beef eating, Jainism

[pf at cix.co.uk]

To my knowledge these passages have been rather embarrassing for
Svetambar commentators. Meat eating was/is probably only resorted to in
situations of severe hardship, as an exception which proves the rule? In
practice any Jain tradition needs ways to reconcile 'bad' behaviour and
claims to doctrinal 'purity' (I have seen Digambaras practicing penance
too). But leaving aside questions of political correctness, the fact
remains that the Acaranga Sutra is presently regarded as the oldest
surviving Jain text (certainly predating the Digambar scriptures) and
therefore of interest for speculative historiography (for what it's
worth).

Peter Fluegel
pf at cix.co.uk