essay
Ziyi Wu
BuddhismEnvironment.pptx
Buddhism & environment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRuIoZdb8zA
Now what is environment?
Environment means physical and biological surroundings of an organism.
The environment covers nonliving (a-biotic) factors such as temperature, soil, atmosphere and radiation and also living (biotic) organisms such as plants, microorganisms and animals.
Common Challenge
Human population has reached 7 billion
1) Global climate change due to global warming
2) Depletion of forest resources
3) Biodiversity decline
4) Ozone layer hole expansion
5) The depletion of mineral resources
6) Waste increase
7) Over population
8) Marine pollution
9) The pollution of ocean water
10) Soil pollution
11) Desertification phenomenon
12) Arms race in war
13) Nuclear waste
14) Nuclear hazards
15) Ultra violet and infrared radiations
16) Earth quakes
Different views of nature cause deep conflict.
1. Nature as resource for human use
2. Nature as spiritual home
3. Nature as set of ecosystem functions
4. Nature as evolutionary legacy
5. Nature as enemy to be conquered
6. Nature as our collective unconscious
7. Nature as property to be owned
How can religion help meet this challenge?
Five capacities.
1. Engage members of faith-based groups.
2. Moral authority offer ethical guidelines, religious leadership.
3. Provide meaning by shaping worldviews consider new paradigms of well-being.
4. Share physical resources i.e. retreat centers, temple grounds, schools.
5. Build community to support sustainability practices.
Basic Buddhist Teachings and Practices Common to all Traditions
1. Moral guidelines based on non-harming.
2. Central law of interdependence and causation.
3. Belief in liberation from suffering through insight.
4. Practices that strengthen intention and compassion
What Teachings can Buddhism offer on the Environment?
1) Develop skillful means,
Cultivating mindfulness non ego-based action Practicing equanimity
2) Follow ethical guidelines,
Non-harming Practicing restraint Caring for other as self Taking the deep view
3) Take up new paradigms for well-being,
Relational thinking Practice path approach Seeking green wisdom
Buddhism teaches that personal practice and safeguarding our environment are closely connected.
This is because both of these endeavors ask us to overcome the forces of greed, hate, and delusion.
The intimate relationship between the world and ourselves means that when we properly care for ourselves we will care for the world, and when we do what’s best for the world, we benefit ourselves.
Three Incidents
It is evident that the Buddha’s
1. Birth
2. Enlightenment
3. Passing away
Happened under the trees.
First Sermon
Even he delivered his first sermon under a tree in Benares city.
After his awakening, which took place as he sat outdoors underneath a tree, the Buddha continued to live and meditate in forests throughout his life.
He explained that he did this for his own benefit and out of compassion for future generations.
Because nature is a tremendous support for the path of liberation, the Buddha instructed his followers to meditate in nature.
Three Places
The Buddha approved three suitable places for his disciples for meditation and those are.
1. Forests
2. Under trees
3. Empty places
Mostly they are freed off human interference.
Other Places to Dwell
Even the Buddha received monasteries offered by pious devotees mostly he was in flavor to live outside.
At some points he approved,
Caves
Mountains
Rocks
Groves
As dwelling places for monks.
Caves
Gijjhakuta Mountain
Bamboo Grove
In The Forest Parileyya
Buddhist canon asserts that Buddha spend at least three months in a forest known as Parileyya after ten years off his enlightenment where he was supported by an elephant and a monkey.
Meritorious Deeds
The Buddha points out that if anyone grows
1. Forests
2. Groves
3. Build bridges
4. Dig wells
5. Supply water
6. Dwellings
he is collecting merits day and night.
Many Rulers and Emperor Ashoka followed these guidance.
Tree Ordination
Tree ordination is a common practice in some countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar etc, which shows the reciprocity between humankind and environment.
Bodhi Tree
The behind reason is the respect in Bodhi Tree.
Pious Buddhist devotees consider that tree as the living Buddha and since they aren’t able to offer a saffron robes for him they like to wrap or offer a robe around the Bodhi Tree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afQCZ33euuI
With Other Trees
Practical Way
As it comes to know the Buddha enacted some discipline rules for his disciples to preserve the environment well.
1. Disciples shouldn’t spit saliva on grass.
2. Shouldn’t urinate or release excrement into water.
Once the Buddha ordered a Brahmin throw away a heap of oily food,
Wherever no grass
Wherever no any kind of sentient beings,
Because of the expected preservation of environment.
