Jai Govinda! Our web site has suffered major problems and is being rebuilt. We should be back to normal soon. Please bear with us. Our June 2008 Care for Cows Newsletter has been posted. Please review it at your earliest convenience.

(careforcows.org/downloads/newsletters_0).

In this edition of 24 pages (2 MB) we present:

1. An invitation to meet Vanamali who we have served for seven years.

2. A testimonial by Rohinisuta and Gaurangapriya Prabhus from Switzerland. They travel extensively in Russia and are spreading the glories of cow protection.

3. A brief report on the six new arrivals.

4. An update on Sunita whose leg was as good a gone.

5. And more...

Thanks for your participation and support. I hope this finds you experiencing the happiness and inner satisfaction that accompanies cow protection. Jaya Sri Gopal!

Your friend and servant,
Kurma Rupa dasa
www.careforcows.org

I've been following the milk controversy, and would like to give my input. Are vegans morally superior? No, they are not; they choose a different dietary program. I like milk; I drink organic milk and consume a balanced amount of dairy products.

Prabhupada seemed to be okay with milk, despite the fact that it is infused with vitamin D. Krishna apparently likes milk too. Think of how much milk is used around the world cooking Him mangal arotik sweets. I understand the passion and the necessity for cow protection, but people should choose whatever diet benefits them.

Many years ago, while living in California, my wife Krishnaashrita dasi and I had worked as apartment managers overseeing a huge three building complex near downtown Oakland. As is usual in the more temporary habitation of the rental marketplace, tenants often leave unwanted things behind in their sometimes hurried transience to yet another temporary place of residence. Because of this, over time, we eventually developed a sort of impromptu house plant "orphanage" as we "adopted' those plants abandoned in vacated apartments and consequently undertook their care. While under our care over a period of years, these "orphaned " plants thrived and grew, filling our future consecutive homes with lush greenery and a subsequently greatly increased supply of oxygen. When we moved to San Francisco to be closer to our good friend Guru dasa, the plants had grown to such a degree that they filled an entire sun room, thereby turning it into a virtual jungle.

As our children Gita and Sachi were born, one after the other, we eventually moved back across the Bay to the suburb of Concord, in order to provide a better life for them with a house that had it's own backyard facilitating their young developmental recreation. At first the plants were given accommodation in our temple room, which was situated in the front part of our new residence and turned it into a sort of forest of greenery. The plants continued to thrive under our care and were treated as affectionate family members. We gave them water to drink from our altar. And these fortunate souls heard much chanting of the Lord's Holy Names.

One day I began to feel that perhaps our temple room was overcrowded with our plant jungle, which caused me consider possibly placing some of them throughout the suite of bedrooms in the back part of our house thereby also increasing the oxygen. But then I was struck by the thought that if I did so, these living entities presently embodied as plants would then be less able to hear the chanting of the Lord's Holy Names as easily as they could when they resided in the temple room where besides our own kirtans, there was a constant flow of taped kirtans playing over our stereo system. Needless to say, our friends the plants remained living in our temple room.

In the front yard of this same house, there lived a beautiful tulip tree that had every flower that she produced offered on our altar for the time we lived there. Unfortunately, because our house was a rental which was eventually sold, we were forced to move again. It nearly broke my heart to leave that tulip tree behind who after years of having every bloom upon her dedicated in puja was a more pure servant of the Lord than I could ever hope to be.

A couple of years later, we moved to Florida to be nearer to family, thereby forcing a difficult situation upon us. These plants, who were like members of our own family and who had heard the chanting of the Lord's Holy Name for many years, along with drinking much Maha-water from our altar, we could ill afford the expenditure of having them shipped across America on a journey which they might not survive. We wanted very much that their care might be transferred into the loving care of a Vaishnava home where they might continue to hear the Holy Name. Fortunately, the kind Grace of our good friends Bahusira Prabhu and his good wife Mother Lila-Shakti came to the rescue. And the plants who had thrived on kirtan were safely placed in the loving care of a Vaishnava family.

Nowadays, we reside deep in the river woods, far from cities or any Vaishnava community. This isolation has forced upon us the constant consideration and consciousness of nonetheless always being surrounded by all variety of embodied souls, plant and otherwise. By the Causeless Grace of Guru-Gauranga, I am often prone to chant to the sentient beings within the forest where I now reside; insects, lizards, frogs, squirrels, foxes, racoons, deer, birds, plants, trees and all variety of living creature, while always thinking of them as pure spirit soul beneath their respective temporal coverings.

Recent cataclysmic events within our troubled world have caused me to lose enthusiasm for the continued pursuit of my occupation as a construction worker while developing a desire to become a farmer. Or at least a farm worker. My younger daughter, Sachi happens to have a close friend named Prema, whose father Jatayu Prabhu owns and operates a small organic farm. A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to spend a week there mostly working on my knees in the dirt, primarily weeding.

Before long, while working, I began to consider how Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur's own interpretation of Mahaprabhu's Third Beautiful Precept "...humbler than a blade of grass...," was that because the grass has no fundamental problem of false ego (well-knowing it's own base position in the greater scheme of things), it therefore will uncomplainingly tolerate anyone trampling upon it, whereas humans suffer greatly from false ego. Therefore, in order to check such vanity in the honest earnest pursuit of real spiritual life eternal, we must for our own sake and true inner health consider ourselves beneath the grass.

Reflecting thusly, as I wrought havoc amongst the weed community, I began to feel pain for their suffering, wishing that the weeds had some purpose beyond being cruelly uprooted and wantonly cast aside to scald and wither to death under the scorching sun (when in actuality I must consider them superior to myself, a vain false egotistical poor excuse for a human being).

