Cow protection is “a practical application of the belief in the oneness and, therefore, the sacredness of all life.” ~ Gandhi, Hindu Dharma, p.8.36

A religion, it is said, is like a path through the jungle: if no one treads on it, it gets overgrown. Cow-protection in India is a classic example. Having sometimes become a fetish and sometimes leading to the monstrosity of its devotees killing people of another faith because they kill cows, it was originally a powerful symbol of ahimsa, warning us to abjure violence not only against our “dumb brethren” but all creation. “Injure not the innocent cow,” found in an ancient Vedic hymn, refers symbolically to the sacred nature of all creation.

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Stephanie Van Hook, the Metta Center’s executive director, launched Daily Metta in 2015 as a way to share Gandhi’s spiritual wisdom and experiments with nonviolence.

Our 2016 Daily Metta continues with Gandhi on weekdays. On weekends, we share videos that complement Michael Nagler’s award-winning book, The Search for a Nonviolent Future: A Promise of Peace for Ourselves, Our Families, and Our World. To help readers engage with the book more deeply, the Metta Center offers a free PDF study guide.

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