Current World Affairs

Mahapanaya VidayalaiAn Affiliated Institute of MCU

Semester I2011

Part IV

Buddhist Perspective on Global Environmental ProblemsEnvironmental problemsEnvironmental problems are those situations that directly or indirectly affect the natural environment, or ecology.

Causes of Environmental problems• Rising trend of human population• Deforestation• Pollution• Climate Change• Waste• Loss of biodiversity

Environmental protection activitiesEnvironmental protection definition includes all available practices used to protect our environment, whether on individual, organizational or global (international) level.

Population

PollutionThe term pollution usually refers to human activities that adversely affect the world around us. Main types of pollution : Air, water, noise, land, chemical etc

Air pollutionOne of the main types of pollution of the environment (Man made or natural)Most common sources of pollution: burning fossil fuel, power plants, factories,

automobiles..Pollution gases (Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, sulfur dioxide,

Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), nitrogen oxides etc)Air pollution adversely affects humans by causing cardio-respiratory problemsAir pollution results such as global warming, climate change, acid rain, ozone

depletion

Pollution….Water pollution

Water pollution is another one of the main types of pollution of the environment

Change in physical, chemical and biological structure water bodies like river, lake, seas etc

One of the causes of water pollution is the release of waste into the water bodies. For example domestic wastes, industrial effluents, agriculture wastes, marine dumping

The main types of pollution of water bodies make it unfit for drinking and other uses. Polluted water also breeds viruses, bacteria, intestine parasites and other harmful microorganisms, which can cause waterborne disease like diarrhea, dysentery, and typhoid

Pollution..Land PollutionLand pollution is another of the main types of pollution to the environment. Land pollution is mainly about the contamination and degradation of Earth’s land surface.Land pollution can affect wildlife, plants and humans in many waysIt occurs when waster from various sources are not properly disposed of, causing harmful substances and chemicals to leach into the ground.

Pollution…Noise PollutionNoise is a common problem in modern-day life and it represents a serious threat to our quality of life. Noise, by definition, is unwanted sound. What is pleasant to some ears may be extremely unpleasant to others, depending on a number of factors.The natural environment contains many sources of noise - wind, volcanoes, oceans, and animal sounds are all familiar intrusions accepted at various levels. Man-made noises - from machines, automobiles, trains, planes, explosives and firecrackers, etc. are more contentious. Both kinds of noise affect sleep, hearing, communication, as well as mental and physical health.

Climate ChangeClimate change is a long term alteration in global weather patterns, especially increases in temperature and storm activity. It is the change in atmospheric conditions along with changes in the Hydrological(water) cycle, temperature, sea level, rainfall and all changes in the weather for a long interval of time.

The causes of climate change can be divided into two categories, human and natural causes. Natural causes: Volcano eruptions, ocean currents, earth orbit, solar radiation. Man made: Agriculture, Deforestation, Industrialization and Greenhouses gas

Effect: Global temperature rise, increase of sea level, extreme weather, Food and water, Rain forest, natural calamity

DeforestationDeforestation means the process of clearing forests or the destruction of a forest and change the use of land.

Causes of deforestation: used for urban and construction purposes, to grow crops, to create grazing land, used for fuel

Deforestation can lead to erosion, drought, loss of biodiversity through extinction of plant and animal species, and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, affect on water cycle, flooding and drought, climate change etcSolutions: Afforestation or reforestation

Waste ManagementWaste management is the collection, transport, disposal, controlling, recycling and reused o of solid, liquid and gaseous wastes of plants, animals, humans and other organismsSources: Residential, Agriculture, Industrial, Commercial, .Disposal of waste: land fill, Incineration, recycling etc

Buddhism and Environment

Buddhism itself is an ecological religion. It powerfully expresses human identification with nature. Albert Einstein, "If there is any religion that would cope with modern scientific needs it would be Buddhism."

Buddhism and Environment…. Human being as part of the vast physical universe.

Buddhists believe that all things, including humans, exist by their interrelationship with all other parts of nature and to think of one’s self as isolated from the rest of nature is be unrealistic.

