Animals have no free will. When an animal dies or is killed, it is paying for its karma. Slowly they move to the level of being born as humans.

So many people whom we find good and charitable suffer. This confuses us all the more. We have to understand that they are paying for the action of their previous lives. Their goodness in the present birth has only limited consequence. They will reap the benefit of this good behaviour in their future births. So start to be good from today onwards. Be happy that the Lord has given you air to breathe and food to eat. Help others whenever possible. We have to have the fear that killing or eating animals will bring us bad karma.

(Q&A session London 24 Aug 2000)