Buddhism and the Environment

Thich nu Tinh Quang

In the past two millennia, humanity has not experienced a truly serious threat to their survival. As we begin this millennium, there is an increasingly worsening crisis in the earth’s environment, and this has aroused a real threat to human existence on a global scale. It is likely that the earth’s ecosystem will degenerate if environmental degradation will not be reversed. Degeneration of the earth will leave the earth’s ecosystem in a state of imbalance which will render it impossible for the human race to exist. Environmental problems continue to expand in scale through environmental problems like marine pollution, green house gasses and the destruction of forests to a large extent due to the materialistic civilization which has been fuelled by advances in science and technology. Humanity has to therefore re-examine their lifestyles and ethical values regarding living with nature if it is ever to break free the hold of this destructive cycle (Damien, 2003).

As the issue of environmental pollution continues to pose a threat to our health through global warming and climate change, it has led to increased awareness of environmental protection globally. However, this is among the basic laws that were set out by Buddha, about 25 centuries ago for Buddhists to follow. For the thousands of years that Buddhism has existed, the Buddhist forest monasteries, being established in the forests and mountains have manifested harmonious living with nature. (Barua, & Basilio 2009).

Due to the notion that Buddhism represents a way of compassion, the founder of the Buddhist faith entrenched a total compassion, and thus he is therefore respectfully viewed as the protector of all beings, who is also compassionate. Buddha’s teachings to his followers stressed on the practice of loving-kindness, to avoid harming any form of life on earth. According to this doctrine, protecting all forms of life is not only good for the wellbeing of mankind, but also for the protection of animals and vegetation. This Buddhist philosophy therefore views all life forms in the universe as equal entities in nature, and in this world, the lives of all people, animals and plants is interrelated, dependent on each other, and has to develop in a mutual fashion (Sahni, 2008).

The Relationship between Buddhism and the Environment

In order to study how Buddhism and environmental protection are interrelated, it is essential to first consider the concept of inevitability in Buddhist doctrines. In Buddhist philosophy, environmental problems are not inevitable, expletive or essential Early Buddhist philosophies consider the environment that we live in or the natural phenomena that we experience as suffering, void, impermanence and non-self, and the incomprehensible form of nature’s transitory state (Yamamoto &Kuwahara, 2009).

Currently Buddhism recognizes nature as fundamental to life through a positive manner. For example, Buddhist concepts like the non-duality of life and its environment and the origination in dependence are commonly referred to in Buddhist teachings. This concept purports that life and its environment are in essence two very different phenomena, but also that they are non-dual in the basic sense. The other fundamental Buddhist ideology is known as the origination in dependence concept, which poses that any living entity does not exist and act independently, but rather every entity exists because of the relationship it has with others in the environment, or the conditions that relate to other entities within the earth. Essentially, these concepts from Buddhism bring out the precious value of the environment, as well as in the Buddhist view enables one to examine the environment and nature in general as an essential component of a complex and intricate balanced system. In addition, because environmental destruction is interconnected to personal destruction through the non-duality of life and its environment, preventing environmental degradation becomes fundamental (Yamamoto &Kuwahara, 2009).

The consciousness-only doctrine in Mahayana Buddhism indicates that the eight alaya-consciousness (alayashiki) in the realm of human’s consciousness is interrelated to the physical world such as rivers, mountains forests and earth. Consequently environmental destruction will definitely affect the deep human consciousness. Buddhism therefore points to an intricate relationship, beyond a consciousness of human existence and their natural surroundings. Therefore, according to the Buddhist faith, environmental challenges will cause suffering while the environmental pollution and degradation undertaken by any being directly and indirectly affect the existence of all beings or form of life in the world. Because all life is affected, it is important to remove the affliction of environmental destruction in order for the theoretical way of practicing Bodhisattva to be attained (Sahni, 2008).

Currently, the desire of material things by humans can be said to be a necessary condition in order to maintain and develop the socioeconomic system in society. Therefore, environmental challenges are not only a depiction of evil or negative desires and passions, but they are viewed as a cause and manifestation of increasing negative passions. It is therefore necessary for the theoretical practice of Buddhism to overcome these negative passions, and to alter the socioeconomic system. The current Buddhist philosophy or ideology is that the occurrence of natural phenomena and environmental problems are inevitable. However, the purpose of Buddhism is to overcome these challenges as described above (Barua, & Basilio 2009).

How Buddhism Overcomes Environmental Challenges

The social change that would enable humanity manage environmental challenges, or deal with natural phenomena that Buddhism offers proposes that it cannot be a radical revolution, but rather it should be a gradually sustained systematic change. The change that Buddhism offers is similar to a famous quote by a popular Buddhist monk in India known as Mahatma Gandhi. He stated that “Good travels at a snail’s pace”. It suggests that the accomplishment of a social revolution with regard to environmental challenges starts with one person. For individual people to begin accepting environmental problems as their personal concern, education is vital. The Buddhist perspective suggests that education is the only tool/resource which can provide the impetus for this awareness when environmental problems begin to directly affect our lives as personal problems (Swearer, 2005).

It is therefore important for people to gain a deeper understanding and awareness of environmental challenges. From a Buddhist perspective, recognizing the occurrence of natural phenomena is justified by the doctrine of origination in dependence where everything in this world is connected. Thus the main principles for sustaining our world are essentially linked to symbiosis and biodiversity in nature. The Buddhist perspective further has the view that when we shall get to understand and be aware of nature and the causes of environmental problems, we shall start to re-evaluate our present lifestyles while nurturing the foundations of values and ethics, thus enabling us to become responsible towards nature, as well as for other future generations. Finally, a substantial point for mitigating environmental challenges and incorporating Buddhism in such education is by ensuring that each individual takes personal responsibility with the aim of understanding the problem and being part of the solution. In addition, the Buddha message to individuals and the society in general will enable them to conduct their lives in a similar manner (Damien, 2003).

References:

Barua, M., & Basilio, A. (2009). Buddhist Approach to Protect the Environment in Perspective of Green Buddhism. Retrieved from http://mingkok.buddhistdoor.com/en/news/d/2471

Damien, K. (2003). The Nature of Buddhist Ethics, New York, St. Martins Press.

Sahni, P. (2008). Environmental Ethics in Buddhism: A Virtues Approach, Routledge Publishing.

Swearer, D. (2005). An Assessment of Buddhist Eco-Philosophy, Retrieved from http://www.hds.harvard.edu/cswr/resources/print/dongguk/swearer.pdf

Yamamoto, S., & Kuwahara, V. (2009). Symbiosis with the Global Environment: Buddhist Perspective of Environmental Education. The Journal of Oriental Studies, vol. 8, pp 440-465.