Buddha’s teachings inspire environmental awareness

I whole heartedly agree with Lily De Silva’s interpretation of Buddhism. Buddhism not only states that humans should revere plants and animals with respect, but also includes the belief that nothing remains stagnant on Earth. As we now know that processes on earth such as continental drift, evolution and even migration patterns are not stagnant, it appears that Gautama Buddha may have been ahead of his time. Saying nothing is stagnant may, at some level, appear to create an excuse for humans to destroy the environment, but the teachings of Buddha go on to say that “If and when mankind realizes that large scale devastation has taken place as a result of moral degradation, a change of heart takes place among the few surviving human beings.” This can be interpreted that humans will leave their environment in ruin only to learn what they did and then make all necessary corrections to make sure it doesn’t occur again. We are at that threshold and we have begun to learn about our impact on the environment. The next stage is to overcome it, a stance that humans have already begun to take. Green cars, using solar power in place of electrical energy, and removing CFC’s from aerosols are all improvements that are beginning to become common practice. Gautama Buddha existed over 2.5 millennia ago, yet his teachings and views are just becoming full circle. We humans have fulfilled the first two thirds of his criteria without a doubt, but, as humans, we will now face our most difficult challenge. Make right that which we have made wrong. As humans we are defined by our ability to get up after being knocked down. This is what Buddha believes human kind will do, and from the achievements this race has accomplished, Buddha’s teachings are obtainable.