I have been vegan for almost thirty years, and during this time veganism has remained a central—if not the central—feature of my spiritual identity. This conviction was strengthened early in my life with my wife, Hope Bohanec, who is an internationally recognized vegan advocate, independent scholar, activist, and educator. 
 

 

“Veganism is my religion”
In the twenty-five years since then, I have pursued advanced degrees in religion and philosophy, including a Ph.D. in Hindu Studies and an M.A. in Buddhist Studies from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Much of my scholarship in my near thirty publications has centered on animal ethics and environmental ethics in South Asian traditions. To list only a few, for example, in “Jain Virtue Ethics Engaging with Animal Rights,” I examined how Jain moral frameworks speak directly to contemporary animal rights discourse. In “Jain Biophilia: Philosophy in Action,” I explored how Jain reverence for life (jīva-dayā) provides a foundation for ecological and animal-centered ethics. And in “Jain Ecotheology Engaging with Ecopsychology,” I brought Jain categories of nonviolence into conversation with modern ecological psychology.
 

 

The Pluralism of Veganism
Of course, I am not suggesting that this is the only way to understand veganism. Veganism is a pluralistic tradition, and the meanings people attach to it are as diverse as those who practice it. For some, veganism is primarily an ethical orientation, unrelated to any sense of spirituality. For others, it may be an environmental strategy, a form of boycott aimed at the industries that exploit animals and degrade ecosystems. Still others see veganism as a philosophical system, a lifestyle, a cultural marker, or simply as a pragmatic health choice.
 

No single approach is more correct, defensible, or complete than another. By its very nature, veganism resists gatekeepers who attempt to universalize its meaning beyond the basic abstention from animal products, especially in food production. This pluralism is a strength, for it allows individuals and communities to embody veganism in ways that resonate most deeply with their values and circumstances.
 

And yet, for me and for many others, veganism is explicitly spiritual. This dimension became increasingly evident as I navigated a wide range of religious communities. Time and again, I found that my ability to participate fully with these communities was limited by the centrality of animal consumption in congregational settings. I often felt more spiritually at home among vegan atheists—who may have rejected nearly all of my metaphysical beliefs—than among members of my own religious tradition who were not vegan.
 

Over the years, as I spoke with countless spiritual vegans, I discovered that this was not unique. Many people find stronger bonds with fellow vegans across religious traditions—Hindus, Jains, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Jews, atheists—than with non-vegan members of their own nominal communities. For us, veganism is not an accessory to our religious identity; it is a central component. It is the common thread that weaves together our diverse beliefs and practices into a shared spiritual orientation across religious and non-religious spiritual traditions.
 

 

This raises an important question: how should veganism be defined? Is it simply the practice of avoiding animal-derived products, or does the term carry ethical, spiritual, or philosophical weight that extends beyond dietary choices?
 

One common approach is to define veganism minimally and descriptively—as abstention from animal products. This definition is clear and accessible. It allows for a wide range of motivations and avoids imposing a particular ideology on all practitioners. By lowering the barriers to entry, it may even broaden participation in the movement.
 

 

Definitions do not exist in a vacuum; they are shaped by communities of practice. Veganism, like religion, is a lived identity. It is not subject to external verification or falsification in the same way as a scientific hypothesis. When someone says they are vegan because of their spiritual beliefs or ethical convictions, that meaning becomes part of what veganism is—for them and for the communities that share their understanding. Their understanding and the validity of their identities cannot be falsified through empirical verification or philosophical analyses. 
 

This does not mean veganism must always imply a particular philosophy. But it does mean that for many people, it already does. For them, the ethical and spiritual meanings attached to veganism are not distractions from its “real” content; they are intrinsic to it.
 

 

The Problem of Gatekeeping
Some argue that acknowledging these deeper meanings creates gatekeeping—that it risks excluding those whose motivations are more pragmatic or less ideologically defined. But the opposite may be true. To insist that veganism must be defined only in behavioral terms—stripped of ethical, philosophical, or spiritual meaning—erases the lived experiences of the majority of vegans who do attach such meanings.
 

