed away through slow starvation. The then
Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi cut short her trip to
Moscow and flew back to persuade him to resume eating,
but to no avail. When Vinoba passed away, India declared
a state mourning.

However, secular laws derived from European systems are
making such traditional practices more difficult to
maintain and in recent years, there have been instances
of monks being arrested on charges of committing suicide!

When does a person become a 'person'; is it at conception
once they become a conscious being, or somewhere in
between?

Ans: Conception is a very auspicious event, and it is
likened to a spark of Divine Being entering the womb of
the mother. Abortion at any stage is prohibited, and is
considered one of the four deadly sins in Hindu lawbooks.
Abortion just for population control is unacceptable.

According to Hindu medical texts (Charak Samhita
shariirasthan 4.8), life begins at conception but
consciousness of pain and pleasure (through the mother)
begins as early as third or fourth month in the fetus
(Sushruta Samhita, Sharirasthan 3.18).

However, the fetus starts developing a distinctive
individual personality only after the fifth month or so
when his mind develops and in the sixth month, he starts
experience independent of the mother (Charak Samhita
Sharirasthana 4.15-19 and Sushruta Samhita Sharirasthan
3.30). And by the seventh or eighth month, it is a
complete independent individual. In the last trimester,
the fetus is considered capable of recollecting its
previous births, and even assimilate or respond to
instruction given by teachers in the presence of his
mother. Therefore, Hindus like to involve pregnant
mothers in religious activities as early in pregnancy as
possible, and especially in the last few months. However,
pregnant women are debarred from a few religious
ceremonies or from recitation of some portions of the
text as this may affect the mental well being of the
expectant mother or the health of the fetus. Eg of latter
includes a portion of the Aitareya Upanishad.

What is your faith's position on same-sex marriage?

Ans: The question is somewhat superfluous in the American
society that accepts pre-marital sex, live-in type
relationships, and does not legally penalize people for
adultery. The voluminous Hindu literature does not
mention even one instance of same-sex marriage, and
homosexuality as such is mentioned very rarely, and in
negative terms. In law books, whenever it is mentioned,
the punishment is stated typically the payment of a fine.
Therefore, we would have to interpret the Hindu notion of
marriage. It may be noted that every now and then, Indian
newspapers contain reports of same-sex marriages being
solemnized by sympathetic Hindu priests although legal
registration of these marriages is not allowed by the
Indian government.

Marriage is a sacrament to which all human beings are
entitled. The threefold purpose of marriage is rati
(sexual enjoyment), praja (progeny), dharm (eligibility
to perform sacred rituals and acts of piety, not allowed
to non-married people). Of these, progeny obviously do
not result from the same-sex marriage though Hindu texts
such as Padm Puraan do state impossible and unscientific
notions as birth of children without bones when two women
have sex.

Adoption is an acceptable substitute for biological
children, but there is no Hindu precedent for same-sex
couples and of course for same-sex couples adopting
children. Participation of a married husband-wife in
Hindu rituals involves the ritual presence of both the
male and the female principle. A Hindu husband-wife are
said to be the likeness of divine couples such as Radha-
Krishna, Sita-Rama, Uma-Mahesh, Shri-Vishnu. This
likeness with the divine couple is of course not possible
for same-sex couples. This seems to indicate that a Hindu
viewpoint (together with its rare but unequivocal
condemnation of homosexuality) would argue against same-
sex marriage. But really speaking, a clear cut answer to
this question cannot be given from a Hindu perspective,
even though at least some Hindu clergy seem to be open to
performing wedding rites for same-sex couples.

Is war ever OK, and is a preemptive attack ever
justified?

Ans: War is OK if for a just cause, to ward off an
invasion, to pre-empt an attack by a neighboring nation.

However, war must be resorted to only after all other
peaceful means fail. Warfare must not affect non-
combatants, the infirm, the weak, women, children,
scholars, priests, traders and so on. Taking slaves and
booty is not allowed and very destructive weapons must
not be used indiscriminately. Standing crops of the enemy
may not be destroyed, and natural resources such as
rivers, ponds etc., cannot be defiled. Yes, a preemptive
attack may be justified out of military necessity.

End of forwarded message from "Vishal Agarwal" <vishalsagarwal@yahoo.com>

Jai Maharaj
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti

WHY HINDUS DON'T EAT MEAT

Besides being an expression of compassion
for animals, vegetarianism is followed for
ecological and health rationales

REASONS

In the past fifty years, millions of meat-eaters --
Hindus and non-Hindus -- have made the personal decision
to stop eating the flesh of other creatures. There are
five major motivations for such a decision:

1. The Dharmic Law Reason

Ahinsa, the law of noninjury, is the Hindu's first
duty in fulfilling religious obligations to God and God's
creation as defined by Vedic scripture.

2. The Karmic Consequences Reason

All of our actions, including our choice of food,
have Karmic consequences. By involving oneself in the
cycle of inflicting injury, pain and death, even
indirectly by eating other creatures, one must in the
future experience in equal measure the suffering caused.

3. The Spiritual Reason

Food is the source of the body's chemistry, and what
we ingest affects our consciousnes, emotions and
experiential patterns. If one wants to live in higher
consciousness, in peace and happiness and love for all
creatures, then he cannot eat meat, fish, shellfish, fowl
or eggs. By ingesting the grosser chemistries of animal
foods, one introduces into the body and mind anger,
jealousy, anxiety, suspicion and a terrible fear of
death, all of which are locked into the the flesh of the
butchered creatures. For these reasons, vegetarians live
in higher consciousness and meat-eaters abide in lower
consciousness.

