People choose a vegetarian lifestyle for a variety of reasons. Among them are:
1. Health: A well-balanced vegetarian diet promotes vibrant health and longevity.In summary, a vegetarian diet is the most healthful, least harmful way to live. It is an essential underpinning for a truly holistic, spiritually-attuned lifestyle and completion of karma.2. Environmental ethic: We promote sustainable agriculture - practices which nourish the earth and protect and respect the land which sustains us.
3. Work ethic: A vegetarian diet promotes the ethic of tilling the soil for sustenance from plants, rather than relying on animals who have eaten plants. A diet centered on organic vegetarian foods also supports those who till and replenish the soil. In contrast, eating meat supports those who abuse animals for profit.
4. Minimum violence ethic: It is not possible to live without taking some form of life. As humans, we are responsible for exercising the phenomenal gift of discrimination to procure our food. It is man's responsibility to protect plants and animals, to use only those plants that are necessary for his own survival, and to return the gift of life by loving stewardship of the soil.
5. Karma: All religions teach that we reap what we sow, whether in one life or many. Any killing of higher life forms (humans and animals), except to protect other sentient beings, incurs enormous karmic burden.
6. Spiritual experience: Tolerance, compassion, and respect for all life are core principles in the spiritual path, no matter what one's religion or ethnic background. This is not just theoretical ethics; it's a matter of personal experience. Yogis and advanced practitioners worldwide practice a vegetarian lifestyle to purify their bodies and to minimize their karmic burden. They experience greater harmony as soon as they give up meat, and maintain much faster progress with a vegetarian diet. Access to the subtler realms of spirit is granted only to vegetarians.