Prohibition
In a certain discourse sutra, a tree spirit appears to the Buddha in a dream, complaining that its tree had been chopped down by a monk. The next morning the Buddha prohibited members of Order from cutting down trees. Monks and nuns are still forbidden to cut off tree limbs, pick flowers, even pluck green leaves off plants.
Influence of Other Religions
Jainism elaborates everything in this world has soul therefore its protection is needed.
1. Single faculty / organ.
2. Two faculties / organs.
3. Three Faculties / organs.
4. Four faculties / organs.
5. Five faculties / organs.
Ekendriya - beings with one sense
Jains include many things as jivas that non-Jains regard as either inanimate or plants. They classify these as immobile beings, with only one sense - the sense of touch:
1. Earth-bodied: clay, sand, metal etc
2. Water-bodied: fog, rain, ice etc
3. Fire-bodied: fire, lightning etc
4. Air-bodied: wind, gas etc
5. Plant-bodied: trees, flowers, vegetables etc
Beings With Two & Three Senses
These are very simple organisms that are thought to have two senses - touch and taste. This category includes things like,
1. Worms
2. Termites.
These have the senses of touch, taste and smell.
This category includes insects like
1. Ants
2. Beetles
3. Moths
Beings with four senses
These have the senses of touch, taste, smell and sight.
This category includes
1. Wasps
2. Locusts
3. Scorpions
Beings With Five Senses
These have the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing.
There are four classes of these beings:
1. Infernal beings: souls living in hell. This form of jiva experiences the greatest suffering.
2. Higher animals: This includes all non-human animals above insects.
3. Human beings: This is the only form of jiva which is able to obtain liberation directly.
4. Heavenly beings: This form of jiva is the happiest.
Buddhist View
Buddhism looks the environment as part of human life. Even our breath concerns with the environment.
Even human and animal beings are visible but there are invisible beings too share this environment.
To Buddha (Devata) beings those are invisible abode in
Grass
Trees
Forest.
And they can be affected upon us.
Discourse on Unrighteousness
Having an unrighteous king.
Ministers would also become unrighteous.
Brahmins and common people too become unrighteous.
Townsfolk and villages also become unrighteous.
When a country is headed by such a leader, then it can be expected that his subordinates would tend to follow suit. Those who are scrupulous at first may be easily influenced. Those who are incorruptible would find it hard to stay on if the level of wrong-doing surpasses his threshold of tolerance, and tend to leave.
With that a government would be full of crooks. With such examples leading a country, the citizens would naturally follow that way of living. Thus the country would fall into a deplorable state. This can be seen quite evidently in certain countries in the present world.
The sutta continues with something curious. It says that the situation leads to the sun, moon, stars and constellations going on irregular courses. Then days and nights, months and fortnights, seasons and years become irregular. The wind too blows off course and out of season.
Peculiar as it may be, we also can’t help noticing that in recent years the weather pattern as been increasingly unpredictable in many parts of the world, including here in Taiping. The sutta suggests that all these happenings of unpredictable weather have to do with the moral decline of human beings.
Then, the discourse says that the devas become upset by the irregular winds and do not allow the clouds to carry the rain properly. As the rain does not fall seasonably, the crops do not ripen properly [i.e. they become mutated, or half-ripe]. According to the discourse, people consuming such crops are “short-lived, ugly and sickly”.
This makes wonder about genetically engineered produce. In order to increase output, many kinds of food plants are altered so that they can be harvested more times in a year than they normally do. Would eating such food cause us to become “short-lived, ugly and sickly.
On the other hand, when the ruler is righteous, the whole situation would be in the direct opposite. In short, this sutta is saying that our ill behavior affects the cosmos and that eventually harms ourselves.
Bhutan
Let’s consider Bhutan, a Buddhist country where people live long lives. As it is informed, the ruler regards the people’s happiness so highly that he had the country measured according GNH, Gross National Happiness (and not just GNP, Gross National Production). Apparently, Bhutan has a high GNH. Therefore, it’s not uncommon to find people who are more than 100 years old there, although their GNP is significantly low.
Location of Bhutan
Background of Loving-kindness Discourse
On one occasion, some five hundred bhikkhus (monks), after obtaining an object of meditation from the Buddha went into the Himalayan forest to practice meditation.
