7 Jain Spiritual Leaders Who Have Asked Their Followers To Go Vegan

Jainism is an ancient Indian religion that preaches very disciplined ahimsa (non-violence) as one of its most important value systems. Jainism teaches its followers that to achieve spiritual purity and enlightenment, one has to live a life of absolute harmlessness and renunciation. To achieve this, many spiritual leaders from the Jain community, through their discourses, advise people on how to navigate their daily lives with knowledge passed down from the manuscripts and learnings.

Animals and nature play a major part in many Jain teachings. A very popular theme in Jain art is the Samavasarana which is an image of an enlightened spiritual teacher sitting on an elevated throne. Below this throne are over 30,000 steps where humans and animals alike are sitting and absorbing the sermon being taught.

Jains bring their tenets of non-violence into everything they do including their breathing, eating, and lifestyle habits. While Jains avoid animal flesh and eggs, they also avoid tubers or anything fresh that grows under the ground along with some fruits.

Veganism shares one of its major philosophies with Jainism, reducing or preventing the suffering of animals. While vegans may have other reasons to avoid animal products in their diet and lifestyle, they do not consume or use anything that comes from an animal.

Jains are still allowed to consume milk from other animals, but the truth is that dairy is a cruel business. Recognizing this cruelty, many Jain spiritual leaders have expressed their support to the movement of animal justice in their sermons and teachings because it aligns with the purpose of Jainism- ahimsa.

Gurudev Chitrabhanu Ji

Gurudev Chitrabhanu Ji realized very early on that if meat was considered violent, dairy should also be avoided since it was a product of suffering. In the early 90s, he started promoting the idea of veganism through his talks in India and abroad. He mentioned how the calves were sent off to the veal industry, the mother cows were not allowed to feed their young, and that dairy was a life of suffering for the cow. In supporting this cycle of suffering by consuming dairy, he believed that human beings will also suffer. He spoke about how there were enough alternatives to dairy like soya milk and almond milk and how it was important to stop the suffering of every single animal in Jainism.

Gurudev Chitrabhanu Ji
Image Courtesy gurudevchitrbhanu.org

Viharshsagar Maharaj Ji

In his sermons,  like this one, Viharshsagar Maharaj Ji show images of cows from the dairy industry to make his point about the cruelty behind milk. He further elaborates how the lifespan of cows reduce due to the demand for milk and that every glass of milk contains blood and pus. He says that when we continue to allow our choices to affect animals, it will affect us too.  He says that every religion preaches kindness to creatures, so the choice to go vegan is not a religious one, but rather comes from the understanding that our consumption affects animals.

Viharshasagar Maharaj Ji
Image Courtesy: Viharsh Garjna Facebook

Acharya Shrutsagar Maharaj Ji

Acharya Shrutsagar Maharaj Ji, in his sermon, starts off by saying ‘we must eat to live not live to eat". He further adds that honey and milk actually cause disease and affect our health. People who consume milk will have digestion and bone health concerns. He says that when we eat a Papaya, we are able to use the seeds to plant more papayas. The same cannot be said about animal products. He advises people to go slow and drop milk and milk products out of their diets slowly with the aim to cut out milk completely from the diet.

Acharya Shrustsahar Maharaj Ji
Image Courtesy:  Facebook
 

Labdhisagar Maharaj Saheb

Labdhisagar Maharaj Saheb himself quit dairy in 2012. He says on this planet only mammals make milk for their own young and that only young animals including human babies) need milk only in infancy. Human beings are the only ones who drink milk from other animals. He further goes on to enumerate that even if the saints and holy men of the past consumed milk and its derivatives, it was consumed in medicinal quantities. Cows, who used to be part of the family are now part of an industrialized sector and are being treated like machines. They are eventually being sold to slaughterhouses after being terribly ill-treated. In Jainism, milk and milk products, oil and fried food, and sweets are considered ‘vigai’- meaning they are detrimental to human beings and will cause hindrances in the road to spirituality.

Labdhisagar Maharaj Ji
Image Courtesy: Ahimsa Fest
 

Sadhvi Vaibhavshree Ji

Sahdvi Vaibhavishee Ji, says that while cow’s milk is considered medicinal, cows are being sent to slaughterhouses as a result of dairy. Our minds are always battling with whether we should give up things we like. She strongly believes dairy is cruel and that humans are taking away milk meant for baby calves. Mother cows are sentient beings who are being abused in the dairy industry. She says everyone knows the hard truth. She says our reasons for the consumption of milk – protein or calcium don’t hold anymore. We consume milk because it is a childhood habit and for taste. Milk was not available in surplus before and people used to not have so much milk in their homes and in their diets. They ate millets and vegetables but never bothered about protein or calcium. She believes if the food is bad, the body and mind will go bad. It’s not only Jains, but everyone must adopt veganism to be kind to animals.

Sadhvi Vaibhavshree Ji

Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni Ji

Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni Ji is a poet, social reformer, and founder of Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti. Through Ahimsa Vishwa Bharti, he regularly addresses events to show his support and spread the message of peace, non-violence, and harmony for all. He also mentions that dairy and animal products harm our bodies and minds and are best avoided.

Acharya Dr. Lokesh Muni Ji
Image Courtesy: @munilokesh twitter

Aryika Shree Chaitanyamati Mataji

In her talk, she says people believe milk is beneficial, but it is not appropriate that we separate the calf from its mother. Cows are producing more and more milk by being injected with chemicals and this milk should not be consumed. She says she has personally witnessed how much a mother cow suffers when their babies are taken away and when she is forced to be milked by humans. She adds that milk and meat are two sides of the same coin and must be renounced. She urges her followers to see the truth for themselves and give up animal products.

Acharya Chaitanyamati Mata Ji
Image Courtesy: Digjainwiki

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