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Summary of Question:	Re: Meat
Category:	General Sikhism
Date Posted:	Wednesday, 11/28/2001 7:18 AM MST

Sat Sri Akal jee,

I am replying to the response you gave to the questions I sent in regarding "meat".

You said that even if there is nothing left to eat, you should still not eat meat. But didn't one of the Guru's, Guru Gobind Singh Jee, eat meat while he was being hunted for by the Moghals? I have heard the story that he was in the jungle and he did not have nothing to eat, so he eat a bit of his own leg or he eat an annimal (a dear i think). The example that you gave me of Guru Tegh Bahudar jee is totally different. His freedom of speech was being taken away from him. What he did was right. But that is a totally different situation. Please try to understand the question being asked. I know that is sometimes hard to get your personal opinion mixed up with the answer but please can you give me a neutral answer.

You also said that Halal meat is no different than any other meat. I understand what you are saying. Why did Guru Jee make a distinction between Halal meat and non-halal meat? Was this written in the Dasam Granth that Guru Jee wrote? He aslo said that we shouyld not eat meat prepared by anyone who has practised rituals on it, ie. Halal meat.

And about my last question that i asked you about my cousin who doesn't go to the Gurudwara if he has eaten meat that day. So are you saying it is ok to go to the Gurudwara if you have eaten meat in that day.

I would also appreciate it if you would not call my questions "petty issues". I am simply trying to clarify the situation of eating meat so that I can be happy within myself and 100% sure that I want to be a vegetarian and that i am doing it for that right reasons, not just because "it is wrong". I want to know why it is wrong. I am simply trying to enhance my knowledge. If what I am doing is wrong then please forgive me.

Thank you for your precious time.
Sat Sri Akal Jee
Baljit

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REPLY
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Sat Sri Akal,

I want to apologize for calling you queries petty. I am at fault, I should be more careful and more humble when answering your questions. To clarify, I was talking about your thoughts about meat molecules going into the bloodstream, however, I am not making any excuses. I will try my best to be more humble in my responses from now on. Thank you.

About your cousin, I have never heard of or read about the situation of which you are speaking. I would ask your cousin to think about why meat isn't served at the Gurdwara. It is true that langar is meant for everyone so a vegetarian meal would be the most inclusive. However, meat is never served in front of the Guru Granth Sahib. I believe there is a reason for this and you can think about that.

Sometimes, I think all the explanation one should need is "because the Guru said so". An example of this is keeping your hair, instead of trying to find a bunch of scientific explanations (which there are) a Sikh should be content in knowing that the Guru said to keep your hair. That is really all anyone should need. I think we should build a faith in ourselves to follow the Guru's word, because only that is true.

Your other questions are answered in the post "Misinformation".

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh,
HSD