Engaged Buddhism and a Universal Climate Change Ethic

James King| SOURCE 2016 | Central Washington University

Presentation on Senior Capstone Project (Undergraduate Thesis)

Advisors: Dr. Mark Auslander (Anth. & Museum Studies) Dr. Jeffery Dippmann (Phil. & Religious Studies)

ENGAGED BUDDHISM AND A UNIVERSAL CLIMATE CHANGE ETHIC

http://muddywaterzen.blogspot.com/2011/03/political-buddha-part-1-engaged.html

• Abstract & Research Questions• Introduction• Methodology• Chapter 1: The Ethics of Climate Change• Chapter 2: Engaged Buddhism and the Environment• Chapter 3: A Universal Climate Change Ethic• Conclusions• References

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Image Source: http://secularbuddhism.org/2015/04/07/should-secular-buddhists-be-engaged-buddhists-too/

• Anthropogenic climate change [ACC] has become one of the most pressing issues of modernity, influencing a myriad of human spheres including foreign policy, economics, politics, and more. Its’ complexity, in combination with social and ethical factors, come together to produce a ‘perfect moral storm’. Through the use of Buddhistic and political ecology analyses, and building on an Engaged Buddhist foundation, a universal ethic is deduced. This ethic should be flexible enough to be applicable to many environmental and social problems, yet specific enough to provide proactive and useful insight into the unique nature of an issue. This dual focus and adaptability makes this theory well suited for understanding and effectively solving ACC issues while emphasizing the value of nature and human life, promoting social justice, and preserving human security. The universality of this ethic can allow for adaptability into a wide range of geographic and social settings, making global application possible.

ABSTRACT

• 1. What ethical and social aspects inherent in issues of climate change have prevented an effective global response, and why?

• 2. What ethical and social aspects may be assisting in climate change action, and why?

• 3. What ethical and philosophical components of modern Engaged Buddhism, if any, are relevant and practically applicable to the issues of climate change on a global and local scale?

• 4. Can a ‘Universal Climate Change Ethic’ be constructed on which any person from any culture, class, religion, location, and so on can agree? If so, what can Engaged Buddhist ethics and philosophy contribute?

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

• This thesis assessed a wide range of qualitative and quantitative data relating to climate change, Buddhism, and environmental ethics.

• Primary and Secondary data analysis including:• Climate change research, data, and ethnographic accounts,• Buddhist texts and commentaries,• Peer-reviewed journals on Buddhist ethics, sustainability,

conservation, and other topics,• Ethical discourses, and• Essay Anthologies.

METHODOLOGY

(Chakrabarti 2015)

Red = Most ResponsibleGreen = Least Responsible

(Chakrabarti 2015)

Red = Face the most risk from ACCGreen = Face the least risk

(Chakrabarti 2015)

Key Point: those most responsible for climate change often face less risk, have a higher capacity to respond to climate change effects, or both.- Creates inherent ethical problems

• This chapter examines the social and ethical characteristics which may be present in anthropogenic climate change (ACC) issues. Mainly focusing on:• Human Security & Rights: potential to increase tensions and unrest• Economics: economic and market models often ignore ethical

components• Responsibility: who has caused what and/or owes what to whom? who

should assist whom in ACC responses?• Justice: socioeconomic, racial, and other groups may be affected

unevenly.

CHAPTER 1: THE ETHICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

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• Problems of Assessment, Response, and Communication:• Temporal Factors: Recognizing and understanding ACC trends• Scientific Literacy: Translating ACC data to citizens, and into action• Tragedy of the Commons: Issues of personal interest inhibit progress• Risk Perception: Ways we understand, communicate, and respond to risk• Structural Factors: Increased centralization/institutionalization of power, etc.• Inter-Cultural Factors: Ways in which other cultures/worldviews impact

perceptions of ACC causes, effects, and subsequent responses• “Whenever I hear about global warming it’s that there is a layer of dust up there.

When the sunlight hits the earth it can’t escape and so it affects the weather conditions. . . I try to consider that all the volcanic activity has something to do with it too. . . I also considered it when I heard aerosol sprays were one of the causes of global warming.” (Crate and Nuttall 2009:212-13)

SUMMARY OF IDENTIFIED IMPEDIMENTS TO CLIMATE CHANGE ACTION

• Problems of Scale: Individualization vs Institutionalization• Individualism: not inherently bad, but over-emphasis can lead to negatives,

i.e. narcissism, selfishness, etc.• Buddhist Perspective- “In a society that puts the interests of any one individual

above those of the community, social problems cannot be effectively addressed because the context of the problems is the way society operates as a whole” - Bhikkhu Buddhadasa (1986:34).

