Why is Eating Meat Wrong?

People’s actions are a direct result of the environment in which they are brought up in and they reflect those values instilled within them. Thus, if from birth one has grown up in a family who always consumed meat without questioning what they are doing, then the infant will follow not knowing any difference. Thus, there is no question of guilt as they are unaware of the consequences of eating meat. It is not until the child has grown up and discovered that it is possible to be a vegetarian and understood there is able to distinguish between what is beneficial and not beneficial for him he or she will adopt the principle that his parents have instilled into him. Essentially whether you are or not a vegetarian very much depends upon your karmic deeds from your previous lives. If you had an intent in your previous life not to eat meat then no matter what happens you will refrain from consuming it. Even if you eventually end up eating the meat due to circumstances you will continuously maintain from within him - this is wrong. However, if one has instilled the seeds of wanting to eat meat in their previous life then in this life no matter what would occur you will eventually end up doing so. Thus, whether you are a vegetarian or a meat eater, no one is in fact at fault, as this is dependent upon previous karmic accounts and external circumstances. However, it is important for those who consume meat that they are made aware of the consequences of their actions and deeds. When animals are being slaughtered there is fear in their eyes and the screams are heart wrenching. Most people however, never ever see this but consume meat which has been killed and prepared by someone else. If a person continues to eat meat despite the dire consequences, they will most certainly incur a liability for hurting another living being. Ultimately our intent should be not to hurt any other living being by thought, deed or speech. We as human beings have no right to inflict pain onto any other living being. Every living being has a Soul within them. And by killing and eating that animal we have hurt that Soul within him, which is the same as hurting our Soul. Every time we inflict pain we should ask for forgiveness.Many consume meat for the purpose of their health. They believe that nutrients derived from meat cannot be drawn from vegetables and such. Which is delusion as there are many healthy individuals in the world who are vegetarian. For all the vegetarians, do not judge the non-vegetarian, by doing so one will incur greater liability then the non-vegetarian through our egoism of "look at me I am a vegetarian, I never have killed or harmed anyone". Through our hatred and opinions for them will bind greater accountability. It is better to pray internally, that they may attain the right understanding thus attain the strength to cease from consuming meat. By eating meat, one’s internal awareness is diminished, and it compromises his ‘grasping power’, which in turn becomes an obstruction to their ability to comprehend his true Self.Authored by: Dada Bhagwan