Spiritual Connections to Nature and to Climate Change Action

Abstract

The Anthropocene world has caused mass extinctions of plant and animal species, polluted the oceans, and altered the atmosphere, among other lasting impacts. Human belief, spirituality, and practice mark the earth. One can hardly think of a natural system that has not been considerably altered, for better or worse, by human culture and spirituality. Budhism teaches that spiritual connections to nature and climate change action are inextricably linked and organically related.
The Buddhist canonical texts describe humanity’s relationship with the natural world under five laws (niyāma) which correspond to biosphere, biodiversity, will of mind, actions, and natural laws (dhamma). The Buddhist spirituality on anatta or “non-self” makes it clear that one cannot define “self” without “surrounding”, namely ecology. Buddhist spirituality teaches us to look at the planet earth as the interrelatedness of everything. Everything relies on everything else in the cosmos whether a star, a cloud, a flower, a tree, or you and me. Buddhist spirituality suggests human survival is only possible through sustaining the surrounding, the ecology. If we wish for a sustainable biosphere, we must live by the dharmic principle of self, sustenance, and surroundings with mindfulness.