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A book titled Karma, by Jeffrey Armstrong, has a concluding chapter of questions and answers. This question caught my attention because the answer is so insightful: “Do we receive karma for killing the food we eat, and and is there much difference in the karma from our various choices?” Armstrong’s answer comes in three parts:
1. Humans, unlike animals, have the option of food choice. He notes: “We humans are the only species that does not have it’s food choices controlled by instinct.”
2. Therefore, the food choices we make definitely create karma, either positive or negative. “Food choices are some of the most critical and potentially damaging we can make both for ourselves and the planet,” he says.
3. By consuming meat, negative karma is created on both the personal and impersonal level. Here’s how Armstrong explains this: “According to the yogic theory, the higher we eat on the food chain, the more disturbance is caused in our environment. This is the main reason for adopting a vegetarian or mostly vegetarian diet.” He cites the environmental impact of flesh consumption on the planet: “To raise one bull for slaughter as food for humans requires thousands of gallons of water, creates large amounts of waste, needs acres of grazing land, and produces only a relatively small amount of food protein. It is a terribly inefficient means of producing food for humans, not to speak of the violence to the animal and toxins produced by its slaughter. If the same resources were used for producing vegetariain foo, thousands more people could be fed.”
1. Humans, unlike animals, have the option of food choice. He notes: “We humans are the only species that does not have it’s food choices controlled by instinct.”
2. Therefore, the food choices we make definitely create karma, either positive or negative. “Food choices are some of the most critical and potentially damaging we can make both for ourselves and the planet,” he says.
3. By consuming meat, negative karma is created on both the personal and impersonal level. Here’s how Armstrong explains this: “According to the yogic theory, the higher we eat on the food chain, the more disturbance is caused in our environment. This is the main reason for adopting a vegetarian or mostly vegetarian diet.” He cites the environmental impact of flesh consumption on the planet: “To raise one bull for slaughter as food for humans requires thousands of gallons of water, creates large amounts of waste, needs acres of grazing land, and produces only a relatively small amount of food protein. It is a terribly inefficient means of producing food for humans, not to speak of the violence to the animal and toxins produced by its slaughter. If the same resources were used for producing vegetariain foo, thousands more people could be fed.”
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