According to Buddhism changeability is one of the perennial principles of nature. Everything changes in nature and nothing remains static. This concept is expressed by the Pali termanicca. Everything formed is in a constant process of change (sabbe sankhara anicca).Buddhism believes that though change is a factor inherent in nature, man's moral deterioration accelerates the process of change and brings about changes which are adverse to human well being and happiness.

The building material of nature -- the elements of solidity (pathavi), liquidity (apo), heat (tejo), and mobility (vayo) -- are ever-changing phenomena

Buddhism and Environment…. From the Buddhist point of view, human beings are not separated from other living beings. All beings have the Buddha-nature, Buddhists do not believe in treating of non-human beings as objects for human consumption.

Nature is important to Buddhists because it provides a place where rapid progress in Buddhist practice, or self-cultivation, can be made.

 Man and beast can live and let live without fear of one another if only man cultivates sympathy and regards all life with compassion. Buddhism expresses a gentle non-violent attitude towards the vegetable kingdom as well. It is said that one should not even break the branch of a tree that has given one shelter. Plants are so helpful to us in providing us with all necessities of life that we are expected not to adopt a callous attitude towards them. The more strict monastic rules prevent the monks from injuring plant life.

Buddhism and Environment…. Buddhist teachers and masters constantly remind us of the importance of living in tune with nature and respecting life. Buddhism teaches that if we wish to save the environment, we must first analyze our lives

The Buddha said, I am pleased with that bhikkhu’s [monk’s] ‘dwelling in the forest’. And when he lives in a remote abode his mind is not distracted by unsuitable visible objects, and so on. He is free from anxiety; he abandons attachments to life; he enjoys the taste of the bliss of seclusion.

Buddhist monks and nuns vow to follow moral precepts that prohibit harming of the environment. There are vows for protecting the purity of the water; for not killing sentient beings who live in the earth; for not killing insects, birds, and animals; for not starting forest fires; and for respecting the life of trees, particularly ancient ones.

Natures beauty is appreciated by Buddhists because it is recognized as valued by those of high spiritual attainment. The Buddha and his disciples regarded natural beauty as a source of great joy and aesthetic satisfaction.

Buddhism and Environment…. Buddha promulgated the rule against going on a journey during the rainy season because of possible injury to worms and insects that come to the surface in wet weather. The same concern for non-violence prevents a monk from digging the ground

Karma is the causal network of intentional actions, both mental and physical, that is the foundation of Buddhist ethical understanding. The foremost principle of Buddhist karma-based ethics is ahimsa, the principles of non-harming and of respect for life. This does not only refer to respect for human beings, but also for every manifestation of life on the planet, especially sentient life. 

Buddhism and Environment…. This idea has been systematised in the theory of the five natural laws (panca niyamadhamma) in later commentaries. According to this theory, in the cosmos there are five natural laws at work: namely, physical laws, biological laws, psychological laws, moral laws and causal laws. This means that the physical environment of any given area conditions the growth and development of its biological component, i.e. fauna and flora.

Its ethic of non-injury and boundless loving-kindness for all beings. The well-known Five Precepts (panca sila)forms the minimum code of ethics to which every lay Buddhist should adhere. Its first precept involves abstention from injury to life. Buddhism also prescribes the practice of metta, "loving-kindness" towards all creatures in all quarters without restriction.

Buddhism and Environment…. Pollution to this extent was unheard of during the time of the Buddha. But there is sufficient evidence in the Pali canon to give us insight into the Buddhist attitude towards the pollution problem.

Several Vinaya rules prohibit monks from polluting green grass and water with saliva, urine, and feces These were the common agents of pollution known during the Buddha's day and rules were promulgated against causing such pollution. Cleanliness was highly commended by the Buddhists both in the person and in the environment. They were much concerned about keeping water clean, be it in the river, pond, or well.