Initially, the devas residing in the trees tolerated their presence, but as they learnt that the monks would not leave so soon, the devas made fearful sights and sounds at night to frighten the monks so that they would go away.
The monks were so disturbed that they got sick and could not make any progress in their meditation. They decided to leave the place and reported their experiences to the Buddha.
After surveying, the Buddha found no other suitable location for them to practice meditation than that very forest. Therefore the Buddha advised them to return to the forest and taught them loving-kindness as an object of meditation, as well as for their protection.
Those monks returned to the forest, chanted the loving-kindness and practiced meditation. By doing so, the devas then had goodwill towards the monks and looked after them.
At the end of the Rains Retreat (Vassa), all the five hundred monks attained liberation.
Buddhist Approach
Buddha advises to extend the loving kindness around us wherever we live as follow;
May all beings be well and safe,
May their hearts rejoice.
Whatever beings there are — weak or strong, long or short, big, medium-sized or small, subtle or gross,
Those visible or invisible,
Residing near or far,
Those that have come to be or have yet to come,
May all beings be joyful.
Recycle
Once a certain king asked Buddha how to use the robe correctly. As he defined ,
When a robe cant be used more,
As a canopy in a room
As a carpet
Cut into pieces and then mixed with soil / clay to build walls.
Cleansed Surrounding
Indeed, the Buddha advises to live / stay in a clean and neat place.
It might be a room freed off,
Mosquitoes / spiders / spider webs and other insects
Freed of dirty
Restrooms / washrooms / kitchens must be cleansed
Dining / sitting rooms must be cleansed
Front / back yards must be cleansed
Cloths must cleansed
Because of without a cleansed background no one able to claim a cleansed mind.
Gratitude
Even the branch of the tree must never be cut where beneath the shade have ever sheltered, taken a rest or slept It would be betrayer of his friend.
Birth story of parrot,
Reasons to Damage Environment
Basically the Buddha recognizes three causes to damage the environment;
Those are
1. Greed
2. Hatred
3. Delusion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YFeKjerHmI
Aftermaths
Cakkavatti discourse explains the situation what happens when human beings run after greed, hatred and delusion.
From the not giving of property to the needy,... the taking of life increased,
From the taking of life, lying increased,
From the increase in lying, people’s life-span decreased
Their beauty decreased, and as a result
The children of those whose life-span had been very long decreased.
Thus, from the not giving of property to the needy, lack of respect for mother and father, for ascetics and Brahmins, and for the head of the clan increased, and in consequence people’s life-span and beauty decreased, and the children of those whose life-span had been two-and-a-half centuries lived for only a hundred years.
Monks, a time will come when the children of these people will have a life-span of ten years.
And with them, girls will be marriageable at five years old.
And with them, these flavors will disappear: ghee, butter, sesame-oil, molasses and salt. Among them, kudrūsa-grain will be the chief food, just as rice and curry are today.
And with them, the ten courses of moral conduct will completely disappear, and the ten courses of evil will prevail exceedingly: for those of a ten-year lifespan there will be no word for “moral” so how can there be anyone who acts in a moral way.
Those people who have no respect for
mother or father,
for ascetics and Brahmins,
for the head of the clan,
will be the ones who enjoy honor and prestige.
Just as it is now the people who show respect for mother and father, for ascetics and Brahmins, for the head of the clan, who are praised and honored, so it will be with those who do the opposite.
Among those of a ten-year life-span no account will be taken of
mother or aunt,
of mother’s sister-in-law,
of teacher’s wife or of one’s father’s wives
and so on — all will be promiscuous in the world like goats and sheep, fowl and pigs, dogs and jackals.
Among them, fierce enmity will prevail one for another,
fierce hatred, fierce anger and thoughts of killing,
mother against child and child against mother,
father against child and child against father,
brother against brother,
brother against sister,
just as the hunter feels hatred for the beast he stalks.
And for those of a ten-year life-span,
there will come to be a sword-interval of seven days,
during which they will mistake one another for wild beasts.
Sharp swords will appear in their hands and, thinking:
“There is a wild beast!”
they will take each other’s lives with those swords.
But there will be some beings who will think:
“Let us not kill or be killed by anyone!
Let us make for some grassy thickets or jungle-recesses or clumps of trees, for rivers hard to ford or inaccessible mountains,
and live on roots and fruits of the forest.
And this they will do for seven days.
