[060] World Scripture - Reverence for Life - 2. The Sacred Cow

[대태양/김현수]

World Scripture Ⅱ

Part One - God and Creation

Chapter 4 God’s Creation and Human Creativity

2) Reverence for Life

2. The Sacred Cow

Religious scriptures

The cows have come and brought us good fortune, may they stay in the stall and be pleased with us; may they live here, mothers of calves, many-colored, and yield milk for Indra on many dawns… They are not lost, nor do robbers injure them, nor the unfriendly frighten, nor wish to assail them; the master of cattle lives together long with these, and worships the gods and offers gifts. The charger, whirling up dust, does not reach them, they never take their way to the slaughtering stool, the cows of the worshipping man roam about over the widespread pastures, free from all danger. To me the cows are Bhaga, they are Indra, they [their milk] are a portion of the firstpoured Soma. These that are cows are Indra, O people! the Indra I long for with heart and spirit. Ye cows, you fatten the emaciated, and you make the unlovely look beautiful, make our house happy, you with pleasant lowings, your power is glorified in our assemblies.

Rig Veda 6.28 (Hinduism)

Behold this buffalo, O Grandfather, which You have given us. He is the chief of all four-leggeds upon our Sacred Mother. From him the people live and with him they walk the sacred path.

Sioux Prayer (Native American Religion)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

When I was a boy living in the country, I used to hate to feed the cows. The cows know when it is lunchtime. But I didn’t want to stop playing, so I said to myself, “Cows, wait 30 minutes,” and then continued playing for another hour or two. The cows waited for me, wondering, “Where is our master, the one who was supposed to bring us in?” If I had been a cow whose master came very late, I would have gotten angry and become violent. Yet when I arrived, the cows just looked at me without saying a word. Then I thought, “Oh cows, you are great! I’m sorry.”

That happened many times. I then realized, “Cows are better than me,” and I said to them, “Now that I know that you have an aspect greater than me, I will feed you a great deal and atone for my shortcomings.” I kept feeding them until after sunset. The cows continued to eat because their master was feeding them. Like this, I learned many things from cows. Cows sometimes appear great and kingly as they lie in the burning sunlight on a midsummer’s day, shedding sweat and looking over the remote mountains, meditating calmly. This is why people all over the world like to eat cow meat, not the meat of dogs or tigers. In those days toothbrushes were made of cow bone. Every part of the cow was utilized. Nothing was discarded; even their manure was used as fertilizer. Therefore everything about a cow is good.

(109:40-41, October 26, 1980)