Vegetarianism
Traditionally Hindus are vegetarians. Unfortunately this has changed nowadays for many Hindus due to the influence of other cultures and religions.
Hindu Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is a core aspect of the ancient Hindu way of life. The most
traditional form of vegetarianism in Hinduism is to eat no meat, no fish, no
eggs, no onion, no garlic, and no mushroom. Fish and eggs are considered other
forms of meat. Meat is avoided due to the philosophy of ahimsa, which means no
needless harming of other beings. The Hindu viewpoint is that if you wish to
bring peace to your inner being, you must live a life that does not involve
violence. Eating animals is considered an extreme act of violence and also is
considered to bring on a violent state of mind. Onion, garlic, and mushrooms are
avoided due to the energy state they are considered to bring to those who eat
them.
Ecological Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism not only makes sense spiritually, but also economically for Hindus. It takes far more resources to raise animals for the purpose of eventually eating them then it does to instead produce vegetable food for humans. Also one must consider the amount of pollution the meat industry creates, for instance water, soil, and methane gas pollution, and then you can see why it makes greater sense to not eat meat.
Sacred Cows
Cows are considered sacred in Hinduism because just as human mothers give
milk for sustaining us when we are a infant, the mother cow gives milk for
sustaining us when we are an adult. In India, the cradle of Hinduism, cows are
allowed to roam freely so that they can eat the food items that humans throw
away. Thus they help to keep the cities and towns clean. Also their dung is very
useful for the more traditional living as it is commonly burnt as fuel for heat
and cooking. It is well known through science that the dung of cows contains
anti-biotic properties. The male cows are used to help pull the plow and to
carry items and other work tasks. This way the cow is the friend and extremely
valuable helper of humans. When cows die of natural causes their hides are used
for leather. Cows are never killed in Hindu society. This is considered highly
against dharma. In ancient times the number of cows someone owned was a direct
sign of their wealth. Cows were given as gifts or payments.
To learn more about vegetarianism please see the website for
Peta.