The myth that Eastern religions are animal loving is, indeed, a myth.
Compare this
(fiction):
“Hindu groups are well known for promoting vegetarianism and animal rights, particularly the protection of cows.” (from
The Myth of the Hindu Right webpage
http://bharatvani.org/books/civilization/partII10.htm)
with this
(fact):
“Among the Hindus of Nepal, animal sacrifices are common even today, not only for the mother goddess, but also for almost all deities of the Hindu pantheon. The Hindu way of slaughtering the animal may be less painful than others, as it involves an immediate severing of the whole neck of the animal by one quick stroke of a sword or an axe (otherwise great calamities are believed to befall the sacrificer), rather than slitting of the throat.” (from
Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_sacrifice)
Even Buddhism is not so kind to animals as is commonly taken for granted.
Not only did Buddha taste beef but it is well known that he
died due to eating pork. Emperor Ashok, after converting to Buddhism, did not turn to vegetarianism; he only restricted the number of animals to be killed for the royal kitchen.
