Abstract:
Environmental responsibility compatibly deals with ethical norms or
behaviors that are suitable to control human interactions with the natural
environment. In society today, there has been no good relationship between
man and environment even after knowing that man cannot survive without
the environment. The Buddhist perspective on this interrelationship is best
summed up in three angles: “(i) physical environment (ii) social environment,
and (iii) spiritual environment.” These aspects will be discussed in the first
section of this paper. While the second part, will focus on Buddhist perspective
on the causal forces of environmental degradation in the modern society.
Drawing from the Buddhist Pāli canon, thethird section of the paper explores
and promotes ecological ethics and responsibility in light of the Buddhist
teaching. Central to the Buddhist teaching is the provision and encouragement
of partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring all people to improve
their quality of life without distracting that of other beings and thefuture
generations.
Most significantly, the paper emphasizes the practice of the Noble Eightfold Path
(Buddha’s central teachings) is very important in promotion of environmental
ethics. This path is defined in the SaccavibhangaSutta of the MajjhimaNikāya
as: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right
Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. This
path offers an indispensable framework for both understanding and putting into
practice Buddhist environmental ethics. Though the Path is aimed at attaining
final liberation, its value in promoting a healthy physical, social and spiritual
atmosphere cannot be magnified. The Buddha admonished his followers from
behaviors such as wrong action, wrong livelihood and so on. He clearly
spelled out what constitutes the right, wholesome, and skillful as opposed to
wrong, unwholesome, and unskillful path. This framework not only helps us
to understand the field of Buddhist environmental ethics and preservation but
also realize inner peace, true happiness, and final liberation.
