Veganism and ahimsa are the one and same.

[RushabhS]

Many Jains especially in North America are moving or have moved to a vegan lifestyle which underlines their commitment to ahimsa. My family and I are part of this modern Jain movement. Chitrabhanu, a former Jain monk and spiritual leader of the North American Jains, has penned an open letter advocating a vegan lifestyle for all Jains:

Jain Master Gurudev Chitrabhanu’s message about MILK | Vegan Lifestyle

Non-Jain vegans are themselves Jains as far as their total commitment to ahimsa is concerned. They follow the Jain conduct for the most part. They only need to have deep belief in and knowledge of the nature of soul and karma as per Jain scriptures (samyakthva) to complete their membership in the Jain community if they so desire such membership. Indeed, the vegan community could be considered a secular Jain sect with false or non-existent perception/faith (mithyatva).

 

[RushabhS]

More thoughts on the relationship between veganism and Jainism:

Per Jain scriptures, the path to liberation (samyakthva) is based on the three jewels of Jainism:

Right faith, right knowledge, and right conduct.

Note that faith and knowledge comes before conduct. This implies that non-violent conduct (veganism) is borne out of faith and knowledge which makes sense if one accepts and believes in the existence of soul and karma and interaction thereof as per the Jain scriptures. Non-attachment destroys karma and ahimsa is the natural byproduct of non-attachment. Therefore one practices ahimsa to minimize attachment as a means to an end (liberation) which is samyakthva. Ahimsa as an end in itself is meaningless (mithyatva). As they say, close but no cigar.

I would speculate that the non-Jain vegan is the modern day equivalent of the Ajavikas which followed a heretical religion/philosophy (expounded by Gosala Mankhaliputra) that was much closer to Jainism in the followers' conduct (total ahimsa) than Buddhism and even had some overlap with the Jain philosophy.

So veganism is simply the natural progression of a Jain's commitment to samyakthva in the form of ahimsa/non-attachment. One less violent lifestyle group (dairy/leather) In the Jain's life reduces his/her passions of attachment and brings the Jain closer to liberation.