BUDDHIST CULTURE: AN OVERVIEW ON ENVIRONMENT
Abstract
We are in 21th century, in a developing way but in other hand we also in a devastating condition. Our environmentalists concern about the future environmental hazards is going to happen the selfish anthropocentric activities of man. Man has the supreme power to protect and preserve the nature, where he is the main victim of such condition.Modern culture with all knowledge of advanced scientific technology is found to be indifferent about non-humans and nature. Whereas in Buddhists culture have shown their concern for non-humans and nature long back. It is seen that in the framework of Buddhist culture, the gap between human and non-human has been minimized. Buddhist cuisine, Buddhist architecture, Buddhist music, believe and behavior of monks and common people at that time and also Theravāda Buddhism, Buddhaghosa, boddhisattā, mahāyāna Buddhism and Buddhist ethical theories like pratityasamudpāda, brahmavihāra, universal love, karunā, Muditā,Upekkha, anātmam,ahimsa, theory of karma are very much concern about environmental ethics. In this paper we are going to analyses how Buddhist culture and their life style are positive towards the nature.
It shows that many scholar on Buddhist philosophy (Buddhist philosophy refers to the philosophical investigations and systems of inquiry that developed by various Buddhist schools) have claimed that Buddhists culture (Buddhist culture is explained through Buddhist cuisine, Buddhist architecture, Buddhist music, believe and behavior of monks and common people at that time) were concern with environmental ethics. On the hand,some other scholars claim that Buddhists were not concerned with the environmental issues. However it cannot be denied that in the framework of Buddhists philosophy there has been some conceptto support the stand of the environmental ethics. It might not be case that they were advocating any theory of environmental theory. But it can very well be presumed that their concern about environment can be fitted into the recent understanding about environmental theories. Buddhist culture acknowledge the non-anthropocentric theory of environmental ethics.
It is believed that there has been no systematic presentation of environmental ethics in the Buddhist culture. But if there is deeply survey the Buddhist literature shows, a deep relation between man and nature. A relation of dependence is portrayed between animals and human beingsin this culture. Buddhism has several spiritual and ethical teachings that can be easily support an environmental ethics (Gross, 1997, P.336).
