________________ A cow is a five-sensed (Panchendriya) animal that also possesses mind. Cruelty to fivesensed animals is considered the highest sin and gateway to hell in the Jain scriptures. In today's high tech environment, the beef cows are killed instantly in the production of meat. However, during milk production the dairy cows are not killed instantly but they are tortured badly during the prime of their life, their babies (all but one female calf) are tortured for six months and then slaughtered. Ultimately they are slaughtered within 5 years well before the end of their natural life of 15 to 20 years. The dairy cows and their babies have no chance to escape from this cruelty and death. In conclusion the cruelty in the milk production is worst than the meat production. By consuming dairy products we are supporting and promoting such cruelty. Usage of Dairy Products in the Jain Temples: Both Swetambar and Digambar sects use milk and its products in temple rituals. This is an ancient tradition. In the past (before the birth of a high tech dairy farm) in India, the cows were treated like a part of the family, and after feeding the baby calf, leftover milk was consumed by humans. This may be the reason why milk and its products are not considered violent in the Jain scriptures. We should reevaluate the usage of milk and its product (ghee for arti, milk and sweets for puja etc.) in the temple rituals under the new technological environment. The tradition should not be followed blindly. The highest Jain principle of nonviolence should not be compromised under any circumstances. With regards to Shvetambar tradition I can definitely say that no scriptures support the usage of milk in the temple rituals. With regards to Digambar tradition, Mr. Atul Khara, the past president of Jain Center of Dallas TX, indicates that most of the Digambars do not use milk in the rituals. Also no scripture supports the use of milk and its products in rituals. Some Digambars in South India use the milk in their rituals, which is direct influence of Hindu rituals. Also when we consume dairy products for our personal use we are personally responsible for our actions and the resulting karma or sins. However when we use dairy products in the temples, it is considered that the entire community commits the highest sin. Milk and other products represent certain religious symbols in the Jain rituals. However, the product we use in the rituals must be of nonviolent source. The intention of our rituals is to inspire us to grow spiritually. The net outcome of the rituals should result in the reduction of our ego, greed, anger, lust, and attachments. Milk and other dairy products derived using such a violent method can not help us to grow spiritually. In our rituals, we should substitute the regular milk with simple water or Soya milk, ghee (used in deevo) for vegetable oil, sweets for various types of dry nuts, and serve only vegan meal during any religious function. Our youths will appreciate such changes in our rituals. Note: This article was first published on Internet (Jain-list) in August 1997. Since then we have received many feed backs from the readers across the world. We have published some of these responses in an article called What Our Readers Say About ... at the end of the book "Book of Compassion". We strongly recommend you to read the feedback your opinion to education@jaina.org. You can find this article in Hindi and Gujarati from Hindi and Gujarati version of "Book of Compassion". The pdf files of these books are available in www.jaineLibrary.org website. You can freely download the entire book from the website.