Then, at the end of the seven days, they will emerge from their hiding-places and rejoice together of one accord, saying:
“Good beings, I see that you are alive!”
And then the thought will occur to those beings: “It is only because we became addicted to evil ways that we suffered this loss of our kindred, so let us now do good!
What good things can we do?
Let us abstain from the taking of life — that will be a good practice.” And so they will abstain from the taking of life, and, having undertaken this good thing, will practice it.
And through having undertaken such wholesome things, they will increase in life-span and beauty.
And the children of those whose life-span was ten years will live for twenty years.
Discourse on Seven Suns
1st Sun
Now there comes, a season when, after many years, many hundreds and thousands and hundreds of thousands of years,
It does not rain; and while it rains not, all seedlings and vegetation, all plants, grasses, and trees dry up, wither away and cease to be.
2nd & 3rd
2nd Sun
After the appearance of the second sun, monks, the brooks and ponds dry up, vanish away and cease to be.
3rd Sun
thereupon the great rivers: to wit, the Ganges, the
Jamna, the Rapti, the Gogra, the Mahî,--
dry up, vanish away and cease to be.
4th Sun
Thereupon the great lakes whence those rivers had their rise:
Namely
Anotatto,
Lion Leap,
Chariot Maker,
Keel –bare,
Cuckoo,
Six –bayed,
Slow Flow
dry up vanish away, and cease to be.
5th Sun
When a fifth sun appears, the waters in the great ocean go down for
An hundred leagues
Then for two hundred
Three hundred
And even unto seven hundred leagues
Until the water stands only seven fan-palms' deep
And so on unto one fan-palm
Then seven fathoms' deep
And so on unto one fathom
Half a fathom
Waist-deep
Knee-deep
Ankle-deep.
Simile
Even as in the fall season, when it rains in large drops, the waters in some places are standing around the feet of the kine.
Even so, the waters in the great ocean in some places are standing to the depth of knee-feet.
After the appearance of the fifth sun, the water in the great ocean is not the measure of a finger-joint.
6th Sun
6th Sun
When a sixth sun appears; whereupon this great earth and Sineru, the monarch of mountains, reek and fume and send forth clouds of smoke.
Even as a potter's baking, when first besmeared, doth reek and fume and smoke, such is the smoke of earth and mountains when the sixth sun appears.
7th Sun
After a last vast interval, a seventh sun appears, and then, monks, this great earth, and Sineru, the monarch of mountains, flare and blaze, and become one mass of flame.
And now, from earth and mountains burning and consuming, a spark is carried by the wind and goes as far as the worlds of God; and the peaks of Mount Sineru, burning, consuming, perishing, go down in one vast mass of fire and crumble for an hundred, yea, five hundred leagues.
And of this great earth and Sineru, the monarch of mountains, when consumed and burnt, neither ashes nor soot remains.
Just as when ghee or oil is consumed and burnt, monks, neither ashes nor soot remains, so it is with the great earth and Mount Sineru.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RasmDzXoZA
Current Concern
1. when the entire earth’s temperature increases by one degree, Western United States would face severe droughts where most of it will turn into deserts.
2. When the earth’s temperature increases by two degrees, Greenland’s glaciers will melt fast. When the time comes. the sea level will rise up to seven meters. Some coastal cities including New York, London, Manhattan, Shanghai or Taipei will be entirely flooded.
3. When the earth’s temperature increases by three degrees, after passing the critical point, humanity will have no power to control global warming.
When the time comes, the summer heat wave in Paris will become a regular phenomenon.
There will be no ice in the
North Pole during summer.
The Amazon Rainforest will gradually wither, and the drought may even cause rainforest fire.
4. When the earth’s temperature increases by four degrees,
Bangladesh, Egypt, and Venice
would be flooded by the ocean.
The world’s largest rivers may dry up, jeopardizing the existence of millions to billions of people.
5. When the earth’s temperature increases by five degrees, the North and South Temperature Zones will be unsuitable for living. Water sources in
Los Angeles,
Mumbai, and
Cairo will dry up.
When that time comes, the member of the climate refugees around the world cannot be estimated.
6. When the earth’s temperature increases by six degrees, many of the major cities will be lost to the rising seas.
When that time comes, natural disasters will become a norm. When that day arrives, it is the so-called “end of the world”.
Humanity will probably follow the extinction of the dinosaur kingdom.
