Jain leader Labdisagar Maharaj Saheb urges his followers to go vegan!

Jainism is one of the many religions practiced in India that teaches peace and harmony in any form. According to BBC's definition, Jainism 'teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live a life of harmlessness and renunciation. Jain life is to achieve liberation of the soul'. A lot of the teachings do preach against harming any sentient being on the planet and resonates with the concept of veganism. However there is one big difference between the two, many Jains are allowed to consume dairy.

Image Courtesy Alert.org.in
 

There is however a few Jain leaders who are speaking up against the cruel dairy industry and asking their followers to give it up and follow a vegan diet. One such leader is Labdisagar Maharaj Saheb, who at a recent gathering in Mumbai gave a speech about consuming animals and animal-derived products. He has been dairy-free for over 5 years and has a lot of knowledge about the dairy industry that he constantly speaks against.

According to Alert.org.in, Labdisagar Maharaj Saheb has addressed issues such as the ‘amount of blood & pus traces found in dairy products today’ and even spoke about how the dairy industry in itself goes against the principals of Ahimsa. Also stated in Alert.org.in, the leader has said: “Mother’s milk is for the child and only till he/she is a child”. He speaks in many different regional languages to make his sentiments clear. Statements like these are now being talked about for the first time in Jain households and that gives vegans everywhere a sense of hope.

There is also this viral video with Jain Leader, Shri Viharsh Sagar Ji Maharaj, who spoke about veganism and the dairy industry. Another inspiring speech. Check it out!