If someone abstains from animal products as an expression of ahiṃsā, or out of solidarity with oppressed beings, or as a spiritual vow, who has the authority to declare that these motivations are not central to their veganism? To say “veganism is only about diet” is not neutrality; it is reductionism. It diminishes the fullness of what people actually live.
 

 

 

 

In Hinduism, the concept of ahiṃsā paramo dharmaḥ (“nonviolence is the highest dharma”) has long inspired practices of vegetarianism. In bhakti traditions I have studied, such as Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, food offered to God (prasāda) is expected to be nonviolent, affirming the sacredness of life. For many contemporary Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavas, this too implies veganism.
 

In Buddhism, the first precept—abstaining from taking life—has motivated both monastic and lay communities to adopt plant-based diets, with debates stretching across centuries about how far this discipline should extend. Notably, Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhists developed some of the world’s oldest continuous vegetarian cultures, who mostly also minimized or rejected dairy products (which were often culturally not consumed in China), making them strikingly close to what we now call veganism. For these communities, abstention from animal products was not merely dietary but was understood as a central expression of their faith and commitment to compassion.
 

These traditions reveal that the spiritual dimension of food ethics is not a modern innovation. Rather, it is an ongoing conversation, one that veganism now carries forward in the global context. In my own scholarship—whether in Jain ecotheology, Vaiṣṇava virtue ethics, or contemplative studies of Buddhist and Hindu texts—I have consistently seen how food choices are tied to the deepest questions of compassion, justice, and liberation.
 

 

Veganism, Spirituality, and Ahiṃsā
For those of us who approach veganism spiritually, the concept of ahiṃsā—nonviolence—is central. Rooted in Jain, Hindu, and Buddhist traditions, ahiṃsā is more than an ethic of avoiding harm. It is a comprehensive worldview that seeks to minimize violence in thought, word, and deed. It calls for reverence toward all forms of life and recognizes the interdependence of beings within a shared moral universe.
 

Veganism can be seen as the contemporary expression of ahiṃsā. In a world where animal agriculture is one of the leading causes of environmental destruction, climate change, and mass suffering, abstaining from animal exploitation is not just a personal choice—it is a form of spiritual discipline. It aligns daily practice with the timeless aspiration to live without causing unnecessary harm.
 

In my own teaching and scholarship, I have explored how Jain philosophy, Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇava theology, and Buddhist ethics articulate this vision of nonviolence and compassion. From ahiṃsā in Hindu and Jain literature, to the emotional ethics of Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism, to contemporary Jain ecotheology, my work consistently circles back to this central insight: spiritual life without reverence for animals is incomplete. Veganism, therefore, is not separate from religious identity but is often an extension of it.
 

 

So where does this leave us? On the one hand, veganism must remain open and flexible, accessible to those who are still searching for their deeper reasons. On the other hand, it must also honor the richness of meaning that practitioners attach to it.
 

Perhaps the solution is not to choose between minimalism and meaning, but to embrace both. Veganism is a shared commitment enacted in many ways, for many reasons. It can welcome diversity without being empty. It can remain inclusive while honoring the ethical, spiritual, and philosophical dimensions that make it transformative.
 

 

After nearly three decades as a vegan, I can say that my life, my scholarship, and my spirituality all converge on this point: veganism is not peripheral to my identity. It is central. It is the way I practice ahiṃsā in daily life. And I know I am not alone. Across traditions and communities, spiritual vegans are discovering in each other a shared home—a place of belonging that transcends denominational lines. Together, we are cultivating a vision of veganism as a living expression of nonviolence, compassion, and justice.
 

This is why Hope and I continue to invest in the Ahiṃsā Living Circle. We believe that spiritual veganism is not only possible but necessary in today’s world. It offers a path that is pluralistic yet profound, practical yet transformative. It invites people of all traditions—and of none—to live more gently, more consciously, and more compassionately.
 

 

 

 

Cogen Bohanec, MA, PhD holds the position of Assistant Professor of Sanskrit and Jain Studies at Arihanta Institute where he leads the Center for South Asian Languages (CSAL). He received his doctorate in Historical and Cultural Studies of Religion from the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, California where his research emphasized comparative dharmic traditions and the philosophy of religion. He teaches several foundational self-paced, online courses based in Jain philosophy, yoga, ecology, languages, and interfaith peace-building, including: