Palitana sets a good example!
Dear friends,
This is such spectacular news. I would love to live in such a city. India is such a rich and ancient society of thinkers, advanced culture, literature, philosophers and is the land where three major religions of the world has arisen from. I am not surprised a city in India would do this. India is well known for it’s deep spirituality. I just hope and wish many more cities in the world will follow suit. This news really makes me truly happy. Animals will be safe from butchers in Palitana.
My prayers and congratulations to the lawmakers and citizens of Palitana. You truly are a inspirational trailblazer.
Tsem Rinpoche
Indian City Becomes First Vegetarian City in the World
Worldcrunch reports a historic change in Palitana, an Indian city, which has become the first all-vegetarian city in the world.
Behind this revolutionary change are the Jain monks who went on a hunger strike to pressure the state of Gujarat to outlaw animal slaughter in their city. The hunger strike was successful and the Gujarat government imposed a ban on animal slaughter and outlawed the sale of meat and eggs.
About 5 million people in India practice Jainism and agree with the ban.
Virat Sagar Maharaj, a Jain monk, says, “Everyone in this world – whether animal or human being or a very small creature – has all been given the right to live by God.”
As individuals, the best thing you can do to protect animals is to adopt a kind vegan lifestyle. For more information and tips for transitioning to a vegan diet, check out ChooseVeg.com.
Source: http://www.mfablog.org/indian-city-becomes-first-vegetarian-city
Please support us so that we can continue to bring you more Dharma:
If you are in the United States, please note that your offerings and contributions are tax deductible. ~ the tsemrinpoche.com blog team
Thank you for the interesting sharing, I’m happy to discover the worlds first and only Vegetarian city of Palitana. This city is also associated with Jain legends history and considered the most sacred pilgrimage place.
It’s quite surprise to believe this small city, fully covered with hill and mountains has more than 3000 temples, Truly Unbelievable!. I hope to visit this holy site during my visit to India and enjoy its pure Jain cuisine.
Palitana, an Indian city, which has become the first all-vegetarian city in the world. Been the first city in the world to ban animal slaughter completely and they would not even hurt a fly. Wow… Palitana sets an example for the rest of the world to go on vegetarian .
Thank you Rinpoche for this interesting read.
It’s a whole city that has adopted a vegan lifestyle. It’s stunning.
Wow …..there is such a city in India ,which was a eye opening for me. This Indian city Palitana becomes world’s first vegetarian city . This city a major pilgrimage centre for Jains religion and is known for being the largest cluster of Jain temples.They have take an approached to protect all sentient beings to go on vegetarian lifestyle. More or less a vegan as no eggs. The government has even made illegal of the buying and selling of meat, fish and eggs, and also related jobs or work, such as fishing. And has declared Palitana a meat-free zone prohibiting animal slaughter within the town’s limits.
Jainism is one of the oldest religions in the world and preaches a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article.
Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances of survival of life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet…..quoted by Albert Einstein
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing this article. Palitana in India is such an inspirational to many other countries in the world. May many more countries adopt this vegan diet in the near future.
With folded palms,
Vivian
Dear Rinpoche,
Thank you for sharing this. It is very good to see that a whole city now bans the slaughter of animals and go vegetarian. With the passing of the law, many animals are saved from being butchered just to fill our stomach. When one city set an example, this will open up an opportunity for more city to follow. This is a good proof that the awareness of being vegetarian is rising.
Humbly,
Chris
This is wonderful news and sounds too good to be true. If more cities become vegetarian like Palitana, there would be much less sufferings in the world. Less animals will be killed and live in horrendous conditions.
Less forests will be deforested to rear animals for slaughter. Which means more oxygen in the atmosphere and less greenhouse contributing gas.
Peta.org states, “America’s meat addiction is poisoning and depleting our potable water, arable land, and clean air. A staggering 51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture, according to a report published by the Worldwatch Institute. More than half of the water used in the United States today goes to animal agriculture, and since farmed animals produce 130 times more excrement than the human population, the run-off from their waste is fouling our waterways. Animal excrement emits gasses, such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which poison the air around farms, as well as methane and nitrous oxide, which are major contributors to global warming.
