Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the Coffee Hour at Street Prophets. This is an open thread where we can discuss what’s happening in our lives, what we’ve been working on, and our opinions on current events. Ecology—a concern for the environment—often intersects with religion. For today’s topic, I thought it might be interesting to explore Buddhist ecology.
I live in a community in which logging has a long history. “Tree huggers” are seen as traitors to the local economy and culture; “Earth First” simply means that the other planets will be clear cut later. Destruction of timber resources, the clear cutting of forests, is not just a problem of my community, but it a global concern. The forests in places like Thailand and Brazil are being cut down at an astounding rate to feed American and European demands for lumber.
In Thailand, Phrakru Pitak Nanthakthun, a Buddhist monk, has been battling the destruction of forests for 25 years by ordaining trees. Once a tree is ordained, it becomes sacred and the people are hesitant to destroy it. By people, I am referring to humans with souls and feelings, not to the soulless, immortal, greedy corporations.
According to a report in the Huffington Post
Nanthakthun is the abbot at Wat Arunyawas and hosts public tree ordination ceremonies where monks and villagers alike tie orange robes around trees in the area. People see the monks' robes as sacred, he said, which may encourage them to approach the ordained trees with similar respect.
One of the concerns of Buddhism is the cession of suffering. And suffering, according to Buddhist thought, is caused by greed, ignorance, and hatred. Deforestation and other environmental problems are caused by people acting out these evils. Industrialism, consumerism, and greed bring about deforestation which in turn causes more suffering. Therefore, Buddhists had a duty to take action against the destruction of the forests.
Ordaining a tree so that it becomes sacred and is allowed to live out its life is simply one small step to help the environment. The Buddhist ecology movement has slowly spread from one monk in Thailand to other Buddhist countries, such as Laos and Sri Lanka.
Welcome to Street Prophets, an open thread at the corner of Politics and Religion. How do you feel about religion and the environment? All topics are welcome here, including pets, dinner, books, and whatever is happening in your life.