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The modern sangha

willmreywillmrey
edited July 2009 in Buddhism Today
What is the Buddhist view of the environment? More importantly what role should the monastic play in restoring nature and educating practitioners in the preservation of nature?

As a former monk (Isan Thailand), I have some strong opinions regarding this.
We have a lot of monks here that don't seem to take a very active role in the betterment of society.



What do you think?

Comments

  • DazzleDazzle
    edited July 2009
    Hi Willmrey,

    You might find this website interesting:

    http://www.ecobuddhism.org/


    Kind wishes,

    Dazzle
  • willmreywillmrey
    edited July 2009
    Hey thanks. I'll check it out.

    stay on the flower
  • DhammaDhatuDhammaDhatu Veteran
    edited July 2009
    Hi Willmrey

    The Buddhist view of all things is non-harming & interconnectedness.

    Thus, naturally Buddhist view of environment is one of sustainability because sustaining the environment sustains our own human lives.

    This is the meaning of dhamma. Dhamma literally means 'that which supports'. The words 'sabhava dhamma' and 'dhammajati' mean 'nature' because nature is a dhamma which supports our life.

    In Thailand, many monks have tried to support maintaining the environment. But this is difficult when rainforest trees make money and then rubber, palm oil, etc, plantations also make money.

    Most Thai monks are ordained for superstitious reasons therefore it is expected these uneducated monks cannot help the society very much.

    :)
  • ThoughtOfThoughtThoughtOfThought
    edited July 2009
    I'm not sure what the official position of buddhism on maintaining the environment is. I don't think there is one. I'm not exactly a green buddha, either, but hopefully, my opinions and actions don't match the entire buddhist community.
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited July 2009
    Oh there is definitely a view. The buddha made some very definite rules regarding cultivation and gathering and eating certain foodstuffs.
    He was remarkably Mindful about what his monks had to pay attention to with regard to fruits, vegetables and uses of trees for construction and other objects.
    It was the precursor to ecological buddhist notions we have today.

    For example:
    FAQ. 8: It is stated in the Vinaya that when a lay person offers fruit to a monk, he has to make a cut on one of the fruits to make it permissible for the monk to accept. How did this rule originate? Also, lay people, when offering fruit juices to monks after midday, are not allowed to offer fruit juices from fruits larger than the size of a fist. Is this in the Vinaya and why is it so?

    A: At the time of the Buddha, some lay people complained that the monks destroyed the 'life' in seeds. Therefore lay people can be asked by the monk if it is allowable for him to eat those fruits. In some monasteries (not all) this is done by the lay people cutting them. It is the Commentary to the Vinaya that mentions about 'great fruits'. This practice, however, is not followed in every monastery.

    from here.
  • SimonthepilgrimSimonthepilgrim Veteran
    edited July 2009
    This is a link to the work of one of the teachers who opened my eyes to the Dharma through the Deep Ecology movement and Engaged Buddhism:

    http://www.joannamacy.net/html/engaged.html
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