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by wkat4242 648 days ago
I have heard many Hindus consider the cow a holy animal and let them roam where they please. And there are many Hindus in Sri Lanka (though there are more buddhists who don't consider cows holy but are vegetarians).

And yes I know the region pretty well. I've lived more than half my life outside my home country (in 3 different ones). Though never been to Sri Lanka no.
3 comments
tharkun__ 648 days ago
Never seen a single cow on the road in Sri Lanka. Though I only visited the western half of the country from about the Colombo to Kandy line down to the very southernmost tip.

However, the other settings seem about right to conservative vs. reality. I literally just got out of the airport in a taxi and thought I was gonna die, so fast and close to an oncoming car was the taxi going. Probably about two atoms worth of "air" between their side mirror and the taxi's.

Traffic lights might as well not exist. Everyone was just going through the intersection at the same time. No elephants on the raods either but an army of Tuk Tuks. Actually preferable to car taxis. Never took one again. Bus travel was interesting as well.

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taukanda 648 days ago
Most Buddhists are not vegetarians. There's a huge gap between Wikipedia stats and real life, as it is the case everywhere.

Using "Knowing the region pretty well" to be confident about a country you've never set foot in is like me assuming alligators are roaming free in corn fields in Iowa because I've been to a few states in US and have seen Florida through youtube.

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icaruswept 648 days ago
I am a Buddhist from Sri Lanka. Where on earth are you getting this stuff about us being vegetarians?

You clearly don't know the region half as well as you think you do.

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wkat4242 648 days ago
All the Buddhists I've met told me that they're vegetarians because they believe animals also have souls and they could be reincarnated as one.

But they were mostly Tibetan or Thai Buddhists. Most of my experience is indeed from Thailand and India.

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slipshady 647 days ago
Ah yes, so all Sri Lankan buddhists must be vegetarian.

Mate, <50% of India is vegetarian.

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