Symbiosis with the Global Environment:
Buddhist Perspective of Environmental Education

Shuichi Yamamoto and Victor S. Kuwahara
Introduction

T

HE negative aspects of religion symbolized by terrorism and fanaticism have become hot topics discussed in the world in recent years.
In such an age, it would be more inspirational if we could emphasize thesocial contribution of a religious philosophy rather than the negative
aspects. One area of focus that requires attention is the elusive symbiosis between human beings and the global environment. The conundrum
includes not only the difficulty between the symbiosis of human beingsand the global environment, but also the symbiotic relationship between
various countries and ethnicities. Moreover, it is necessary to understandand reflect on the negative causal features of modern science and technology that symbolize advances of the present civilization. From thisperspective, the obstacles of a fluid symbiosis between human beingsand the global environment rest solely on the much needed refinementsof a culture, society or nation.
Recently, we discussed the meaning and relationship between Buddhist thought and environmental problems, not only from the viewpointof natural phenomena, the environment and the perspective of time
which are basic ideas in Buddhism, but also from viewpoint of values,
ethics and lifestyle.1, 2 Returning to the fundamentals, the objectives ofthis paper are to discuss the relationship between Buddhist philosophy
and environmental problems, and to describe how Buddhist principles
could be applied to educational methods to enhance our understandingof current global issues.
The Relationship of Buddhism and Environmental Problems
How does Buddhism deal with environmental problems? To answer thisquestion it is first important to understand the concept of inevitability in
Buddhism. Environmental problems are not inevitable, essential or
expletive in Buddhist philosophy. Natural phenomena or nature wereconsidered in early Buddhist teaching as suffering (ku; italic terms in
176

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

177

parentheses are Buddhist terms in Japanese), void (kuu), impermanence(mujo) and non-self (muga), and the incomprehensibility of natures transitory state. Moreover, the concept of nature is not referenced to as an
object of attachment, but rather as part of an ascetic training of Buddhism to escape or remove oneself from any devotion to nature as awhole. As a result, early Buddhism was basically not interested or
focused on nature in this regard; rather, it accepted that the everlasting
truth of nature was its impermanence and natural cycle of destruction
and formation.
Because this basic recognition of early Buddhism is similar to
Mahayana Buddhism, Buddhist ethics relating to nature are difficult todistinguish and recognize. Then, from what perspective does Mahayana
Buddhism observe current environmental problems? Here, we would
like to apply the Mahayana Buddhist views of natural phenomena, theenvironment and the theoretical way of the practicing Bodhisattva.3
Although Mahayana Buddhism acknowledges nature in parallel toprevious early Buddhism, it also recognizes the environment as essential
to life and in a positive perspective. For instance, Buddhist concepts
such as the application of the Non-Duality of Life and its Environment(e-sho-funi) and the Origination in Dependence (engi) are commonlyreferred to. The Non-Duality of Life and its Environment is the conceptthat life and its environment are two distinct phenomena but non-dual intheir fundamental essence. The concept of Origination in Dependence
indicates that an entity does not exist and induce independently, but thatevery entity exists due to its relations with or conditions pertaining toother entities. The essence of these concepts recognizes the value ofnature and the environment. If nature is understood only by the viewpoints of suffering, void, impermanence and non-self, the environment
does not positively have any value. However, these concepts from
Mahayana Buddhism properly evaluate the environment as part of abalanced system. Because the destruction of the environment is interconnected to personal destruction by the Non-Duality of Life and its
Environment, preventing environmental destruction becomes critical.
Moreover, the consciousness-only doctrine in Mahayana Buddhism
explains that the eighth alaya-consciousness (alayashiki) in the realmof the human’s deep consciousness is connected to the physical world,
i.e. mountains, rivers, the Earth, etc. Therefore, the ruination of the environment will affect the human’s deep consciousness.4 In other words, unlike
early Buddhism that relates human existence from the viewpoint of aphysical relationship with nature, Mahayana Buddhism points to a deeper relationship, beyond consciousness between the human existence and178

