Pravin K. Shah
Thanks-Giving Meal Prayer
Start the Thanks-Giving Meal with the seven contemplations, or with whatever traditional grace or prayer you prefer to use to express our gratitude.
Honor the Food
1. This food is the gift of the whole universe: the earth, the sky, numerous living beings and much hard, loving work.
2. May we eat with mindfulness and gratitude so as to be worthy to receive it.
3. May we recognize and transform our unwholesome mental formations, especially our greed, and learn to eat with moderation.
4. May we keep our compassion alive by eating in such a way that we reduce the suffering of living beings, preserve our planet, and reverse the process of global warming.
5. May we ask for forgiveness from all living beings that we may have harmed, intentionally or unintentionally. May peace and compassion grow in ourselves and extend to all around us.
6. May we pray that all the people everywhere in the world will avoid inflicting harm on animals and fellow human beings and practice nonviolence and compassion.
7. We accept this food so that we may nurture our sisterhood and brotherhood, strengthen our community, and nourish our ideal of serving all living beings.
16 Million People in The United States are Now Vegan or Vegetarian!
To write a comment on this article (written below), please go to the end of the following blog link
http://jainaedu.blogspot.com/2016/11/16-million-people-in-united-states-are.html
In 2009, only 1.0% of the U.S. population (3.20 million people) reported as vegetarian or vegan. Now in 2016, 5% (16 million) people is vegetarian and half of those (8 million) people are completely vegan.
The rates have skyrocketed over the last five years and studies show the rates are climbing.
https://news.therawfoodworld.com/16-million-people-us-now-vegan-vegetarian/
The Reason Why the U.S. is Going Vegan or Vegetarian
To think that 16 million people in this country eat absolutely no animal products is amazing, considering the degree to which meat and dairy has an impact on most of American culture.
The reason seems to involve a mix of various factors, with the largest impact coming from how much we have learned about commercial animal farming and animal treatment over the last five years.
· 42% of those who do not eat animal products say that they went vegan after they saw an educational film.
· 69% percent said they chose to eat a vegan diet to support the ethical treatment of animals.
· 45% say they transitioned into veganism over time and 52% of all Vegan people say they have been vegan for less than 10 years.
Which Other Factors are Involved in the Vegan or Vegetarian Transition?
Today 79% of total vegans and 59% of total vegetarians are woman. It seems like men have a harder time giving up animal and dairy products than women
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/01/vegan-woman-lifestyle_n_5063565.html
The meat consumption in USA actually dropped by 12.2% since 2007.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathy-stevens/predicting-a-vegan-america_b_4905691.html
According to Google, people are searching for the keyword “vegan” increasingly more. In 2007, there were only 1600 results for “vegan” searches, but in 2014 this number increased to over 24,000.
Restaurants are also changing by either offering a vegan or vegetarian entree and many new exclusive vegan restaurants are open now that weren’t around five years ago.
Supermarkets now cater to vegans and offer more vegan or vegetarian products and the online raw vegan food industry has been thriving the last five years and only continues to grow. In fact, it’s now estimated that by 2050, America may be a “vegan country”, at least by a large percentage!
Celebrities also make up a significant portion of those who are vegan or vegetarian. Athletes, talk show hosts, millionaires, and even political figures are now turning to a veggie-based diet or a completely vegan diet. There are 32 verified celebrities who are vegan and their names are as follows:
1. Ellen Page, 2. Jessica Chastain, 3. James Cromwell, 4. Alicia Silverstone, 5. Ariana Grande, 6. Ellen DeGeneres, 7. Joaquin Phoenix, 8. Miley Cyrus, 9. Liam Hemsworth, 10. Woody Harrelson, 11. Mayim Bialik, 12. Joan Jett, 13. Bellamy Young, 14. Casey Affleck, 15. Daniella Monet, 16. Moby, 17. Dawn Richard, 18. Morrissey, 19. Russell Simmons, 20. Sia, 21. Stevie Wonder, 22. Pamela Anderson, 23. RZA, 24. Peter Dinklage, 25. James Cameron, 26. Kate Mara, 27. Rooney Mara, 28. Al Gore, 29. Evanna Lynch, 30. Wacka Flocka Flame, 31. Travis Barker, 32. Mya,
A healthy vegan, vegetarian, or a plant-based diet is a smart and sustainable way to live that can potentially decrease your ecological footprint and greatly improve the health of our nation.
Benefits of a Healthy Vegan Diet
Health:
§ Highly processed and refined foods can cause inflammation in your body. Animal products tend to be acidic in nature, also being a cause inflammation. Eating a plant-based diet with plenty of organic vegetables and fruits can provide your body with essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are easily digestible, keeping you healthy and energized.
Environment:
§ The planet is our home we must take care of it. Reducing our animal product intake can reduce the carbon footprint. If we choose to eat local product, it is the best way to reduce it even more.
Economy:
§ If you shop local, organic and seasonal food, you can take the control back and prevent corporations from dictating your life and you will be supporting local farmers and businesses.
Compassion:
§ Believe it or not, but as you start eating plant-based, your compassion can increase. You can naturally start caring more about animals, nature and other people around you.
No longer is veganism the diet for hippies and health nuts; as per statistics, it’s now just a smart way to live a healthy life, help to decrease our ecological footprint, and enhance our compassionate nature towards all living beings in the universe.
Once in a Year....
We Request for your Financial Support to JAINA Education Committee
All members of the Jaina Education Committee, eLibrary project supporters, and JAB committee members are volunteers. However, our Pathashala book design, layout activity, Website expenses, Pathashala book deficit and eLibrary scanning activity expenses add up to about $25,000 per year. In addition, we are in process of upgrading our website which will cost around extra $10,000 this year.
How to Contribute to Jaina Education and eLibrary Projects
If you would like to contribute from USA, Canada, or other countries via Bank to Bank transfer or via credit card or from India in Indian rupees, please use the following link located in the Jain eLibrary/Education website (use appropriate option):
http://www.jainelibrary.org/donation1.php
If you would like to contribute by check (US dollars only):
Please write a check to JAINA Education and mail it at following address.
Jaina Education
509 Carriage Woods Circle
Raleigh, NC 27607 USA
Do not mail your contribution check directly to the JAINA Headquarters. The committee needs to keep proper record before it gets deposited.
Your contribution in US Dollars is Tax Deductible in USA and in Rupees in India.
Have a Very Happy and Blessed Thanks Giving to You
Pravin K Shah
JAINA Education and JAB Committee Members
Jain eLibrary Project Group
919 859 4994