4. The Health Reason

Medical studies prove that a vegetarian diet is
easier to digest, provides a wider ranger of nutrients
and imposes fewer burdens and impurities on the body.
Vegetarians are less susceptible to all the major
diseases that afflict contemporary humanity, and thus
live longer, healthier, more productive lives. They have
fewer physical complaints, less frequent visits to the
doctor, fewer dental problems and smaller medical bills.
Their immune system is stronger, their bodies are purer,
more refined and skin more beautiful.

5. The Ecological Reason

Planet Earth is suffereing. In large measure, the
escalating loss of species, destruction of ancient
rainforests to create pasture lands for live stock, loss
of topsoils and the consequent increase of water
impurities and air pollution have all been traced to the
single fact of meat in the human diet. No decision that
we can make as individuals or as a race can have such a
dramatic effect on the improvement of our planetary
ecology as the decision not to eat meat.

HISTORY

The book FOOD FOR THE SPIRIT, VEGETARIANISM AND THE WORLD
RELIGIONS, observes, "Despite popular knowledge of meat-
eating's adverse effects, the nonvegetarian diet became
increasingly widespread among the Hindus after the two
major invasions by foreign powers, first the Muslims and
later the British. With them came the desire to be
'civilized,' to eat as did the Saheeb. Those atually
trained in Vedic knowledge, however, never adopted a
meat-oriented diet, and the pious Hindu still observes
vegetarian principles as a matter of religious duty.

"That vegetarianism has always been widespread in
India is clear from the earliest Vedic texts. This was
observed by the ancient traveler Megasthenes and also by
Fa-Hsien, a Chinese Buddhist monk who, in the fifth
century, traveled to India in order to obtain authentic
copies of the scriptures.

"These scriptures unambiguously support the meatless
way of life. In the MAHABHARAT, for instance, the great
warrior Bheeshm explains to Yuddhishtira, eldest of the
Paandav princes, that the meat of animals is like the
flesh of one's own son. Similarly, the MANUSMRITI
declares that one should 'refrain from eating all kinds
of meat,' for such eating involves killing and and leads
to Karmic bondage (Bandh) [5.49]. Elsewhere in the Vedic
literature, the last of the great Vedic kings, Maharaja
Parikshit, is quoted as saying that 'only the animal-
killer cannot relish the message of the Absolute Truth
[Shrimad Bhagvatam 10.1.4].'"

SCRIPTURE

He who desires to augment his own flesh by eating
the flesh of other creatures lives in misery in whatever
species he may take his birth.
MAHABHARAT 115.47

Those high-souled persons who desire beauty,
faultlessness of limbs, long life, understanding, mental
and physical strength and memory should abstain from acts
of injury. MAHABHARAT 18.115.8

The very name of cow is Aghnya ["not to be killed"],
indicating that they should never be slaughtered. Who,
then could slay them? Surely, one who kills a cow or a
bull commits a heinous crime. MAHABHARAT, SHANTIPARV
262.47

The purchaser of flesh performs Hinsa (violence) by
his wealth; he who eats flesh does so by enjoying its
taste; the killer does Hinsa by actually tying and
killing the animal. Thus, there are three forms of
killing: he who brings flesh or sends for it, he who cuts
off the limbs of an animal, and he who purchases, sells
or cooks flesh and eats it -- all of these are to be
considered meat-eaters. MAHABHARAT, ANU 115.40

He who sees that the Lord of all is ever the same
in all that is -- immortal in the field of mortality --
he sees the truth. And when a man sees that the God in
himself is the same God in all that is, he hurts not
himself by hurting others. Then he goes, indeed, to the
highest path. BHAGVAD GEETA 13.27-28

Ahinsa is the highest Dharm. Ahinsa is the best
Tapas. Ahinsa is the greatest gift. Ahinsa is the
highest self-control. Ahinsa is the highest sacrifice.
Ahinsa is the highest power. Ahinsa is the highest
friend. Ahinsa is the highest truth. Ahinsa is the
highest teaching. MAHABHARAT 18.116.37-41

What is the good way? It is the path that reflects
on how it may avoid killing any creature. TIRUKURAL 324

All that lives will press palms together in
prayerful adoration of those who refuse to slaughter and
savor meat. TIRUKURAL 260

What is virtuous conduct? It is never destroting
life, for killing leads to every other sin. TIRUKURAL
312, 321

Goodness is never one with the minds of these two:
one who wields a weapon and one who feasts on a
creature's flesh. TIRUKURAL 253

Copyright (C) 1993, Himalayan Academy, All Rights
Reserved. The information contained in this news report
may not be republished in any form without the prior
written authority of Himalayan Academy.
This is an authorized reproduction.

Jai Maharaj
Born in a Hindu family in Bharat, and a vegetarian since birth
http://www.mantra.com/jai
Om Shanti

Hindu Holocaust Museum
http://www.mantra.com/holocaust

Hindu life, principles, spirituality and philosophy
http://www.hindu.org
http://www.hindunet.org

The truth about Islam and Muslims
http://www.flex.com/~jai/satyamevajayate

The terrorist mission of Jesus stated in the Christian bible:

"Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not so send
peace, but a sword.
"For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the
daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in
law.
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
- Matthew 10:34-36.

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