On Thu, 8 Aug 2002 23:03:07 -0500, Theola Walden Baker
<[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>Article:  "The beef-eaters of ancient India"
>
>http://www.the-tls.co.uk/this_week/story.asp?story_id=19089
>

I would say this sounds like an attempt of *justification* of a hindu who
wants to eat cows. India is worldwide one of the biggest keepers of cows.

The concept of ahimsa, he translated well as “the absence of the desire to
injure or kill”. Fine to eat a cow as long as you don't kill it.
Killing the cow is done by the buther, so what.....

If you hired a professional killer to kill someone, *he* (or she) is the
killer, isn't he..?
What about the orderer? Has he the "absence of the desire to injure or
kill"?

I'm not a specialist in hinduism, but not eating cows (compared to pigs or
chicken) is also connected to the incarnations of humans and gods.
I found "Why is the Cow sacred in India?" at:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/8424/indiancow.html

The count of hindus or buddhists in the west is low (Richard Gere?).
However I personally have great sympathy to the Indian culture.

regards

Amadeus S.