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

the natural surroundings.
Environmental problems, thus, lead to the suffering of the theoreticalway of the practicing Bodhisattva. Destruction and pollution of the environment directly and indirectly affect the well-being of all life and Bodhisattvas. Since all life is affected, it becomes essential to remove theaffliction of environmental degradation so that the theoretical way of thepracticing Bodhisattva can be attained.
Environmental destruction and pollution cause biological extinction,and deteriorate the ecosystem as a whole. This process in turn infringes
the sprit of a Bodhisattva’s compassion towards all living things fromthe viewpoint of the Origination in Dependence which attaches importance to every relationship. Thus, the actual destruction and pollution of
the environment becomes a goal for Bodhisattva’s to overcome.
Currently, human desire of material things is a necessary condition
for the maintenance and the development of the socioeconomic system
in society. Thus, environmental problems are not only an appearance ofnegative or evil passions and desires (bonno), but also a causation andmanifestation of amplifying negative passions. It is necessary for thetheoretical way of the practicing Bodhisattva to overcome negative passions and to change the socioeconomic system in motion that further
fuels negative and evil passions. From a Mahayana Buddhist perspective
it is inevitable for environmental problems or issues to occur, but the
purpose of Buddhism and the theoretical way of the practicing Bodhisattva is to overcome these problems as mentioned above.
Solving Environmental Problems
How can Buddhism help solve environmental problems? The social revolution that Buddhism suggests is not a radical one but a gradual, sustained revolution. There is a famous sentence by Mahatma Gandhi that
Good travels at a snail’s pace.5, 6 The revolution that Buddhism intends issimilar to this concept. The accomplishment of a social revolution starts
from one person and the Human Revolution. In order for individual
people to begin acceptance of environmental problems as their own
personal concern, education becomes vital. Only education can provide
the driving force for such a renewal of awareness where environmental
problems become personal problems.
For this reason, Soka Gakkai International (SGI) proposed theestablishment of “an international decade of education for sustainable
development” at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg, South African in 2002.7 SGI’s contribution to the decade

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

179

of education for sustainable development started from 2005. In the proposal, SGI President Ikeda mentioned that the following three aspects
are essential for environmental education; 1) To learn and deepen ourawareness of environmental problems and realities; 2) To re-examine
our life styles and renew these toward environmental sustainability; 3)
To take personal responsibility to solve environmental problems, and toempower people to take concrete action to resolve the problems we face.
These aspects are basic steps towards sustainable development and critical for environmental education. We would like to examine these threepoints with respect to Buddhism.
Deepening Our Understanding and Awareness of the Environment
It is important to deepen our understanding and awareness of environmental problems. Currently, modern natural and social science research
provides sufficient explanations pertaining to natural occurrences andpredications of environmental problems. From a Buddhist perspective, it
is sufficient to leave the research to scientists. Buddhism, on the other
hand, is not particularly concerned with environmental issues from a scientific perspective, rather, Buddhist philosophy proposes unique perspectives to the root causes of environmental problems by concepts suchas the Non-Duality of Life and its Environment (e-sho-funi) and theOrigination in Dependence (engi) as mentioned before. Here, we would
like to discuss how the concepts of Origination in Dependence and theFive Defilements (go-joku) apply to the perspective of time from theperspective of Buddhism.
In Buddhist thought, recognizing the occurrence of any phenomena is
first justified by the doctrine of Origination in Dependence where everything is somehow connected. Therefore, the key principles for maintaining our world are inherently linked to bio-diversity and symbiosis innature. This mutualism is suitably expressed in the simile of Indra’s Net
describing the aspect of “arising from causation (engi)” in the Huayan
or Flower Garland Sutra (kegon-kyo) in Buddhist literature.8 The simile
describes a great net that hangs in the palace of Indra, the God of Thunder. The net has countless joints or knots adorned with jewels in a beautifully complex mesh. Each of these jewels clearly reflects all the otherjewels in the net, so that every part of the net reflects all other parts. The
knots of the net express each living entity, and the net is stabilized sothat the relation is complicated. The reason each link or knot isexpressed as a jewel implies that each living entity has value beyond
imagination, and projecting other jewels signifies the mutual respect and180

