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Summary of Question:	Issue of meat
Category:	Sikh Practices
Date Posted:	Saturday, 12/11/1999 6:06 AM MST

Waheguru ji ka khalsa waheguru ji ke fateh

The issue of meat always seems to raise different views. My personal belief is that meat is banned in sikhi for two reasons. The first being that historical evidence showes that Guru Gobind Singh JI himself wrote a letter to Sikhs in Kabul stating that to eat Kootha was against sikhi. Today kootha haa been given the translation of beeing meat which is not halal but at the time this letter was written kootha meant meat.
Secindly the first pyara out of the 5 beloved was Dia Singh so therefore our religion is based on compassion so how can it be said that to kill an animal for the soul perpose of eating it is compassionate.
Regardless of this the main institutions in England still talk about halal meat s being forbidden. As it was added by the shrominy commitee earlier on in this century
Your View IS MEAT FORBIDDEN IN SIKHISM?

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REPLY
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Dear jaswant Kaur Ji,

It is a difficult subject to tackle. Eating meat was something that Guru Nanak DevJi was against. How he approached as I understand it, was that he did not think killing an animal soley to eat it was very compassionate or of a higher coniousness. He also told Mardana that all things come from God and all things go to God. He said this when he stayed in the hut of a poor man who could only offer them meat for their meal. As Guru Nanak DevJi was eating the food Mardana sat in amazement. He said to the Guru " you have always taught against the eating of meat, why are you doing it now." The Guru answered that all things come from God and all things go to God. He also says that the man they were staying with had offered it to them out of the goodness of his heart and it was the only food he had available.

The whole problem with this story is that it can be taken however the person who is faced with the problem decides. If they decide that as the Guru says all things come from God and all things go to God, that person might just decide that it is ok to eat meat all the time. But this is because people like to adapt to things as they see fit. The truth is that on that day the Guru had nothing else to eat. He sat down in the company of the man who had invited them into his home and he accepted that mans hospitality. He ate the food served him with the Grace and wisdom of the Guru. The truth is he made an exception based on the circumstances. His philosophy was still not to eat meat, or participate in the killing of an animal simply because it tastes good. The simple fact is that you do not need to eat meat in order to survive so why do it. Answer : people do it because they like it and they want to. It is really a question of conciousness. If you want to participate in the conciousness of people who kill things because they taste good and not because they need to survive, then go ahead. I disagree with it, but that is just my opinion.

Thank you very much.

WAHE GURU JI KAK KHALSA WAHE GURU JI KI FATEH