Indians and their Spiritual Beliefs About Meat Eating
India is the seventh largest country in the world with an area of 3,287,463 square kilometers. It is located on the Asian continent in the South Asia Indian subcontinental region. The Himalayas and the Thar desert generally influence India’s climate (Asianinfo, 2010). India has a wide variety of climatic areas that range from tropical rainforest in the southern region to cold desert in the Himalayan north. The nation’s population density is around 382 people per square kilometer. Additionally, education is free and compulsory. The main occupational basis of India’s economy is agriculture. India’s income per capita was $1670 in 2016 and was classified as the 112th of 164 nations by the World Bank.
Indians like any other community in the world have spiritual beliefs. Their main religion is Hinduism, which believes that all living things are the same, and therefore, eating meat is on a par with eating human flesh (Eaton, 2013). They also believe that cows are holy, therefore, they should not be harmed. Indians also believe that participating in causing pain, harm, and killing, and eating other creatures, is bound to haunt humans later. Indian Hindus believe the same amount of suffering they participated in will be inflicted on them at some point in the future, due to a belief in karma (McDermott, 2017).
Indian Hindus believe that what is taken into the body has an impact on the subconscious mind and feelings. Therefore, for one to live a fulfilled, peaceful, and happy life, he or she should avoid consuming meat. Apart from believing that animals have the same stature as humans, hence should not be harmed, Hindus are of the opinion that when one eats animals, he or she introduces anger, anxiety, and fear of death into the mind, which are all sealed into the muscle tissues, or meat, of the animals that have been slaughtered. Indians also have beliefs that forbid them from taking eggs as part of their diet. However, cow’s milk and milk products like ghee, paneer, and curd, are widely consumed, which are sources of protein for vegetarians and very vital to the diet. The fact that the cow produces such nutritious bounty from her milk is part of reason they are considered sacred.
References
Asianinfo. (2010, March 7). India’s geography. Asianinfo. Retrieved from: http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/india/pro-geography.htm
Eaton, C. (2013, June 14). Religions’ impacts peoples diets. Healthy UNH. Retrieved from: http://www.unh.edu//healthyunh/blog/2013/06/religion’s-impact-peoples-diets
McDermott, M. (2017, September 29). Four things about Hinduism and vegetarianism. The Haf Blog. Retrieved from: https://www.hafsite.org/blog/4-things-about-hinduism-and-vegetarianism/