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

deep relationship each living entity has towards one another. But, if
parts of the net are cut out or a jewel is removed, the stability of themesh will be lost. It is said that the mesh of the net is so complex that it
would extremely difficult to pinpoint the area that has been cut or
removed, and even more difficult to determine where the next break may
occur which would eventually bring the entire net down. This parable
correctly explains the process of environmental degradation and collapseof an ecosystem. At present, we often overlook the impact of the extinction of a few small animals in nature. However, the simile of the sutra
suggests that it is very difficult to predict where and how the potential
extinction will influence the ecosystem in the future. Further, we areforewarned that the entire ecosystem could collapse by the destructionof one link. The parable distinctly reveals the meaning of the concept,“arising from causation.”
In Buddhism there is also the concept of the Five Defilements (gojoku) that elucidates the perspective of time and civilizations.9 Environmental problems in general can be attributed to an aspect equivalent to
the defilement (impurity) of the period (ko-joku). The Five Defilements(go-joku) consists of the Defilement of Period (ko-joku), the Defilementof View (ken-joku: impurity of thought), the Defilement of Evil Passions(bonno-joku: impurity in instinctive greed, anger and stupidity), theDefilement of Sentient Beings (shujo-joku: increase of sufferings as aresult of the defilements of view and evil passions) and the Defilementof Life (myo-joku: weakness of life force and shortening of longevity ofliving beings). In the Hokke Mongu (Volume 4),9 T’ient-t’ai describesthat the Defilements of Evil Passions and the Defilements of Views arefundamental principles of life. He also mentions that the root cause of
the Defilement of Period (ko-joku) stems from the Defilement of Evil
Passions and the Defilement of View, which subsequently leads to the
Defilement of Life and of Sentient Beings.
Since the present age is already engrossed with various desires, it may
be fair to say that the world is already invaded by the Defilement of Evil
Passions which will consequently lead to the degradation of the environment. Consequently, society becomes intensely greedy where the present civilization recklessly consumes all natural resources; those who
consume faster, make more money and are considered successful. As
Gandhi pointed out, “Earth provides enough to satisfy everybody’s need,but not everybody’s greed.”5, 10 The other causation of environmental
problems is the devotion to the self (ga), i.e. devotion to material thingsand devotion to the false view (akken), which is thought to be connected
to happiness. This is another way to explain the Defilement of View

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

181(ken-joku). Supporting this concept, Gandhi refutes the machine-civilization describing, “What I object to, is the craze for machinery, notmachinery as such.”11 He does not argue against technological advancement in machines per say, but refutes the allegiance to machines and thefalse ideology connected to the satisfaction generated by machines.
Re-Examining Our Current Life Styles and Sustainability
When we deepen our understanding and awareness of the environmentand causation of environmental problems, we begin to not only re-examine our daily life styles but also cultivate ethical values and a sense of
responsibility towards nature, other people and future generations.
The standpoint of the fundamental biosphere egalitarianism is a basic
principle of Buddhism.1 This concept is based on the understanding oflife in Buddhism where the realms of the Five Aggregates (go-un-seken)
reside within the Three Thousand Realms in One Life (ichinen-sanzen).
The realms of the Five Aggregates consist of matter (shiki-un; form),
perception (ju-un), conception (sou-un), volition (gyo-un) and consciousness (shiki-un). The differences between various individual lives
are not essentially different since all individual living beings are a temporary unification of the Five Aggregates of life. Therefore, Buddhist
ethics relate to all living beings.
What we have been attempting to discuss in this section is how two
fundamental principles in Buddhism, the wisdom of the Dependence inOrigination and the wisdom of the middle way,12 offer an ethical framework that can be used to arrive at a solution for environmental problems.
An understanding of the functionality and workings of these two concepts should work as a driving force to expand and educate fundamental
Buddhist precepts for maintaining a balanced environment.
A true understanding of the concept of Dependence in Origination
allows us to consider the severity of the destruction of life, capture, or
pillaging of living things. We should interdict behavior, as describedabove, in principle because it means, first, that we will destroy the relationship between each living entity, and second, that we will destroy thepotential for being born again in the future. The causal factors leading to
the extinction of any species should be particularly forbidden according
to Buddhist canons.
Apart from the seriousness of species extinction, we must also consider how to sustain the capture of wildlife (hunting) and forest degradation (deforestation) for cultures that depend on these actions to survive.
This paradox for some remote cultures corresponds to the Buddhist con-