Forests are being bulldozed to make more room for factory farms and crops to feed farmed animals, and this destruction causes soil erosion and contributes to species extinction and habitat loss. Raising animals for food also requires massive amounts of food and raw materials: Farmed animals consume 70 percent of the corn, wheat, and other grains that we grow, and one-third of all the raw materials and fossil fuels used in the U.S. go to raising animals for food. In short, our country’s meat addiction is wrecking the earth.”
The benefits of being vegetarian are tremendous. For the betterment of our future generations, it is a logical choice to make.
This is wonderful news. This shows that animal slaughter knowledge and the roots and reasons to become vegetarian is getting stronger. That is amazing. I am a vegetarian because I do not want animals to get slaughtered. I totally agree with what they are doing and it is a start to a world where people are aware and smarter. Hopefully this is just a stepping stone to spreading awareness to other things that will eventually lead to a perfect world. Not one with cruelty.
First vegetarian city? That is a great sound. I will go there one day. The reasons behind it are also amazing besides the fact that is is to save animals. The people believe and understand that all creatures on this earth has the right to live and we all should not be given a bad life that is taken away from us. Knowing that they live too is a perfect understanding. That is what I believe in.
Would like to see more and more vegetarian cities in the world! This is such a great news, animals, small or big, together with human living peacefully and safe in the city of Palitana. 🙂
this is indeed a great news! More and more people see the importance of of going meatless. This is a right step forward for many more country to to ban animal slaughter and become vegetarian.
such action of no killing and become vegetarian allow the person or group to collect merits and good karma.
Thanks Rinpoche for sharing this news. This is absolutely an encouraging new law. I am really happy for the animals who are staying in the city. I can feel the compassion and the inner beauty of the citizen there, is not easy to outlaw this as not everyone is or willing to be vegetarian. I like what the Jain monk Virat Sagar Maharaj said “Everyone in this world – whether animal or human being or a very small creature – has all been given the right to live by God.” Yes, all beings have rights to live and why and who we think we are for taking their lives away. I hope I can visit this city one day.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing the good news from Palitana, which is the first city I’m the world to adopt all – vegetarian food city and imposed ban on animals killing and egg and meat selling. If we start from individuals to become full vegetarian, I believe we can form a small community that take meatless and vegetarian food before we can aim to follow the good example from Palitana. May all animals be free from sufferings and pain.
This is such an amazing rejoicing news! I rejoice for the people of Palitana! Wow imagine the amount of good karma the whole city collects from not harming, killing, eating animals?! What a beautiful city! Really we can make heaven a a place on earth… it is all up to us. It is amazing to see this especially at this day and age where the world seems to be more materialistic. I hope that more city will follow suit!
Thank you Rinpoche. This is such a lovely and inspiring story.
Palitana in India has become the first city in the world to turn vegetarian. Imagine a whole city becoming vegetarian! If a whole city can become vegetarian, why not an individual person?.
I liked what Uncle Eddie said about India. It is the land where all the Buddhas have taken birth and will take birth.It is also India that allowed Tibetans to take refuge in the country and allowed them freedom to build temples and monasteries; and this has enabled Tibetan Buddhism to continue to be preserved and to flourish.Yes, India is truly a country with deep roots of spirituality.
Thank you India. If not for your kindness, we would not have had our precious Rinpoche come from Gaden Monastery in India to bring us the precious dharma!
India is the Land of the Buddha, where all Buddhas have taken birth in India.It is also India which gives shelter to all Tibetan refugees and helps re-establish Buddhist monastries to preserve the precious teachings of Buddha. Like Tsem Rinpoche said, “India is well known for its deep spirituality.” We, buddhists of this World will never be able to repay the kindness of India, except to deeply pray that may all wars, fightings, killings, sufferings and pains in this World be ceased and may all peace and happiness pevail for the benefit of all beings. Om mani padme hung.
From the photo, Palitana looks like a city of fairy tales, maybe that is why it could do what it did. To be the first city in the world not to slaughter animals nor sell meat, a city of vegetarianism.
Wonderful inspirational start for the world to adopt the essence of kindness and compassion.
Thank you Rinpoche for the sharing.It is great to know that the Government of Palitana respect the change for the cause of good and compassion.Out of compassion ,strong believe in their practice and salvation for all sentient beings ,the monks of Jain,put their commitment to the test and came out victors.
May others adopt their life style….
Wow! Really great news! If one by one, cities starts to adopt this new lifestyle, many animals will be spared. Great effort by the government and the monks of Palitana.