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Everything that lives and moves will be food for you.
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If you take that literally, then cannibalism would be condoned. You have to take that line with a grain of salt.
Consider that man has only been on this Earth for a fraction of a second compared to other animals in our evolution as a species. We have quite an Ego in our dominance of the planet and lack of respect for our animal predecessors. If you were born to eat meat as an animal, then that's that. But man is much more complicated.
What Pita is against is the exploitation of animals for profit, brainwashing people into believing they must eat meat which benefits their sales while lowering your health, and to take and indifferent attitude to the world of pain and suffering domesticated animals have to endure for our pleasure. Because animals are SENTIENT beings, like us.
You don't think there is something wrong with someone who owns a horse and loves that horse deeply, feels a connection to that horse and at the same time would condone the slaughter of horse for meat to export to Europe where it is more common as steak is here?
On a spiritual level, it's very possible and probable that animals have souls. For example Hindu's do not kill rats as they believe they are reincarnated beings.
I believe we (animals included) are all souls in the process of development and we start at lower levels of consciousness. Because our intellect is greater than animals we feel superior to them. But in the process of the development of the soul, "intellectualism" takes a back seat to the totality of experience of the being, be it animal or man. Intellectualism is nowhere to be found in profound experiences of the soul. It may help in the process to get to the edge of the experience that develops your soul, but the experience itself is always non intellectual if it is significant and life changing. It is beyond words.
When we say "thank you God for this meal" we are thanking God and not the animal. But previous generations gave thanks to the animal. That is because they knew the animal had a soul and felt obligated to acknowledge the sacrifice of the animal lest the spirit of the animal brings them harm.
I believe this issue of eating meat or not has only begun. When I first became Vegetarian in the 70's people expressed deep concern for my health. 50 years later, I'm still standing and some of them are not. Now no one gasps when I say I'm Vegetarian.
A large part of this issue is a matter of misinformation,misunderstanding and miseducation about what our body needs.