• “Individualization of Responsibility” (Maniates 2001:33): concept that saving the environment is on individuals to ‘go green’.

• Institutionalization: trend in society to centralize and consolidate (Rootes 1999).• Can lead to oversimplification of issues, conflicts of interest, etc.


• ‘Panacea’ Problems: trend to reduce complex problems into simple fix-all solutions (Ostrom and Cox 2010)


(Gutt 2015)

Example:Ocean Stressors

Alternative:‘Panarchy’(Garmestani &Benson 2013)

• Problems of a Capitalist Response: Political Ecology and ACC• Capitalism is being criticized for contributing to environmental, social, and

other harms around the world• Second Contradiction of Capitalism: the drive for capital accumulation

encourages (1) over-extraction of resources, and (2) over-pollution of the environment, undermining the capitalist system itself

• Buddhist Perspective: Economies should have three goals (Sivaraksa 1986):• 1. Improve health and income for all people,• 2. Economic stability, and• 3. Fair distribution of fruits of production

• A ‘New Capitalism’: Natural Capitalism (Hawkens, Lovins and Lovins 2000)• Solution = reform of capitalism to reflect value and importance of ‘natural capital’


https://www.e-education.psu.edu/drupal6/files/geog030/action/m9_cartogram%20world%20consumption.png

• The ‘No Regret’ Approach: Some responses will provide co-benefits to people and nature (Chakrabarti 2015).

• Human Beings as Agents of Change (Diamond 2015).• Humans are cause of ACC, so we are also large part of solution• Technology & know-how to solve issues is already available (Pacala and Socolow

2004).• Opportunities for Local Participation and Indigenous

Sovereignty:• Traditional Ecological Knowledge [TEK], value of local individuals & communities

knowledge to science and problem solving. (Barnes and Dove 2015)• Opportunities for cooperation and relationship-building• Increasing Energy Security (Pataki and Vilsack 2008).• Improved infrastructure, greater efficiency, provides jobs, etc.

PRESENT ETHICAL POTENTIAL

• “With its’ philosophical insight into the interconnectedness and thoroughgoing interdependence of all conditioned things, with its thesis that happiness is to be found through the restraint of desire in a life of contentment rather than through the proliferation of desire, with its goal of loving-kindness for all beings, Buddhism provides all the essential elements for a relationship with the natural world characterized by respect, care, and compassion.”– Bhikkhu Bodhi (Selin 2003:359).

CHAPTER 2:ENGAGED BUDDHISM AND THE ENVIRONMENT

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http://dharmanet.org/coursesM/32/preedits/wheel1a.htm

Spheres of Engaged Buddhism

• Siddhartha Gautama: born around 563 BCE in India• Developed Buddhist systems in response to already present philosophical

and spiritual systems (Carrithers 2001), [Theravada ’doctrine of the elders’]• Spread Into Asia: by the 5th century CE, becoming well

established in China, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, etc.• Development of Mahayana Buddhism [‘greater vehicle’]• Increased emphasis on role and potential of lay followers (Keown 1996).

• Buddhism in the West: grown immensely during & since 20th century (Prebish and Baumann 2002)• Undergone fascinating developments, especially in social engagement• Engaged Buddhism: Thich Nhat Hanh, Sulak Sivaraksa, H.H. The Dalai Lama, etc.• “The general pattern and belief of practice that has come to be called ‘engaged

Buddhism’ is unprecedented, and thus tantamount to a new chapter in the history of the tradition. As a style of ethical practice, engaged Buddhism may be seen as a new paradigm of Buddhist liberation.”(Gowans 2015:234).

A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF BUDDHISM

• “At its broadest definition socially engaged Buddhism extends across public engagement in caring and service, social and environmental protest and analysis, nonviolence as a creative way of overcoming conflict, and ‘right livelihood’ and similar initiatives toward a socially just and ecologically sustainable society.” (Jones 2003:173).

