Volume : 4, Issue : 2, February - 2015

THE GLOBAL ECOLOGICAL CRISIS: A BUDDHIST REFLECTION ON ECOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITY

Jaharlal Debbarma

Abstract :

<p>With the advancement of modern technology, globalization, and industrialization has resulted in uncontrolled emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, creating a grave environmental crisis. The exploitation and pollution of the planet has ought ecological catastrophes and has put the eco&ndash;system and human existence in jeopardy. With the ego&ndash;centric, individualistic and consumeristic attitude of the people, this time of crisis needs an assessment of the value and the belief system that we profess. Though Buddhism does not explicitly endorse remedies for ecological crisis, Buddhist teachings of interconnectedness and metaphysics implicitly suggest a viable solution. My paper will deal with an analysis of global ecological crisis according to the principle of Dependent Origination (Prat?tyasamutp?da) and Buddhist understanding of suffering (collective suffering). An effort will be made to provide a new vision to Buddhist ecological perspective. The above Buddhist philosophy will be applied to ethical values and belief systems of modern society. The challenge will be substantially to transform the modern individualistic and consumeristic values. The emphasis would be on the interconnectedness of the nature and the relation between human and planetary sustainability. In a way environmental crisis will be referred to &ldquo;spiritual crisis&rdquo; as A. Gore (1992) has pointed out. The paper will also give importance to global consciousness, as well as to self&ndash;actualization and self&ndash;fulfillment.</p>