Terpsichorean Paraplegia

Don't vegetables feel pain too?

One of the questions asked of vegetarians concerns the death or suffering of plants. How can I, avoiding karma negatively influencing my future life/lives by not causing pain or death in an animal, justify causing pain and death to a plant?

Firstly, a plant's nervous system, if we can call it that, is not as advanced as that of an animal. But this alone isn't justification enough. Still the plant suffers, still the plant dies, still that suffering appear on my karmic record. My solution is to offer first the food to the Lord Krsna. By having my food blessed by the process of offering it into the presence of God, the karmic reaction is reduced to zero. The Lord cancels out the suffering; He knows about it, therefore He, who controls karma - in fact karma is a part of His universal body - can protect our souls, our futures, from the negativity created by causing suffering in another lifeform.

It is God in his infinite love that supplied this food for us, therefore we must thank Him.

posted by chelonius @ 12:32