ABSTRACT: Principles of Buddhist philosophy central to the formation of an ecological paradigm of mentality include a dynamic vision of the world, a system of relative truth apart from dogmas, a moral foundation for scientific knowledge, an emphasis on nonviolence and the absence of repressive scientific methods, and the progressive movement of the intellect to Universal Consciousness which postulates the unity of microcosm and macrocosm. The comparative analysis of laws and principles of modern ecological science and basic Buddhist thought points to their common intentional direction. Buddhist philosophy declares the creative participation of humankind in the united world synergistic process and forms to be the foundation of an altruistically marked ecological ethics.
Entirety and interdependence of onthological reality
Global scales of crisis which destroyed our planet requires the united measures
and efforts of East and West in formation of ecological ethics. " East
and West - two parts of mankind's consciousness. If a man realizes it he can
become a perfect human being. And only after that he can solve those global
problems of surviving, which mankind is facing now. (A. Govinda)
The fundamental idea of all Buddhist philosophy is the inseparable unity of
subject and object, man and nature, substance and mind. The Buddhists consider
world and man as a dynamic psychophysical entirety. It's character and direction
which is called stream (santana) that makes a principle of absolute change (anytyata).
Anityata is of a deep ecological importance. It raises a problem of uneternity
of psychocosm's spheres and admage of its being destroyed. According to Buddhist
religious doctrine the category " anitya " must occupy a certain position
in each analysis. Speaking of a statement it is important to take into consideration
its change and movable character. Only stable and permanent efforts of all living
beings make this world better and without this direction for making kindness
our world can become worse and suffering permanent characteristics of sansara
can acquire rude and vulgar forms. Besides simple constatation of change anityata
says about non-reversibility of former conditions. It's impossible to reverse
one's life. It's impossible to return of the history of a country back as well
as impossible to make the planet evolution come to beginning.
The principle of emptyness ( shunyata ). Buddhism denyes the inherent existence
of things and phenomena. If you take away the reasons and conditions of existense
of something then it will disappear itself because it doesn't have inherent
existence. A thing exists only through dependence with others. Emptiness of
a thing is its interdependence and unsubstantiality, it isn't unexistence. It
exists but not absolutely. Changing the nature man deprives many kinds of living
beings their existence conditions, and they die out. It's absolutely impossible
to restore them. In this example we can see that there is no law according to
which any kind of living beings can exist eternally.
Principle of interdependence of all entity. Our interrelations with the world
are very complicated, and isolated existence is impossible, every phenomenon
has as a reason a number of many others, and according to many reason it profonds
its existence. We see interdependence of the world even in human curiosity.
Why do we turn on the radio and TV in the morning and listen to news from all
over the world? It's, important for us to know how other people live, we feel
existential connection with others.
All these three principles lead us to the main principle of Buddhist philosophy.
The principle entirety of the Universe is described in one of the most significant
texts of Buddhism - Avatamsaka-sutra. Analyzing the ecological laws of nature
discovered by modern scientists, we see much in common with ideas of Avatamsaka-sutra.
Comparative analysis of Avatamsaka-sutra promises many perspectives in investigation
of Buddhists original texts from the point of view of modern science. Modern
Buddhist philosophers Tenzin Gyatco Dalai-lama XIY, Chogyam Trungpa, Djampa
Tinley suggest the conformity of the Buddhist philosophy in accordance to the
modern science. Buddha says in sutra: " Monks and scientists have to consider
my words, as gold, that needs to be of checked by means of melting cutting and
grinding and only then except them." In this sutra attracts our attention
by its inner uncontradiction of its ideas, the absence of irreconcilable oppositions,
the harmonic entirety arising world outlook. The basic principle of interrelation
of creatures, things, phenomena is cooperation. The absence of inherent existence
of phenomena doesn't mean that we have to us to deny the present world, but
connects phenomena with the Universum. Phenomenon is the onthological inclination
of the Universum to show itself. Getting rid of the conceptual duality gives
realization of inseparable entirety which is unknown to tne usual mind and opens
only the level of the universal consciousness.
Universal consciousness brings into beings the feeling of participation with
everything that is going on in the Universe. It is they called omniscience,
but it doesn't mean the knowledge of every detail, it means knowing true nature
of every phenomenon, being able to see a single unity. To reach this level of
consciousness it's necessary to develop bodhichitta. Geshe Djampa Tinley called
it " philosophically damped kindness and compassion." Without bodhichitta
any knowlerge is considered to be meaningless and useless. Kindness and compassion
should be inducing motives of cognition of the world.
Ecological ethics of Buddhism
An ecological problem is global not only because it contains danger for mankind
but also because its solution requires tremendous and general efforts. This
problems is a sort of a challenge to the mankind and every single man. Today
it is necessary to wake up in people the feeling of unity with nature and other
people, the feelings of participation to everything which is going on Earth.
Many ecological problems raise not because there are some wicked people who
want to ruin the planet but because detachment and division of labour have led
to the break of motivational-psychological level.
Karma. Realization of karma's laws help to overcome the gap between actions
and their results. Karma's laws saw that all our activity, words and ideas form
conditions of our existence in future. So karma's law convince man to accept
responsibility for the recent position, and also for all his lives in future.
The law of karma accumulation shows how from small trivial, daily routine, man's
life is being built, the history of the country, mankind way of development,
global ecological situation. Karma is divided into mental, active and verbal.
Actions and words are brought into being first in mind, mind is considered to
be the main form-making factor. Thought is a personal destiny creator and a
creator of the whole world and that's why moral degradation of the society is
the reason of physical degradation of the world." The world begins in everybody
from us." ( Dalai-lama XIY ).
Ahimsa. " The greatest killer on Earth is man " , who kills and takes
another's life in order to keep his own one, said Herder. The principles of
ahimsa became quite an expression of this deep metaphysical shame. This principle
contains the requirement of non doing harm to other creatures in an allegoric
form - prohibition of letting one's blood on to the ground. Ahimsa was born
in the foundation of the Indian culture and belongs to all directions of the
Indian Thought. Buddhism adopted this spiritually high note and widely spreaded
to other countries and culture. Many buddhists terms have a sign of negation
" a ". It speaks that Buddhism doesn't accept acsiological foundation
of morality of the society. In the world of " himsa - violence, it speaks
of non-violence. In the world of stability it speaks of change and development.
In the world of static essence existing next to each other it speaks of common
interdependence. In the world of private interests it speaks of personal responsibility
for own destiny and the destiny of the whole world.
What principles of Buddhist philosophy are most the important for formation
of ecological paradigm of mentality. First: vision of world in dynamics, development.
Second: the system of relative truth, which a the negation of dogms. Third:
Moral foundation of scientific knowledge. Fourth: non-violent thinking and the
absence of repressive scientific methods. Fifth: progressive movement of intellect
to Universal consciousness which postulates the unity of microcosm and macrocosm.
The comparative analysis of laws and principles of modern ecological science
and basic statements of Buddhist Thought points out to their common intentional
direction. The Buddhist philosophy declares creative participation of man in
the united world synergetical process and forms the foundation of altruistically
marked ecological ethics.