Can Buddhism save the planet?

Saturday, 04 September 2010 01:40 Acharya S Contributing Writers - Acharya S

I concur that, as concerns the world's major organizations, Buddhism is among the most environmentally friendly. In this day and age, if we must have a religious revival, it would be so very refreshing to have it be something like Buddhism, rather than Islam or Christianity. The fact that it isn't tends to demonstrate ...that there is no good God in charge of everything. "...he sat and consulted with the Buddha..." Maybe I should go have a consultation with Pan.

How Buddhism could be a way out of the environmental mess we are in
The Zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh explains in his new book how a Buddhist approach could benefit ecology

He discusses in the book how he sat and consulted with the Buddha for many hours and came away with the recognition that we could be facing the end of our civilisation unless we can achieve a spiritual awakening and change our individual and collective behaviour.

"In my mind I see a group of chickens in a cage disputing over a few seeds of grain, unaware that in a few hours they will all be killed," he writes.

Above all else, Thay – as he is known – teaches that the world cannot be changed outside of ourselves. The answer is for each one of us to transform the fear, anger, and despair which we cover-up with over-consumption. If we are filling our bodies and minds with toxins, it is no surprise that the world around us also becomes poisoned.

He also argues that those who put their faith in technology alone to save the planet are bowing to a false god.

Like many other spiritual leaders, he sees the genesis of our pain as coming from our dualistic mindset that sees our connection to god, or Buddha, or spirit as outside ourselves and accessible only after our death. As a result we have developed a strong ego that sees itself as separate and threatened and needs to amass things like wealth to feel strong and protected. But none of these can fill the chasm created by our deep sense of separation....

Comments (2)

|2010-09-09 17:23:39 Gregory Fegel

I agree that in general, as evidenced by its history and its teachings, Buddhism is, among the major religions, one of the most peace-loving, non-aggressive, compassionate, and environmentally-friendly.

However, not all sects of Buddhism are the same; there are Buddhist philosophical sects that are essentially Atheistic, Agnostic, or Deist, and there are Buddhist religious sects that practice the ritual worship of Deities and maintain a belief in demonology.

Buddhism emerged in India and it retains elements of Hinduism. The non-religious Buddhist philosophical sects have much in common with the non-religious Hindu philosophy of Advaita (nonDualism), which focuses on meditation and self-awareness. The Buddhist religious sects have much in common with the religious forms of Hinduism, including the ritual worship of icons at Temples and shrines.

Vipassana, also known as Essential Buddhism, emphasizes techniques to increase self-awareness and Vipassana eschews mythology and ritualism.

Philosophical Buddhists see the Buddha as a philosophical ideal, the personification of the Enlightened individual. Religious Buddhists see the Buddha as a Saviour God who once preached on earth and who will return again during a future Apocalyptic world age, just like Jesus Christ and the Hindu god Vishnu.

Like any religion or philosophy, Buddhism has its pretenders, phonies, hypocrits, and extremists. The Chinese occupation of Tibet is cruel and criminal, but the previous Tibetan feudalism was also cruel and despotic. Even the Dalai Lama has admitted this. The Dalai Lama has also stated his personal distaste for ritualized religion.

In summary, my point is that when evaluating Buddhism or comparing it to other religions, we need to bear in mind the differences between the various sects of Buddhism. Some Buddhist sects have a lot in common with Hinduism and Christianity.

Gregory Fegel
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