being a vegetarian??

[spiritual peace]

yes, now i understand what you mean by spiritual cost..nice way of putting it.... hmm just researched and read an interesting article about the 5 stages (khands)..... learnt many new things from you...
thank you for all your answers kjsinghhyd.

[David Singh]

Dear Spiritual Peace,

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh

I agree that as Sikhs we are not allowed to eat meat.

I once heard a story about the lion who is about to eat the sheep, when the sheep laughs. Why are you laughing asked the lion, as I am about to kill you and eat you. The sheep replied, I have ate grass all my life and this is happening to me, I wonder what will happen to you.

In the west animals are even being killed in the process of dairy farming:

http://www.vegsoc.org/page.aspx?pid=556

"Many of the approximately 482,000 young males currently born are killed shortly after birth, they are either shot or electrically stunned. Other calves are exported on long journeys to continental veal farms"

As such can we and should we consume milk and milk products, knowing that they too are tainted with blood?

Kind regards,

David Singh

[Dr.Kaur]

our little stomach has trypsin, chymotrypsin, pepsin to digest proteins and meat is a protein and our GIT is so beautifully designed that it does not digest itself and digests only foreign protein and we have lactose enzyme to digest milk some people lack lactose hence get diarrhea after consuming milk (i am becoming lactose intolerant and am thinking of switching to lactose free milk), our canine teeth are designed to sheer meet and we used to have third molars to chew on hard roots (early man) but we do not need those teeth any more as we eat cooked meals, more n more people have impacted 3rd molars and 3rd molar surgery is pretty expensive

[BindasGirl]

I am a white American from the USA, dating a baptized Sikh from Punjab and he is very religious. However, he prefers non-veg over veg. I am reading this thread with much interest as I would think he would be strict veg but he is not. Do Sikh's have a choice being veg or non-veg or is it stated that they should be strictly veg?

[sbajwa]

According to Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji! Only fools argue over food! A living thing needs another living thing to survive. All plants, vegetables, fruits and water is living. If I could live without eating a living thing I would but that's not how waheguru has made me!

so I eat the flesh of tomato and grind the children of wheat into flour to knead and make bread, I boil the children of pulses to make "daal" along with my bread "roti"

so stop arguing over food!! Eat what you can digest and not an ounce more!! Here are some quotes from SGGS

"Phite eiheha jiveya jit khaye vadhaya paet"
Cursed is the life in which one only eats to fill his/her bell (Sri Guru Nanak dev ji in SGGS page 790)

"Baba hor khana khushi khwaar, jih khaede tanpidiyae man meh chale vikar"
Friends indulging in excessive eating and all other pleasures are vain. for they fill the mind with evil and make body writhe in pain. (Sri Guru Nanak dev ji in SGGS page 16)

"Dhoti khol vichaeye heth, gardhap vange lahe paet"
He sits down on his "Dhoti" and gulps like a donkey all that comes to his way
Sri Guru Arjan dev ji (Sri Guru Granth Sahib page 201)

[QKB]

Here are my two cents about this topic:

Try your best to refrain from Kaam, Krodh, Lobh, Moh, and Ahankar. As you strive for this goal, everything else will fall into place. If refraining from meat makes you feel superior to someone who eats meat, your refraining from meat has just lead to ahankar (ego), go to KFC and have a bucket of chicken because eating meat is not as bad as ego. If you think consuming meat leads you to hang out with friends who also visit bars, give up meat because it may lead to kaam (lust). If you develop krodh (anger) at your spouse because she eats meat, better take her out for a steak and give up anger. What I am trying to say here is that as Sikhs we are to conquer these five vices of Kaam, Kroth, Lobh, Moh, Ahankar and with this goal, other decisions become easy. Guru Ji has not dictated to us one way or the other about veg or non veg. He clearly says that only fools argue about such things.

QKB

[Guest]

I have read all the posts and find them interesting.

For years I have contemplated vegetarianism on and off but I am at disadvantage from birth. I am intolerant to milk and any of its derivatives like cheese and yoghurt, I am intolerant to wheat and gluten and I am intolerant to cumin (jeera) which is in almost every Indian dish including langur. Basically i am stuffed for choice when it comes to a vegetarian protein source and a rich carbohydrate source like wheat which is found everywhere. Weddings, parties and eating out is massive stress due to the limited choices if I was vegetarian which I am seriously considering.

Above all of this the 5 vices seem to constantly stand out perhaps I should focus on these?

[princess_Kaur_20]

I am a lacto-vegetarian but, from what I understand, it is written in the Rehat Maryada:

http://www.gurunanakdarbar.net/sikhrehatmaryada.pdf (pg.24)

'Eating the meat of an animal slaughtered the Muslim way'

I guess this is becuase the animal is killed more 'inhumanely' (even though I believe killing animals in inhumane anyway) and also blessed with God's name, when this is against the teachings of SIkhi.

However, what I wanted to know is: Why did Guru Gobind Singh Ji and the Singhs go hunting and kill animals? Did they eat them? And why do Nihang Singhs slaughter animals and still eat meat if it is written in Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji that you should not eat meat?

Thanks :)

[singhc]

THE SIXTH, SEVENTH AND TENTH GURU JI USED TO DO HUNTING --
BUT WAS IT FOR EATING MEAT ?
(By Bhai Prahlad Singh Ji) Some of the meat consumers try to justify their act through the hunting incidents by Guru Ji. They get false impression that if Guru Ji used to hunt animals, probably they used to eat their meat too. But various sikh scriptures witness that guru ji used not to hunt for eating. We read in many verses written by Guru Ji themselves, Bhagats in Guru Granth Sahib Ji which strictly and clearly instruct the sikhs against killing animals and eating their meat. It also does not fit with philosophy of "having mercy on creatures of God" and "Sarbat da Bhalla". Guruji clearly says mercy is mother of religion and without mercy the spirtual light can not be ignighted within anyone.
"Dhaul Dharam Daiya ka poot" in Japu ji Sahib.
and
"Nirdaiya nahi joti ujala" in Ramkali M. 1 page 906.

From the details given by Guru ji themselves about some of hunting incidents, it becomes very clear that the hunting used to be done to free their former followers or Bhagats from the cycle of death and birth as animals. Let us have a closer look on some of the huntings done by Guru Jis:

[Ricky100]

Well i am also a vegetarian so i prefer always vegetables to eat. I suggest everyone to eat vegetables only for healthy living because vegetables are natural food. Anyway its a nice topic and i really like it.