So I began to softly sing Sri Hari Nam and namo maha vadanyaya... to the weeds as I pulled them from the soil, apologizing to them for my meanness, all the while wishing each weed a better life, next time. And remembering that truly, all is vain but kindness.



Milk Production And Cruelty to Cattle
by Sridhar Raman
Posted March 11, 2008

There has been some discussion about vegan versus vegetarian diets and which is superior — morally, spiritually and health-wise. Here are some points that might be useful to consider.

Most large-scale modern farms treat their animals cruelly. Cows are injected with massive doses of antibiotics and growth hormones, and they are crammed into very small spaces. A lot of them get crippled because their legs can't hold their unnatural weight due to the growth hormones, and many become diseased because of their living conditions. These are very stressful conditions, and stress is known to produce toxins within the body. The milk produced from cows in large-scale farms not only promotes cruelty to the animals but is also unhealthy to ourselves.

For lacto-vegetarians, a better alternative would be to buy organic milk and milk products from farms that allow animals to roam free- range for at least for a good part of the day and that provide decent living spaces to them. These farms are typically family-owned and operate as a small-scale business. They often encourage you to write to them to obtain information about their farming practices and philosophy (check the labels on the container for contact information). Some of these people come across as conscientious human beings who are committed to treating their animals more humanely.

However, there are some downsides to this alternative. Cost is a factor, in that organic milk and milk products are more expensive than regular ones. More importantly, these farms must send male calves to the veal industry and the older cows for slaughter in order to survive against market forces. If they don't, they will have to shut down.

A vegan diet which satisfies all the nutrient requirements and contributes to physical well-being is the best option. If one is unable to follow a vegan diet but wishes to minimize one's participation in the cruelty to cows, one could do these three things: buy milk from organic and small-scale farms that treat their animals humanely, use milk sparingly as needed and, when possible, use soy milk as a substitute.

We can go on endlessly discussing and rationalizing about how Krishna liked his milk and how Prabhupada encouraged milk consumption, but ultimately, it all comes down to our conscience and how much compassion we are willing to extend — both to suffering animals and to own well-being. The only place where controversy exists is within ourselves.

For further reading:

Srila Prabhupada Kept a Cow, by Madhava Gosh das
What is the Price of a Gallon of Milk?, by Prema Bhakti das and Tapati dasi
Price of Milk Versus the Cost, by Madhava Gosh das
Giving up on Commercial Milk saves Cows?, by Syamasundara das
Vegan Ethics (1), by Vasu Murti
Vegan Ethics (2), by Bhakta Ole
Economic Nonviability of Devotee Milk Production, by Madhava Gosh das
Questions on Milk and Mothers, by Mayesvara das
Writer Admires Vegans’ Austerity, by Gaurav Mittal
Milk and Cruelty, by Niscala dasi
Milk Consumption and Karmic Offsetting, by Madhava Gosh das
Vegans and Non-Vegans Okay, by Krsna Avatar das



Milk Consumption And Karmic Offsetting
by Madhava Gosh
Posted February 29, 2008

IMHO, a sincere vegan is morally superior to a devotee who gluts on milk, justifying it with all sorts of thin rationalizations, yet does not contribute directly through work or indirectly through donations to cow protection.

By "gluts", I mean more than one glass of milk a day, and that includes all forms of milk including yogurt, ghee, cheese, ice cream, or whatever. For example, a 3/4 ounce slice of Kraft American cheese or equivalent is the same as 3/4 cup of milk. Two standardized slices or one thicker slice of cheese is over quota.

The maximum benefit of material brain power needed for development is achieved by that one glass of milk that Srila Prabhupada recommends. More than that, and milk can start to have negative health benefits, and there are lots of studies that can confirm this. The vegans are correct on that point.

I was stimulated to write this by Mayesvara dasa's article wherein he asked for proof that milk is beneficial to the brain and the topic of vegans came up. His question was answered in the comments, but it brought up other questions in my mind.

One question is, is the milk from commercial cows even to be considered on a par with milk from the cows SP was familiar with, or have modern practices reduced milk to a shadow of the value it once had?

Is it the material benefits of the milk itself on the brain that is necessary for spiritual development? Or is it the compassion one used to have to have in order to raise cows for milk instead of meat that helped develop the finer tissues of the brain?

The problem is that nowadays, as opposed to the culture SP was raised in, it is possible to have the milk without a relationship with, or even any compassion at all for, the cow that produces it.

Health benefits aside, I think for preaching purposes to vegans, it behooves us to show that we are at least attempting to manifest SP's vision of having milk from protected cows.

Macro economic factors make it virtually impossible to break even financially protecting cows in a slaughterhouse based agricultural system, therefore cow protection programs need to be, for the time being, supported by donations.

This is an opportunity for devotees who lack the facility to care for cows hands on to support cow protection vicariously. Using the same principle as is applied to the concept of carbon offsets, devotees can justify to vegans their drinking of commercial milk

By supporting a cow protection program, the net karmic footprint of commercial milk is reduced to zero.

There are many cow protection programs to support. I personally support GEETA, an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation located near New Vrindaban that protects New Vrindaban's cows. I know many devotees have a lot of baggage they are compelled to open up when ever they hear the words New Vrindaban, but the cows are innocents and shouldn't be expected to bear that burden. GEETA is operated separately from institutional New Vrindaban.

If you want to help me protect cows, you can make a donation now, and on a regular basis if you partake of milk products regularly, by checking out this site.

If you are really fired up, you can start your own fundraising site for cow protection. If you want to support GEETA, click here to make a really easy site that you could promote to your friends, family and associates.

Firstgiving.com can also be used as a tool to collect for other cow protection programs that are registered in the US and the UK.

Then we can show vegans that we are actually doing something positive for cow protection and not simply enjoying the sense gratification of milk consumption.