"Just as your life is extremely dear to you, similarly the lives of others are equally dear to them. A person who thinks thus and shows mercy on other creatures is really a virtuous person. When this idea dawns on one's mind, one realizes, "Why should I kill an innocent creature just for the sake of the gratification of my palate?" Again one may suddenly discover a scriptural injunction - 'Oh yes, you may sacrifice animals in a particular way and the sacrificial animal will attain salvation.' People follow the scriptural injunction helplessly, but in their heart of hearts they realize that the whole thing is irrational. Yet they cannot gather sufficient courage to go against the scripture. This sort of idea which chokes the progress of the mind is called 'dogma.' A dogma is from either a defective philosophy or a scripture. This sort of dogma should be rejected forthwith. Even if a young boy says something logical, it should be accepted, because that will lead to progress. But when a dogma comes, it chokes the progress of humanity. Many scriptures teach wrong things along rational lines. They fail to understand that just as their lives are very dear to them, similarly the lives of animals also are equally dear to them. Then why should I act like a mean, selfish person? And if they say or argue that if the animals are sacrificed in this way they will attain liberation from animal life, then I will counter argue, 'Oh human beings, you are also a creature, why don't you attain liberation by cutting your own throat? Why don't you help your children or your relations to attain liberation from human life by sacrificing them? Why are you so eager to apply this liberation movement, this hatchet or axe, against innocent goats?'"
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