182

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

cept of conducting environmental degradation with justifiable “reason”
versus “intentionally (without reason).”12 Moreover, according to the
ethics of the Buddhist middle way, the destruction and capturing of living things is acceptable as long as the creative potential of an ecosystem
is not destroyed. The ethics of this middle way neither denies the survival of remote cultures, nor affirms the destruction of an ecosystem, aslong as securing the benefits for the cultures in need does not exceed thecreative potential of an ecosystem. However, in order to secure the protection of ecosystems it is important to have reliable surveillance andmanagement systems put in place.
The wisdom and ethics of Buddhism should also augment the ethicalnorm. This is what is meant by keeping the precepts.12 In this article, wewill describe the precepts of “not killing” and “not stealing” from theviewpoints of environmental problems. Buddhism forbids “killing” and“stealing,” because killing any living entity itself is an offense against
the precepts of not killing, and stealing natural resources and habitats
from ecosystems or by exploitation from developing countries is also an
offense against the precept of not stealing. However, precepts in Buddhism are not absolute. The Brahma-net Sutra propounds on the First
Major Precept on Killing,13 “He should not intentionally kill any living
creature,” and on the Second Major Precept on Stealing14 states, “Heshould not intentionally steal any valuables or possessions and eventhose belonging to a needle or a blade of grass.” These precepts forbid
killing and stealing without apparent reason “intentionally” in the bothprecpets.
Therefore, this means that sufficient justification is acceptable. Then,
what kind of justification is acceptable? If we kill living things in orderto support our own survival it is in fact justifiable. In Buddhism, however, eating a living entity is equivalent to stealing the body of the living
entity. But since this is the minimum requirement for supporting human
life, the condition of “without reason” or “intentionally” attached to theprecepts of “not killing” and “not stealing” need not apply here. Therefore, in principle, a code of conduct in Buddhism is maintaining theprecepts of “not killing” and “not stealing” except when necessary forsupporting human life. The ethical norm in this logic is based on wisdom from the concept of Dependence in Origination and the Buddhist
middle way. In addition, the precepts of “not killing” and “not stealing”
in Buddhism are similar in meaning as of Ahimsa (non-violence) and
Asteya (non-stealing) in the eleven vows of Gandhi.5, 15

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT183

Taking Personal Responsibility and the Empowerment of the People
An important point for resolving environmental problems and applying
Buddhism to education is the action of taking personal responsibility
with concrete action toward a solution, and critical to simultaneously
give “courage” and “power” to other people and society to act in thesame manner. It is also necessary to induce ethics as a “vow,” and toaccompany action with a “mission” and conduct bother vow and mission with “pleasure (or sense of fulfillment).” It is also important that
actions toward the solution of environmental problems agree with theway of the Bodhisattva which is the ultimate actualization and practiceof the Buddhist philosophy. Otherwise, environmental problems will
persist to be a separate ideological problem from the philosophy.
Thus, we should take action to resolve environmental problems utilizing the way of the Bodhisattva.1, 4 The basic spirit of a Bodhisattva is to
put on the “Buddha’s clothes (nyorai-no-koromo),” to sit on the “Buddha’s seat (nyorai-no-za)” and to enter the “Buddha’s room (nyorai-nositsu)” in the three rules for propagating sutras (gukyo-no-sanki), chapter
ten of the Hossi-bon in the Lotus Sutra. Putting on the “Buddha’s
clothes,” sitting on the “Buddha’s seat” and entering in the “Buddha’sroom” respectively mean maintaining patience (ninniku), meditation on
intangible phenomena (kuu) and having compassion (jihi) for others.
Here, maintaining patience (ninniku) means ceaselessly confronting
negative or evil passions (bonno), practicing to preach the Buddhist doctrine at the risk of ones life (practicing of Fushaku-shinmyo) and enduring any shame. Moreover, meditation on intangible phenomena (kuu)
indicates the wisdom of Buddism expressed in the thought that “allthings of this world are non-substantial,” which can be linked to the theory of Origination in Dependence, where admitting the mutual relationof the two as inseparable. The last is compassion to give easiness to allliving beings and to extract their suffering.
Even if a person takes action for solving environmental problems,he/she will not be able to easily find the beginning to a solution. Therefore, much endurance is needed. Moreover, endurance is needed in controlling personal desires and keeping resolutions pure in essence. As aresult of these efforts a person will be able to revolutionize his/her own
life style and live ethically. It is important for the compassion of Bodhisattva to extend equality to all living entities such as humans, animals
and plants without defining between good and evil. This is as the Buddha explains “Whether visible or invisible, and those living far or near,
the born and those seeking birth, may all beings be happy!”16 It is espe-

184

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

cially important that the objects of compassion extend to the “invisible,”“living far” and “seeking birth.”
Promotion of environmental education based on the above-mentioned
Buddhist ethics is similar in meaning to the description given by thechairman emeritus of The Club of Rome, R. D. Hochleitner, who statedthat each of our attitudes towards nature will be revolutionized and therelation of human and nature will also be harmonized through environmental education.17
Conclusion
In this paper, we discussed some Buddhist perspectives regarding reasons for dealing with the environmental problems and how they might
apply to education.
Two fundamental Buddhist concepts for dealing with environmental
problems were mentioned; where the environment has the same value ashumans as from the two Buddhist doctrines of the Non-duality of Lifeand its Environment and the Origination in Dependence; and theinevitability of overcoming environmental problems through the practiceof the way of the Bodhisattva, because environmental problems are evil
for people and nature.
A possible solution to the environmental problems we face today may
be to apply these Buddhist principles to environmental education. These
applications are, 1) to learn and deepen our understanding of environmental problems, 2) to re-examine our life style, and 3) to take personal
responsibility and to empower other people. It is important to recognize
environmental problems and the realities not only from the stand pointof research results from natural and social sciences, but to also grasp the
problem and the causation from unique Buddhist viewpoints of theOrigination in Dependence and the Five Defilements. The wisdom fromthe Origination in Dependence and the middle way of Buddhism should
be augmented for the re-examination of our current life style. Moreover,
the actions for solving our problems, i.e. taking personal responsibility
and empowering other people, is one way to live as a true Bodhisattva of
the Earth.

