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Holy cow near Deprung-Loseling Monastery |
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In Hinduism, the cow is considered sacred and holds an honored place in society. |
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In Hinduism, the cow is considered sacred as she is symbolic of abundance. Most Hindus respect the cow as a mother for her gentle qualities and providing nurturing milk and its products for a largely vegetarian diet. The milk of a cow is believed to promote purifying qualities. The ghee (clarified butter)
from cow-milk is used in ceremonies and in preparing religious food. Cow dung is used as fertilizer, as a fuel and as a disinfectant. Modern science also acknowledges that the smoke from cow dung is a powerful disinfectant and an anti-pollutant. Its urine is used for religious rituals as well as medicinal purposes.
Drepung Monastery was established near Lhasa, Tibet in 1416 by Chojey Tashi Palden. Drepung Loseling was especially close to the Dalai Lama incarnations, the Second Dalai Lama made his residence here in 1494, and subsequent incarnations maintained this link. After the Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet in 1959 and the forced closure and destruction of its 6,500 monasteries, some 250 monks from Loseling managed to escape the holocaust and rebuild their institution in Karnataka State, South India. Over the years many more spiritual aspirants have fled Chinese-occupied Tibet and sought entrance into the monastery, thus helping to preserve their traditional culture. The number of monks now in the re-established Drepung Loseling has increased to more than 2,500.  |
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