ENGAGED BUDDHISM:

Sulak Sivaraksa

Thich Nhat HanhThe 14th Dalai Lama

• Universally accepted Buddhist principles:• 1. A commitment to monasticism• 2. A shared, traditional set of meditations• 3. A shared goal of enlightenment• 4. All schools since the Buddha have built on previous schools, or “a

subtle adaptation of pre-existing ideas (Conze 1980:16).• The Stages of Development of Engaged Buddhism:• 1. Theravada [original] Buddhism• 2. Mahayana: ‘greater vehicle’• 3. Madhyamaka: ‘The Middle Way’• 4. Hua-yan: the ‘Flower Garland’ school.• 5. Contemporary Engaged Buddhism

BUDDHIST DOCTRINE:A BRIEF ANALYSIS

• A number of philosophical and ethical components can be identified which support, and even mandate environmentalism:• 1. The Sangha: Community; Buddhist, neighbors, friends, etc. (Ishii

1986)• 2. Mindfulness: being aware of surroundings, state of mind, etc.• 3. Human Place in Nature: Part of, not separate from nature: “From the

Buddhist point of view, all living beings – that is, all beings with feelings, experiences, and sensations – are considered equal.” (Dalai Lama 2009:154)

• 4. Value of Life: Buddhism tends to value all sentient beings and, in many traditions, the non-sentient environment (Wawrytko and Wei-hsun Fu 1991).

• 5. The Middle Way: avoiding extremes, preferring balance & moderation

ENGAGED BUDDHISM ANDTHE ENVIRONMENT

Buddhist Tree Ordination Thailand

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• Environmental components of engaged Buddhism, cont.• 6. Moderation and Simplicity: “Buddhism shows ways to make

people happy by utilizing the least amount of matter and energy while aiming at happiness and social correctness.” (Kamdee 1993:18)• Example: Monastic lifestyle

• 7. Sila [morality]: Five Precepts: Refrain from (1) killing, (2) stealing, (3) sexual misconduct, (4) false speech, and (5) intoxicants (Sivaraksa 1988)• Ethics are intention-based, existing on a gradation (Harvey 2007)

• 8. Pratityasamutpada: ‘Dependent Origination’: Interdependence: “When that exists, this comes to be; on the arising of that, this arises. When that does not exist, this does not come to be; on the cessation of that, this ceases.” – Majjhima Nikaya I (Batchelor and Brown 1992:10)


• Environmental components of engaged Buddhism, cont.• 9. Compassion and the Bodhisattva Ideal:• A. Karuna: ‘Compassion’: To suffer with, and to desire to alleviate that suffering (key:

ACTIVE)• Separates compassion from empathy, which is passive not requiring action• “Buddhists – and perhaps others – believe that this can be developed to such a degree that not only

does our compassion arise without any effort, but it is unconditional, undifferentiated, and universal in scope.” (Dalai Lama 1999:123)

• B. Bodhisattvas: beings who dedicate themselves to relieving suffering in the world, wherever it exists (Wawrytko and Wei-hsun Fu 1991).• Modern Relevance: “It is my profound belief that the idea of a bodhisattva is better adapted to today’s

world than many other religious ideas. The experience of a bodhisattva, this power of compassion that we discover constantly abiding within our otherwise inconstant nature, is no doubt one of the main factors that is attracting more and more interest in Buddhism.” (Dalai Lama 2009:220)

• C. Bodhicitta / Tathagatagharba: ‘Buddha-mind’, idea that all beings contain Buddha-nature, and have the potential to become a buddha.• ‘Ecosattva’: a bodhisattva who “cares deeply about all beings and the health of the planet and is willing

to take action after action to help all beings thrive.” (Kaza 2008:13)


Avalokiteshvara:Chinese: Guan-yin

-Bodhisattva of Compassion

-Thousands of arms

- Many faces

- Dalai Lama: in Tibetan tradition, is the physical incarnation (14th in the line)

http://www.exoticindia.com/buddha/thousand_armed_avalokiteshvara__the_bodhisattva_tn28.jpg

GUAN-YIN

• Environmental components of engaged Buddhism, cont.• 10. Universal Responsibility: individual is the source of all responsibility• (Cooper and James 2005:135-136)• Dalai Lama: “Each one of us is responsible for reducing the negative potential of every

situation we have to face. If we wish to change the world, first we must improve and transform ourselves.” (2009:169-70)

• 11. Upaya: ‘Skillful Means’: ability of the Buddha to “adapt his message to the context in which it was delivered.” (Keown 2005:18)• Parable of the father, his children, and the burning house (Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai 1966)• A father had gone into town to visit the market and pick up supplies, who had left his children

at home. When he returned home, he saw that a fire had started and the house was ablaze. His children were still inside the house, not noticing the fire as they were caught up in their playing. The father yelled for the children to come out immediately, but they ignored his calls. The father, knowing his children, yelled “children I’ve brought you a toy from the market come out now and see it!”. The children heard this and immediately ran out of the house and were saved from the fire.• Actions, teachings, moral principles, etc. are tools: good adaptability = skillful use of tools


