Page Text
________________
water. The quality of nature will define the quality of our lives. For us to see the all-encompassing benevolence of nature, we need to respect it as our mother, teacher and not regard it as material object for economic growth, senseless consumption and exploitation.
Again, the well-known Five Precepts [Panchashila] form the minimum code of ethics to which every lay Buddhist should adhere. The first precept ' not to kill' [ahimsa or abstaining from killing] means respect for all life. This principle upholds the peace and non-violence in one's life. This principle is also very important from the ecological point of view. Not kill includes all kinds of killings, killing of animals, environment, birds, rivers, lakes, ocean and forest. We are decimating many species by killing the environment. There is no way that these life-forms can ever return to earth. The vacuum their absence creates cannot be filled in any other way and such a vacuum affects everything else in the ecosystem, no matter how small it is. In fact, we are killing the lakes with acid rain, dumping chemicals into rivers and oceans, so that they can not support any life. We are polluting, actually killing our atmosphere, through industries, excessive use of cars, machinery, so our children choke on the air they breathe. So, we have to change our attitude towards the nature and cultivate respect for nature and all lifeforms. The second precept is non-stealing. First of all it means giving up greed and cultivating generosity, the sense of giving. From the ecological perspective, exploitation of nature is stealing. By the taking away the trees for our selfish purpose, we are stealing the habitats several birds and cutting mountains, we are stealing the habitats of many animals that live on the mountain. Animals and birds have a right to live on this earth like human beings. The message of this precept is not to misuse forest and mountains for personal benefits. The third precept teaches us to honour the body of mother earth, non-exploitation of earth and non-interference of the natural order of things. We should not interfere extensively with the biological laws and their function. When we begin to interfere with the natural order of things, we through off the whole ecological balance. As a consequence, human beings have to pay heavy prize for that. Another precept, viz., abstaining fro lying tells that there must be harmony between what we talk and act. Politicians and Industrialists talk about conservation of nature, but in practice, act otherwise. Chemical companies and plastic manu-frcturers, talk about their sensitivity towards the environment. This is sheer lying and it should be stopped. The fifth precept is abstaining from intoxication that clouds the mind, thinking power. Drinks and drugs dull our perceptions and sensitivities towards everything including nature.
We are witnessing at present one dominant global culture, an ever expansive and predatory industrial capitalism, valuing profit above life. It is system which reduces the entire natural world- mountains, rivers, forest, oceans, plants and animal species, including human beings, into resources
940
| SR No. | 007005 |
| Book Title | World of Philosophy |
| Original Sutra Author | N/A |
| Author | Christopher Key Chapple, Intaj Malek, Dilip Charan, Sunanda Shastri, Prashant Dave |
| Publisher | Shanti Prakashan |
| Publication Year | 2011 |
| Total Pages | 1002 |
| Language | English |
| Classification | Book_English |
| File Size | 30 MB |