Buddhist environment-related values

Thuat Nguyen

The present environmental crisis is a great threat to the survival of humankind on this planet Earth. We are aware that much harm has been done to the Larlh out of ignorance, craving, and arrogance. Our Mother Earth with her forests is suffering enormously announcing that the end is near if we do not change our way of life. From the point of view of the Buddha's teaching, environmental crisis is but the external manifestation of man's internal moral crisis, which has reached an alarming level.

Buddhism believes that moral consciousness/the human mind, the human body, the external world consisting of fauna and flora, and society are intricately interconnected/inter-are through an all-embracing network of cause and effect, to make one whole psychologically sensitive and responsive ecosystem.
According to scientific thinking air pollution with increased carbon dioxide emissions is due to the burning of fossil fuels, which in the long run would contribute to global warming with catastrophic effects on human well-being. The present environmental crisis is caused by emissions from machinery and over-exploitation of natural resources. The three factors-overpopulation, over-consumption, and undeidisttibufion have critical impacts on the atmosphere, climate, and the health of our planet Earth. The meat industry and the car industry together with our unmindful consumption are also main causes of global warming.

In Buddhism, we see our close relationship with every person and every species. The happiness and suffering of all humans and all other species are our own happiness and suffering. We inter-are. As practitioners we see wc are part of and not separate from the whole of human civilization. As human beings we see that we are children of the Earth and not separate from the soil, the forests, rivers and sky. We share the same destiny.

There is a source of wisdom in the Buddhist tradition in relation to climate change, which is biodiversity conservation, environmental protection, and sustainable development. The Diamond Sutra is the earliest text advocating environmental protection. In this sutra, there are four dangerous notions that must be released: the notion of self, human beings, living beings and lifespan. As Thay (Thich Nhat Hanh) said and taught: "Another door that we should open is the door of ecology, because in Buddhism there is a deep respect toward animals, vegetables, and minerals...the Diamond Sutra is the oldest text on the protection of the environment...man is made of non-man elements, mainly animals, vegetables, minerals, and so on.

That means that in order to protect man, you have to protect the non-man elements. It's very clear." In the first mindfulness training/precept of the Five Mindfulness Trainings this is very obvious:

Aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of life, I vow to cultivate compassion and learn ways to protect the lives of people, animals, plants and minerals. I am determined not to kill, not to let others kill, and not to condone any act of killing in the world, in my thinking and in my way of life.

In terms of the fight against global warming, the story about the couple who ate their son's flesh - the story told by the Buddha in the Son's Flesh Sutra - needs to be available for the whole human race to learn and practice at all levels, especially through the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (UNDESD). The couple, with their little child, on their way to seek asylum, had to cross the desert. Due to a lack of geographical knowledge, they ran out of food while they were only half way through. They realized that all three of them would die in the desert, and they had no hope of reaching the country at the other end of the desert to seek asylum. Finally, they made the decision to kill their little son. Each day they ate a small morsel of his flesh, in order to have enough energy to move on, and they carried the rest of their son's flesh on their shoulders, so that it could continue to dry in the sun. Each time when they finished eating a morsel of their son's flesh, the couple looked at each other and asked: "Where is our beloved child now?" Having told this tragic story, the Buddha looked at the monks and asked: "Do you think that this couple was happy to eat their son's flesh?" "No. World Honored One. The couple suffered when they had to eat their son's flesh." the monks answered. The Buddha taught: "Dear friends, we have to practice eating in such a way that wc can retain compassion in our hearts. We have to eat in mindfulness. If not, we may be eating the flesh of our own children."

It is also worth noting that the decisive events in the Buddha's life occurred in natural settings; trees are often mentioned in accounts of the principal events of our teacher Buddha Shakyamuni's life. He was born as his mother leaned against a tree for support. He attained enlightenment seated beneath a tree, and finally passed away as trees stood witness overhead. According to the Vinaya, their code of discipline, fully ordained monks are enjoined to not only avoid cutting trees, but also to plant and nurture them. Trees are described in the scriptures as the abodes of deities, holy snakes and local spirits. The textual record, furthermore, testifies to the importance of forests, not only ns an environment preferred for spiritual practices such as meditation but also as a place where laity sought instruction. Therefore we can conclude that to plant, care for trees and protect forests is virtuous. These are further reasons to protect them.
Thay taught very clearly that the Earth has suffered from her children's violent and ignorant ways of living and consuming. We have destroyed our Mother Earth like a type of bacterium or virus destroying the human body, because Mother Earth is also a body. We have to see that we inter-are with our Mother Earth, that we live with her and die witli her. Recent events caused by global warming such as heat waves, hurricanes, etc.. are 'bells of mindfulness' from our Mother Earth, who is crying and insisting on us coming together, hand in hand with each other, embracing each other, loving each other like sisters and brothers in one family without discrimination.

Thanks to two seven-day retreats with Thay and the Plum Village brothers and sisters, I was able to call upon the wisdom to present Buddhist values, especially the Five Mindfulness Trainings, for education and sustainable development at the UNESCO Conference in Libo County, China and UNDESD in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I will also share the same with 600 friends, brothers, and sisters from over 120 countries through the Fourth World Youth Congress on August 1 Oth-21s'. 2008. in Quebec City. Canada.

Being deeply aware of the suffering caused by the destruction of both the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Buddhists in particular and others in general by many big development projects proposed for many sites, 1 recently, on August 10,h, 2007, wrote a letter to newspapers (VietNamNet and others) to object to the golf and tourism development project in Tarn Dao National Park (Vinli Phuc, Vietnam). On August 24lh, 2008,1 also wrote a love letter and petition to President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on this issue.

In conclusion, we need a collective awakening. The masses are still dreaming. We. the Buddhist practitioners, need to do something urgently to wake people up. We have to change our lifestyle. We are capable of doing something. There are a lot of things we can do together. One of the easiest and most powerful ways is receiving the Five Mindfulness Trainings. There is still time to save our planet. As Thay reminded us: 'The next Buddha will not take the form of an individual. The next Buddha may take the form of a community; a communiu practising understanding, loving kindness and compassion, a community practising mindful living, This is the most important thing we can do for the survival of our Mother Earth." Let us take care of and save our Mother Earth. Let us take care of all species, including our children and grandchildren. Only collective awakening can create enough determination for action.

Lastly I want to reiterate what Thay said: "Every one of us can do something to protect and care for our planet. It is time for us to wake up together in order to do something to change the situation. We have to live in such a way that a future will be possible for our children and grandchildren. Our own life has to be the message."