In a message dated 9/6/98 4:51:52 PM, Ray wrote:

<<The real reason for vegetarianism is that domestic animals compete with
grains for resources.  When resources are strained by population growth
as in India in the 6th century BC (when Budism and Janism began and
Hindus became vegetarians), the animals have to go to produce more grain.>>


Could someone explain this to me?   Buddhism has, as one of its tenets,
harmlessness to animals (ahimsa).    Wasn't it the rise of Buddhism and
Jainism that promoted vegetarianism, which then caused the competition between
animal and grain resources, and not the other way around?   Are you saying
that economic pressures gave rise to these religious beliefs (a very
interesting idea)?





-John M