SYMBIOSIS WITH THE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT

185

References
Yamamoto, S. 1998. “Contribution of Buddhism to Environmental Thoughts,” The
Journal of Oriental Studies, vol. 8, pp. 144–173.
2
Yamamoto, S. and Kuwahara, V.S. 2005. “Deforestation and Civilization: A Buddhist Perspective,” The Journal of Oriental Studies, vol. 15, pp. 78–93.
3
Yamamoto, S. 1998. “Kankyo-rinri to Bukkyou no Kadai I (Environmental Ethics
and Problems of Buddhism I),” Nihon Indo-gaku Bukkyo-gaku Kenkyu (The Journal ofIndia and Buddhist Studies), vol. 47, No. 2, pp. 78–84.
4
Yamamoto, S. 2001. “Mahayana Buddhism and Environmental Ethics: From the
Perspective of the Consciousness-Only Doctrine,” The Journal of Oriental Studies, vol.
11, pp. 167–180.
5
Radhakrishnan, N. 2002. “Gandhi, King, Ikeda—Hibouryoku to Taiwa no Keifu(Gandhi, King, Ikeda—The History of Nonviolence and Dialogue),” translated by Kurihara, T., Daisan-Bunmei-sha: Tokyo.
6“Hind Swaraj” 1909. The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Publications Division: New Delhi, 1966. vol. X, p. 27.
7
Ikeda, D. 2002. “Kankyo-Kaihatsu Samitto heno Teigen: Chikyu Kakumei heno
Teigen—Jizoku Kanou na Mirai no tameno Kyouiku (The Challenge of Global Empowerment: Education for a Sustainable Future),” Seikyo Shimbun, Aug. 26th, 2002.
8
Kegon-kyo Tangenki, Taisho-Daizokyo, vol. 35, pp. 115–117.
9
Hokke-Mongu (Commentary on the Lotus Sutra), vol. 4 under, Taisho-Daizokyo,
vol. 34, pp. 52–53.
10
http://www.einap.org/jec/apnec5_d_e.html; http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mohandas_
Gandhi (accessed 29 August 2006).
11
Gandhi, M. 2001. “Waga Hi-bouryoku no Tatakai (My Battle of Nonviolence)”translated by Morimoto, T., Daisan-Bunmeisha: Tokyo, “Discussion with G. Ramachandran (1924 October 21 and 22),” The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Publications Division: New Delhi, 1966, vol. XXV, p. 251.
12
Yamamoto, S. 2002. “The Significance of Keeping Precepts (Í¥la-påramitå) andWisdom (Prajñå-Påramitå),” The Journal of Oriental Studies, vol. 12, pp. 137–155.
13“The First Major Precept on Killing” of the Brahma-net Sutra, Bonmo-kyo (Brahma-net Sutra), Ritsubu vol. 12, p. 336, Kokuyaku-Issai-kyo, Daito Shuppan-sha.
14“The Second Major Precept on Stealing” of the Brahma-net Sutra. Bonmo-kyo(Brahma-net Sutra), Ritsubu vol. 12, p. 336, Kokuyaku-Issai-kyo, Daito Shuppan-sha.
15
Radhakrishnan, N. 1999. Ikeda Sensei—The Triumph of Mentor—Disciple Spirit,
Gandhi Media Centre: New Delhi, p. 83.
16
Nakamura, H. 1958. “Budda no Kotoba (The talking by Buddha-Suttanipata),”
Iwanami-Shoten: Tokyo, http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.1.08.budd.
html (accessed 29 August 2006).
17
Ikeda, D. and Hochleitner, R.D. 2005. “Mitsumeau Nishi to Higashi—Ningen
Kakumei to Chikyu Kakumei,” Daisan-Bunmeisha: Tokyo.
1