Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism is the practice of not eating meat or fish. People who follow vegetarianism are called vegetarians. Vegetarians eat foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and grains. Some vegetarians eat or drink some things that come from animals, like milk and eggs. They are called lacto-ovo vegetarians.
Reasons for not eating meat vary. Some think that it is wrong to kill animals, others think that eating meat is bad for their health or the world. This is because land used for animals can be used to grow food. Some people may become vegetarians because of their religion.
Vegetarians who do not eat milk and eggs are called vegans. Vegans also often will not use animal products like leather, but many vegetarians do use animal products.
Some people who call themselves vegetarians and eat fish or sea food are not vegetarians, because fish and sea animals are also animals. Such people are sometimes called "pescetarians". There are also many people who are not vegetarians, but do not eat too much animal food. Some eat only very little meat (so-called "flexitarians" or "semi-vegetarians"), some eat only fowl ("pollotarians"). There is also a philosophy called freeganism, it means eating animal products only if otherwise they will be thrown away to garbage - such as food thrown away by restaurants.
Religious and spiritual.
Most vegetarians in the world are Hindu. Hinduism and Jainism in general teach vegetarianism, while Buddhism may or may not. Without any specific religion, some people in the Western world also follow a vegetarian diet because it may deepen inner spiritual connections (for example, James Redfield). Mahatma Gandhi said that spiritual experiences are greatly enhanced on a vegetarian diet.
Hinduism.
Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way to live with a minimum of hurt to other beings. In today’s world, about twenty percent of all Hindus are vegetarians. There are approximately 200 million vegetarians in India, the world's largest population of non meat eaters. More vegetarians live in the South of India than in the North, because the North is colder. For yoga and meditation, it is wise to be vegetarian.
The Hindu who believes in non-injury or nonviolence (ahimsa) naturally adopts a vegetarian diet. It is a matter of conscience more than anything else. The Vedic and Puranic scriptures of Hinduism explain that animals have souls and the act of killing animals brings bad karma because the killer will suffer the pain of the animal he has killed in this life or the next. Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami adds that when we eat meat, fish, fowl and eggs, we absorb the vibration of the creatures into our nerves. This promotes fear, anger, jealousy, confusion, resentment and the like. The Manu Dharma Shastras state, “When the diet is pure, the mind and heart are pure.” Generally there is the belief, based on scriptures such as Bhagavad Gita, that one's food shapes the personality, mood and mind.
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