Sadhguru recently answered a devotee on why milk is used despite the torture to the cows. Paraphrasing, he said that if they aren’t kept for the milk, then they will be sent to the slaughter house.
As expected, it caused some outrage in vegan groups.
I had experimented with being vegan a few years back. Now I do consume milk. But I feel quite strongly about the matter and have spent much time pondering on it. Taking this opportunity to jot my thoughts.
TLDR
I have found this matter to be fairly complex. There are lots of different aspects that need to be pondered upon. I am jotting a list of these below. But since it will be a long winding list, here is the brief summary:
Sadhguru articulates in his answer the crux of the matter – the inherent aggression and cruelty of life. However, he hasn’t touched upon all aspects of bovine animal breeding in this particular answer, maybe in future sometime he will do.
You can watch his entire answer here (timestamp – 1:12:45)
My thoughts:
There is no ideal solution that is practically feasible. And thus, in view of making the best possible choice – dairy products are consumed.
However, the quantity of consumption should be calibrated as per needs. It must not be overdone. This is true of all food anyway, but for milk, specifically, we can be particularly thoughtful. Also, we can opt for sources which are more holistic for cows.
That has been my conclusion.
Matters to ponder on around milk consumption & related animal cruelty
1) If we don’t drink milk what is the consequence on the dairy industry?
In short term,
More slaughter house business? That’s what Sadhguru says. And it seems likely. Cause the farmers will need to cash in. They won’t be able to take care of the cows which doesn’t earn its keep.
In long term,
IF (big IF) the dairy industry does recede then slaughter business will still flourish. IF (bigger IF) we are looking at a future where animal slaughter will diminish then that is a different situation indeed. But I simply don’t see it practically possible.
2) Isn’t getting killed (slaughtered) better than a life of misery and slavery?
But is the life of a cow kept for milking as bad as slavery?
If the animals lived such a miserable life then the milk would be poison (proverbially, if not literally). No yoga or spiritual path would allow it.
Moreover, having interacted with a couple of people and seen on ground. Firstly, in smaller households the cow holds a place of pride. She is not kept miserable. She is really taken care of.
In industries also, a lot of them are working on providing a lot of infrastructure that will keep the cows well. High quality feed, grazing areas, better milking practices. Some places play music that the cows like. Happy cows = better milk.
So, the animals aren’t in that state of misery/slavery. At least not the better kept animals.
Sure some breeding places are horrible. That must change!
Simply, looking at their lives of captivity and then super imposing that condition on ourselves – what if we were kept like that?! Well, there are massive differences in the social order of an animal versus a human. Plus, the quality of life in captivity for a domestic animal is a different matter from that of a wild animal.
Aren’t pet dogs happy? Even though their sexual practices and a lot of other natural instincts are being curtailed by the family rules / training and such.
There is some injustice in this. But whether it is earth shaking slavery as told by animal activists and vegan folk is questionable.
3) Our bodies may require dairy products!
One is B12. Otherwise, we need to rely on external allopathic medicines which I am not comfortable with. Our ancestors have relied on milk from generations. Simply culling it out and replacing with a tablet is questionable at best. Medical science is still figuring stuff out and it keeps changing its stand. Tomorrow we might know that Milk provides us with some other very important nutrient.
Despite consuming milk, I still have to go in for medical B12 replenishment courses. So, I don’t see how one can choose to simply go off milk.
4) Indian Culture & History On Milk Consumption
Through generations, a lot of Indian people have remained vegetarian. Strict vegetarians, if we consider the Jains and Brahmins and Yoga folk and other communities. Through droughts and hardships they stuck to their food restrictions as best as possible.
So, they were willing to observe strict restrictions. They could have easily stopped milk consumption too. But they didn’t.
Why?
Vegan folk and animal activists will point to their hypocrisy. But I don’t think it is hypocrisy. I think they consume milk, cause the matter is not so simple. And thus, wise people and even enlightened folk have advocated its usage.
5) Enlightened Beings on Milk Consumption
Jain scriptures are insanely in-depth with regards food and dietary practices. It has gone into minute details of how to eat, when to eat, not eat etc.. And yet milk is pretty much allowed in even their most rigorous fasts. I haven’t actually read the scriptures on milk usage but the fact that it has been allowed is clear.
Similarly, in Ramana Maharshi’s ashram there is a shrine for Laxmi, the cow. Ramana himself sat with her through her last moments and then said she had achieved Nirvana. Even this Laxmi cow had to go through the rigours of bovine life. Her nose was pierced with rope. She was milked. Albeit must have been a more holistic process in those days. But… even she went through these life rigours.
6) Vegan milk alternatives are very costly in the Indian market – can I justify that spend?
In countries like India, where there is so much poverty and need. The vegan milk alternatives cost 10x the dairy milk! One packet of dairy milk costs 30 INR while a good quality vegan milk will cost 300 INR or more. It is crazy!
I could save that extra money and fund a kids education or meal or medical treatment? I could even spend that money to fund a bovine animal so they are kept out of the slaughter house – yes, there are services like that.
(Vegan milk is supposedly easy to make at home… but I haven’t managed to make good alternatives as yet. One could replace milk with kanjis, juices and other non-milk alternatives – but they have to be made at home)
7) Indian Market Not Ready with Dairy Alternatives
In other countries like Australia, Taiwan and Thailand, it is easier to reduce dairy consumption and simply move to alternatives. Healthy juices, well priced nut milk or other options.
But in India, as yet, milk is most accessible and well priced quick, healthy drink. Most juice packs, unfortunately, are loaded with sugar. And apart from juices there is anything else in a comparable price range.
Maybe this will change in the future. In this case, definitely milk consumption can be reduced.
8) Animals Produce Organic Content for the Soil
This was something I had never imagined. Modern urban thinking suggests that mechanizing farms and agriculture is the best way forward. But recently Sadhguru has been talking about soil quality and replenishment.
And he says, the two main sources of organic content for the soil – animals and trees – are both reducing on farms drastically and thus, causing severe soil quality problems.
It seems that having animals grazing the soil and some tree cover is the natural and effortless way for ongoing supply of organic content – animal waste, dried leaves and such.
So the point is that natural systems and processes have a lot of benefits. Simply culling them out could have many other dire consequences.
That’s all for now.
This list of aspects to ponder on is probably not exhaustive. I may add some more thoughts in future.
Happy to know your thoughts.
I think this is one of those situations where logic won’t bring the answer. One has to make a judgement call balancing different social realities.
Leaving you with a couple of excerpts of discussion from Ramana Maharshi, (source : Talks with Ramana book)
Mrs. Piggott: Why do you take milk, but not eggs?
M.: The domesticated cows yield more milk than necessary for their
calves and they find it a pleasure to be relieved of the milk.
D.: But the hen cannot contain the eggs?
M.: But there are potential lives in them.
D: Is it not killing life to prepare meat diet?
M: Ahimsa [non-violence] stands foremost in the code of discipline for the yogis.
D: Even plants have life.
M: So too the slabs you sit on!