Thanks-Giving Meal Prayer
Start
the Thanks-Giving Meal with the seven contemplations, or with whatever
traditional grace or prayer you prefer to use to express our gratitude.
Honor the Food
1.
This food is the gift of the whole universe:
the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard, loving work.
2.
May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so
as to be worthy to receive it.
3.
May we recognize and transform our unwholesome
mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
4.
May we keep our compassion alive by eating in
such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, preserve our planet, and
reverse the process of global warming.
5.
May we ask for forgiveness from all living beings
that we may have harmed, intentionally or unintentionally. May peace and compassion grow in ourselves and
extend to all around us.
6.
May we pray that all the people everywhere in
the world will avoid inflicting harm on animals and fellow human beings and practice
nonviolence and compassion.
7.
We accept this food so that we may nurture our
sisterhood and brotherhood, strengthen our community, and nourish our ideal of serving
all living beings.
16 Million People
in The United States are Now Vegan or Vegetarian!
In 2009, only 1.0% of the U.S. population (3.20
million people) reported as vegetarian or vegan. Now in 2016, 5% (16 million) people
is vegetarian and half of those (8 million) people
are completely vegan.
The rates have skyrocketed over the last five years
and studies show the rates are climbing.
The Reason Why the U.S. is Going Vegan
or Vegetarian
To think that 16 million people in this country
eat absolutely no animal products is amazing, considering the degree to which meat
and dairy has an impact on most of American culture.
The reason seems to involve a mix of various factors,
with the largest impact coming from how much we have
learned about commercial farming and animal treatment over the last five years.
· 42% of those who do not eat animal products say that they went vegan
after they saw an educational film.
·
69% percent said they chose to eat a vegan diet to support the ethical
treatment of animals.
· 45% say they transitioned into veganism over time and 52% of all
Vegan people say they have been vegan for less than 10 years.
Which Other Factors are Involved in the Vegan
or Vegetarian Transition?
Today 79% of total vegans and 59% of total vegetarians
are woman. It seems like men have a harder time giving up animal and dairy products
than women
According to Google, people
are searching for the keyword “vegan” increasingly
more. In 2007, there were only 1600 results
for “vegan” searches, but in 2014 this number increased to over 24,000.
Restaurants are also changing by either offering
a vegan or vegetarian entree and many new exclusive vegan restaurants are open now
that weren’t around five years ago.
Supermarkets now cater to vegans and offer more
vegan or vegetarian products and the online raw vegan food industry has been thriving
the last five years and only continues to grow. In
fact, it’s now estimated that by 2050, America may be a “vegan country”, at least
by a large percentage!
Celebrities also make up a significant portion of
those who are vegan or vegetarian. Athletes,
talk show hosts, millionaires, and even political figures are now turning to a veggie-based
diet or a completely vegan diet. There are 32 verified
celebrities who are vegan and their
names are as follows:
1. Ellen Page,
2. Jessica Chastain, 3. James Cromwell, 4. Alicia Silverstone, 5. Ariana Grande,
6. Ellen DeGeneres, 7. Joaquin Phoenix, 8. Miley Cyrus, 9. Liam Hemsworth, 10. Woody
Harrelson, 11. Mayim Bialik, 12. Joan Jett, 13. Bellamy Young, 14. Casey Affleck,
15. Daniella Monet, 16. Moby, 17. Dawn Richard, 18. Morrissey, 19. Russell Simmons,
20. Sia, 21. Stevie Wonder, 22. Pamela Anderson, 23. RZA, 24. Peter Dinklage, 25.
James Cameron, 26. Kate Mara, 27. Rooney Mara, 28. Al Gore, 29. Evanna Lynch, 30.
Wacka Flocka Flame, 31. Travis Barker, 32. Mya,
A healthy vegan, vegetarian, or a
plant-based diet is a smart and sustainable way to live that can potentially decrease
your ecological footprint and greatly improve the health of our nation.
Benefits of a Healthy Vegan Diet
Health:
§ Highly processed
and refined foods can cause inflammation in your body. Animal products tend to be
acidic in nature, also being a cause inflammation. Eating a plant-based diet with
plenty of organic vegetables and fruits can provide your body with essential vitamins,
minerals and antioxidants that
are easily digestible, keeping you healthy and energized.
Environment:
§ The planet
is our home we must take care of it. Reducing your animal product intake can reduce
the carbon footprint. If we choose to eat local product, it is the best way to reduce
it even more.
Economy:
§ If you shop
local, organic and seasonal, you can take the control back and prevent corporations
from dictating your life and you will be supporting local farmers and businesses.
Compassion:
§ Believe it
or not, but as you start eating plant-based, your compassion can increase. You can
naturally start caring more about animals, nature and other people around you.
No
longer is veganism the diet for hippies and health nuts; as per statistics, it’s
now just a smart way to live a healthy life, help to decrease our ecological footprint,
and enhance our compassionate nature towards all living beings in the universe.
Pravin K Shah
JAINA Education Committee
Jain eLibrary Project
jainaedu@gmail.com
Nov 14, 2016
SO far the main reasons have been either cruelty to animals which make compassionate people turn vegan/vegetarian or it is the health reasons. I wish we can preach deeper principals of Ahimsa as per Jainism to make people understand various forms of hinsa, not just to 'Panchendriya' jiva but all lives from 'Ekindriya' to 'panchendriya'. Good article.
ReplyDeleteFor the last 27 years, I have been a periodical vegetarian. I give up non-vegetarian food continuously for 13 months and have non-vegetarian food once in a week for the next 11 months. Such a habit has minimized my like or dislike for any particular food and I can enjoy the taste of every food as desirable.
ReplyDelete