[Assam] Beef eating; Much ado over nothing

[Malabika Brahma]

We visited Bali, Indonesia in 1995 (Our honeymoon).  Bali is about 98% Hindu and the people have been Hindu for last 2000 years.  
   
  Interestingly, the Hindus in Bali eat beef.  Although other animals are offered to the God in Balinese version of Hinduism, beef or cow is not offered to God.
   
  The life of Balinese Hindus revolve around their temples ( temples are everywhere, in their courtyard, front yard, farm land).  Hinduism reached Bali during the Cholas and Pallava's about 2000 years back.
   
  Most of the Balinese temples are a blend of South East Asian architecture (slanted roof) and South Indian architecture. However, the older temples are distinctly South Indian type.  We had been to a temple (Guha Gaja) which is about 2000 years old and was excavated around the turn of last century. This temple and the statues (I think I saw Ganesh) were definitely South Indian style.
   
  Have a very interesting incident to narrate. My wife (Malabika) decided to wear Mekhela Chador for one of the dinner evenings at a restaurant where Balinese Version of Ramayana was being played.   Seeing my wife in Mekela (which they thought was Sari), the manager of the restaurant came and asked if we were Indian and we were Hindu. When my wife replied in affirmative, the manager offered us a 50% off the dinner bill . Of course I did not tell him that I am an Atheist :)
   
  Utpal

Chan Mahanta <cmahanta at charter.net> wrote:
  >Sure, C'da. You and Barua could make all the rules, but then it has 
>to >ultimately be followed by the masses, don't you think? :-)


*** Hammurabi I ain't Ram. Not into rule making or law-giving. In 
fact I am quite the opposite. I would just as soon tear those laws 
and rules that rob people of freedoms down. Like the rule about 
beef-eating prohibition.

That is why I was curious about Mohan's explanation that ">"But from 
a certain point in time we don't eat Beef." and how that jives with 
Hinduism not having any dogmas.

You did not answer my question either.

Appears to me, in the absence of a better explanation from someone in 
the know, that "Hinduism is not a religion, but a way of life" was a 
non-response to the question of what defines Hinduism.









At 9:22 AM -0500 6/20/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:
>I think Mohan's response seems to be the one that makes a lot of 
>sense. (BTW: Welcome Mohan to the net)
>
>C'da, I think the 'Hinduism is a way of life' idea was popularized 
>by Dr. S. Radhakrishnan in his book ' A Hindu View of Life'
>
> >"Does it therefore mean that one can make one's own RULES 
>or >ethos, on the fly, to suit one's need on a given day?"
>
>Sure, C'da. You and Barua could make all the rules, but then it has 
>to ultimately be followed by the masses, don't you think? :-)
>
>--Ram
>

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