How is being a vegetarian different from eating the meat of an animal?

As the title says, "How is being a vegetarian different from eating the meat of an animal?"

I know it's a bit of a silly question but obviously plants are alive too, they grow, bloom, flourish and eventually die in their own cycle of life. If you face them away from light they turn and move their leaves like solar panels towards the light. When it gets dark they close themselves up. Don't plant's have their own life force too? Even if it's different from our own, what makes it easier to consume them?

I have nothing against vegetarians or those to eat meat (I enjoy both and I'm thankful to both), just a curious question?

[Lovely]

Well plants don't feel pain. So when you cut it it doesn't feel
anything. When you cut the limb from an animal it will scream in pain.
Not to mention meat eaters eat plants as well so if it's bad to
eat plants they are just as bad as us. If a meat eater stopped eating meat
they would be okay because they can still eat plants. If a vegetarian
stopped eating plants they would die because there is no
alternative. So we don't have a choice we need plants to live.

And about the difference question It
depends what you mean by different.
Do you mean different health wise
or different as a person?

Health wise on average they live 9 years longer.
As a person, well that depends on the individual.
Though there was a study showing vegetarians/vegans
are more empathic towards animals.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2877098/

Good question StarmanX7,

Personnally I don't see any difference.

I believe the natural sustenance for the soul and even for the physical body used to be to draw energy from the One Source of the universe.

It was only when souls began to physically manifest in the earth plane and feed upon their environment, that they became unable to draw from the universe and became dependant upon the physical nourishment.

There have been a couple of instances in past years where people have claimed to have regained the ability to not eat (from the physical) and still exist. Science is quick to quash this idea and say that "they must be sneaking food" or somesuch.

Plants do indeed feel pain. Many experiments with various plants hooked up to lie detectors have proven over and over that if you stand next to a plant with a knife in your hand, and project to the plant with your thoughts that you are going to cut off a branch or a leaf or somesuch, the plant will register a strong reaction to what you are thinking.

The same plant will respond in a positive way if you talk to them in soothing tones and assure the plant with your thoughts that you will not harm it and that it is well loved.

The buddhist view is that animals have their own level of conciousness, and that it is wrong to kill them for food, and that we as humans should work to overcome our dependency on such food sources. They believe that once we become aware of the suffering and injustice of what we do to animals, but continue to do it anyway, we incur karma. Bit of a worry that.

Personally, I'm an omnivore, and I think a bit of oregano on a pepperoni pizza would go down rather well at the moment.

Regards
Merlin6

[Chrysaetos]

Plants don't have a nervous system and brains.
According to some dubious studies they ''respond'', which anyway does not prove they have ''feelings'' - all it ''proves'' is that they respond..

There are better argument to eat meat: simple, we have an omnivore body.

My motto is; eat what you feel comfortable with, and don't claim all living beings are at the same 'ladder' for you, for they are clearly not.

Some vegs like to say all living beings are equal and they don't discriminate, which is impossible as they do make choices.

Some meaters also say there is no difference between living beings. To them I say,
who are you going to save when you had to choose between a dog or your garden grass? Or your family or a carrot?

We all discriminate, so eh get real.. :)

[Gem]

Recently tribes stopped eating people and that's good enough for me.

You (mind) become what you eat. The meat is full of Tamo guna (complete darkness and ignorance) which will stop us from growing Spiritually and cannot become self aware.

[Chrysaetos]

Originally Posted by s0ultraveller

You (mind) become what you eat. The meat is full of Tamo guna (complete darkness and ignorance) which will stop us from growing Spiritually and cannot become self aware.

So spiritual growth has only existed for let's say the last 10.000+ years.. as agriculture is fairly new..

The Indian dogma is a cultural belief made by tropical agriculturalists.. hardly universal.
That's often the gist, local beliefs and personal ethics are presented as universal morals..

Why cause unnecessary pain & trauma since it is really only to satisfy your taste buds?

Originally Posted by Chrysaetos

So spiritual growth has only existed for let's say the last 10.000+ years.. as agriculture is fairly new..

The Indian dogma is a cultural belief made by tropical agriculturalists.. hardly universal.
That's often the gist, local beliefs and personal ethics are presented as universal morals..

You cannot kill and eat animals and also sit like Buddha and work on peace :) it is very contrasting...

There is no love or one is in a very low spiritual level while continuously eating meat.