These sources of water were for public use and each individual had to use them with proper public-spirited caution so that others after him could use them with the same degree of cleanliness. Rules regarding the cleanliness of green grass were prompted by ethical and aesthetic considerations. Moreover, grass is food for most animals and it is man's duty to refrain from polluting it by his activities.

Buddhism and Environment…. Noise is today recognized as a serious personal

and environmental pollutant troubling everyone to some extent. The Buddha's attitude to noise is very clear from the Pali canon.

The Buddha and his disciples reveled in the silent solitary natural habitats unencumbered by human activity. Even in the choice of monasteries the presence of undisturbed silence was an important quality they looked for The Bhayabherava Sutta beautifully illustrates how even the rustle of leaves by a falling twig in the forest sends tremors through an impure heart.

Buddhism and Environment…. Each man has to order his life on normal principles, exercise self-control in the enjoyment of the senses, discharge his duties in his various social roles, and conduct himself with wisdom and self-awareness in all activities. It is only when each man adopts a simple moderate lifestyle that mankind as a whole will stop polluting the environment.

This seems to be the only way of overcoming the present ecocrisis and the problem of alienation. With such a lifestyle, man will adopt a non-exploitative, non-aggressive, gentle attitude towards nature. He can then live in harmony with nature, utilizing its resources for the satisfaction of his basic needs. The Buddhist admonition is to utilize nature in the same way as a bee collects pollen from the flower, neither polluting its beauty nor depleting its fragrance. Just as the bee manufactures honey out of pollen, so man should be able to find happiness and fulfillment in life without harming the natural world in which he lives.

Buddhism and Environment…. Buddhism tirelessly advocates the virtues of non-greed, non-hatred and non-delusion in all human pursuits. Greed breeds sorrow and unhealthy consequences. Contentment is a much praised virtue in Buddhism. The person leading a simple life with few wants is upheld and appreciated as an exemplary character. Miserliness and wastefulness are equally deplored in Buddhism as two degenerate extremes. The excessive exploitation of nature as is done today would certainly be condemned by Buddhism in the strongest possible terms.

Buddhism and Environment…. The important events in the life of the Buddha took place in nature: He was born in a garden park at the foot of a Sal tree in Lumbini where his mother grasped the branch of Sal tree, He attained enlightenment at the foot of the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya,. He began his missionary activity in the open air in a Sal tree grove. As a wandering ascetic with a large company of monastics, he frequently chose to stay in mango groves on the outskirts of villages and large cities. And finally he chose to pass away between two magnificent Sal trees in Kushinagar, India. The Buddha's constant advice to his disciples was to resort to natural habitats such as forest groves and glades where they would find quiet and peace of mind undisturbed by human activity

Buddhism and Environment…. The open air, natural habitats and forest trees have a special

fascination for the Eastern mind as symbols of spiritual freedom.

The Buddha's constant advice to his disciples also was to resort to natural habitats such as forest groves and glades. There, undisturbed by human activity, they could zealously engage themselves in meditation.

Early Buddhism recognized the close relationship between human behavior and the natural environment. This idea was systematized in the theory of the Five Natural Orders (pañca niyama dhamma) in later commentaries (Atthasalini, 854). According to the theory, there are five natural forces at work in the cosmos: order of seasons (utu-niyama), order of seeds (bija-niyama), order of mind (citta-niyama), order of deeds (karma-niyama), order of things (dhamma-niyama).These may be translated as physical laws, biological laws, psychological laws, moral laws, and causal laws, respectively. While the first four orderly processes operate within their respective spheres, the law of causality operates within each of them as well as among them.

Buddhism and Environment…. When we purify our minds, we experience the true nature. By looking inward, within one’s own body-mind, one gradually realizes that there is no ultimate division between inside and outside, that the patterns of the natural environment are not separate from the patterns of our own body-minds.

“Right use of nature is part of the spiritual life”

As one’s mind is purified, one’s actions are purified. As a result, not only do mental attitudes that are dissonant or harmful to Nature disappear, but one’s new mental states lead directly to more enlightened actions in relation to Nature and more enlightened influence on others about Nature.

Thank you!!!