• The Search for a Universal Ethic:• “And so it is not unreasonable to expect nor surprising to find that among all

men, amid all the historically developed cultural diversity, there is not only a nuclear family and some extended kinship, work and dancing, art and religion – but also morality. And morality includes common structural patterns, common mechanisms, and, where social institutions are parallel, some detailed similarity in content.” (Edel and Edel 1968:31)

• Moral Relativism: values, ethics and moral codes will vary depending on the cultural context in which they are found.

• Situational Ethics: “One situation or context is always slightly different from another. Hence, what is right in one situation might be inappropriate in another context.” (Fox 2001: 14)

CHAPTER 3:A UNIVERSAL CLIMATE CHANGE ETHIC

• The Need for a Universal Ethic:• Globalization and Interconnectivity: Increasing interactions and complexity

of relationships is increasing intercultural encounters.• Ethical Principles are Unavoidable: Ethics are involved in every action we

take, no matter how small or seemingly mundane (Shea and Sitter 1989)• Allows for meaningful and proactive discourse on ethical principles and

issues including justice, responsibility, compassion, and so on.• Key Point: ethical principles influence behavior, but do not fully

determine it.


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- Human-Nature relationship is dialectic, both influencing each other

- All of culture is within nature

- Culture is sustained by inputs from nature

• Universal Agreement: Some principles are more ‘universal’ than others, and some may require only partial universality• Example: Differences in social structure.• Example: Sanctity of life.

• Not all components are required for cooperation.• Many of the components overlap• Acknowledging respect for life may be enough, even if other concepts are rejected

• Some Components are Already Well Accepted: concepts such as justice, respect for life, and responsibility for actions are already present to some extent


• A Universal Climate Change Ethic:• 1. Interdependence: Ecology and Buddhism emphasize this: “Ecology

and Buddhism are both about the interdependence of all forms of existence, the former from a scientific view, the latter in the existential and experiential sense.” (Jones 2003:170).

• 2. Compassion: “a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.” (Dictionary.com 2016)

• 3. Universal Responsibility:(a) considering the ends of the particular action, (b) considering the conditions necessary, and (c) considering the consequences of success (Shea and Sitter 1989)

• 4. Skillful Means: Specificity and unique characteristics cannot be ignored.


• A Universal Climate Change Ethic:• 5. Respect for Life: Recognizing the value of, and roles filled by, all

organisms and the habitats they compose (Kleinig 1991).• 6. Equality and Justice: Emphasizing that all humans are equal in their

value, and must be treated with dignity and respect.• Fairness: “the foundational idea that we should avoid bias in our evaluations, take

note of the interests and concerns of others and – particularly – try to avoid being influenced by our own vested interests or eccentricities.” (Wolfson 2015:41).

• 7. Human Security: Ethical imperative to respond to and prepare for ACC in ways that protects human well-being and stability.• Impacts on human health, nation stability, resources [food, water, etc.], all of

which can exacerbate or cause conflict & warfare (Homer-Dixon and Blitt 1998).• 8: Intelligent Consumption: Engaging in consumption patterns in ways

which incorporate the other 7 principles of this ethic.• Acknowledging effects on social and environmental well-being, etc.


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• 1. Consideration of social & ethical characteristics of ACC must continue, and should grow in emphasis.

• 2. The role of science and scientists can benefit from deeper exploration, including what role scientists should take (disinterested observer, active participant, etc.)

• 3. The search for, and relevance of a universal ethic is valid, and has potential for future benefits in ACC and other issues requiring large-scale human input and cooperation.

• 4. Eastern worldviews and philosophical frameworks can provide insights and allow for unique & innovative solutions.• These approaches may be better suited to ACC issues, where connections & relationships become as

important as individual components.• Will not solve the problems. But may provide a cogent tool in our arsenal

• 5. Application, effectiveness, and further development of this and other climate change ethics warrants continued study & experimentation.

• 6. Locally generated, supported, and enacted responses likely provide the most effective courses of action:• Encourages local stewardship by knowledgeable and concerned citizens• Provides validity to local action and increase likelihood of consent and support• Allows for the unique values, talents, and challenges of a community to influence action

CONCLUSIONS:

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http://www.dictionary.com/browse/compassion

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/compassion

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