The Application of Traditional Disciplines to Solve the Ecological Crisis

Population Growth is an issue that exists in today’s world that needs to be confronted before it becomes out of hand. The population itself has reached overwhelming numbers making it a problem that could turn to be dangerous. The amount of humans that the earth can support or the carrying capacity is slowly rising but at a much slower rate than the population growth rate. The increasing growth rate has its negative effects environmentally, agriculturally, socially, and economically and also has its positive effects nationally, and economically. The government is brainstorming and trying to come up with ways to decrease

This piece represents the very tenets of Buddhism at its most extreme. Those that wish to evade the suffering of the human existence should remove themselves from the materialism of it to the fullest extent possible. This is one of the

In Stephan Prothero’s novel, God is Not One, he explores the unique beliefs and practices of Buddhism. In this chapter, Prothero highlights Buddhism's central themes, including the acknowledgment of suffering (Dukkha), impermanence (Anicca), no-self (Anatta), and the pursuit of Nirvana. The fundamental aspect of Buddhism is that the cycle of rebirth is undesirable because life is suffering. Their goal therefore is to extinguish suffering and achieve Nirvana. Nirvana is achieved through moral conduct, meditation, and wisdom.

Even when we are presented with answers or guides to the many questions we have about life and to how we should live, as inquisitive animals, we strive to enhance our understanding and so begin to learn that perhaps, ultimately, the answers don’t simply come from outside but also from within us. This is then perhaps the greatest implication of this paper, finding new ways in understanding what the true way of life is for human beings and what the true way of life is for ourselves. In the discussion of Zen Buddhism, William A. Young’s framework’s itself must first be explained and understood.

(Harvey ) It promotes the idea of becoming self-aware and leading a simplistic life. The main principles of Buddhism teach people to follow the 4 noble truths and use the 8 fold path as a guide to nirvana (freedom and liberation).(Harvey 31) The First noble truth is that suffering exists, it is part of life. The second noble truth states that the cause of suffering is craving. (Harvey 33)This is a very important concept to understand, as humans tend to long for more materialistic things. In this particular case the government craves for more money and economic benefits. Since America is a capitalist society it functions on the whole basis of consumerism which as a result causes suffering. (Harvey 222 ) Furthermore people are unaware that this thirst for more is causing suffering. (Harvey 33) The third noble truth, states that there is a cessation of suffering and the fourth noble gives the 8 step process to cease suffering.(Harvey

In looking at the human condition, one cannot deny the immutable presence of suffering as a central tenet of life. Nobody, not even the Buddha, walks through life without experiencing pain, anguish, and suffering. However, one cannot experience suffering without also knowing its opposite of love, joy, and happiness. Buddhist terminology refers to these emotional states as dukkha and sukha. Importantly, however, these emotional conditions are impermanent and deeply related to one another. Dukkha comes from the fruitless but eternal human plight of grasping at an ephemeral sense of happiness. Too many live without acknowledging that their endeavors of maintaining a static feeling of bliss, or sukha, is both unrealistic and futile. While some would criticize this life philosophy as deeply pessimistic, the reality is that the Buddha’s observations are an insightful and irrefutable fact of life. The human race’s continuous inability to grasp the concept of life as suffering has led to the erroneous and often western misconception that Buddhism is an inherently cynical religion. This ethnocentric line of criticism, however, ignores the rewarding and deeply spiritual facets of Buddhism that attempt to enrich one’s life by mitigating dukkha. The Buddha’s Four Noble Truths reflects this understanding, and serves to remind adherents that life is suffering and that it arises from the existential plight of impermanence. In this vein, life is dukkha but there are ways to alleviate the

The ‘Four Noble Truths’ are the four central beliefs containing the essence of Buddhist teachings. Buddhism is a major global religion with a complex history and system of beliefs. What is suffering? Suffering is, “the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship.” Suffering exists; it has a cause, but it also has an end; and it has a cause which brings about its end. The notion of suffering is not intended to convey a negative world view, but instead a perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify it. The four noble truths are a plan for dealing with the suffering humanity faces, which is suffering of a physical kind, or of a mental nature. These four noble truths consist of the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path of that leads to the end of suffering.

White’s thesis in The Historical Roots of our Ecological Crisis states that in order to confront the expanding environmental crises, humans must begin to analyze and alter their treatment and attitudes towards nature. The slow destruction of the environment derives from the Western scientific and technological advancements made since the Medieval time period. “What people do about their ecology depends on what they think about themselves in relation to things around them” (RON p.7). Technology and science alone will not be able to save humans until we adjust the way of thinking and suppress the old ideas of humans power above nature. Instead, we need to learn how to think of ourselves as being

As a result of asceticism and hedonism being deemed irrational, Buddhism was born, the middle way between the two. Siddhartha Gautama (later known as the Buddha) is the rishi (founder) of Buddhism which is built on the doctrine that humans are forever burdened with suffering or dukkha. The teachings of Buddha serve as a tool to overcome desire, which is the root of all suffering. In this paper, the nature of the Buddhist’s claim of suffering will be dissected and further examined along with the idea of the noble eightfold path, otherwise known as the solution to all suffering.

Four noble truths exist within Buddhism – all revolving around suffering (Duhka). ‘Duhka’ is a term commonly translated as ‘suffering’ in Buddhist terminology. The term can mean ‘pain’, ‘unease’ or the ‘ultimate unsatisfactoriness’ of moments within human life (Kelly, 2008). Buddha preached that life is full of suffering, there is a cause of the suffering, it is possible to stop suffering and there is a way to extinguish suffering (Aich, 2013). Kelly (2008) describes the cause of suffering as a result of craving something missing from our lives (also translated as ‘grasping’ or ‘attachment’). An earlier description of the four noble truths was proposed by Mikulas (1978), suggesting suffering is caused by attachment, delusions or hatred and

Today’s society is filled with suffering, whether it is at experienced at home, or abroad. Some might look to ancient text for help and guidance, which can lead some to the teachings of the Buddha, almost 2500 years ago. His teachings might be ancient, but they can still apply to aspects of today’s society, such as in our ethics, economics, and everyday lives.

When examining the foundation in which all the Buddha’s teachings are built upon, the Four Noble Truths, there is a tendency to become fixated on only the first that can be encompassed by the phrase “life is suffering”. Clinging to this simple phrase rather than seeing the whole picture painted by the Buddha is the downfall and where the idea of pessimism is born. Instead the Buddha is seen as an embodiment of joy, compassion and happiness, traits that are a far cry from a true pessimist. The Buddha’s real strength lies in his ability to be neither pessimistic nor optimistic, instead he was realistic in his views of the world by acknowledging the existence of suffering while also identifying a path to a cure.

Finally, an additional vital feature of Japanese Buddhism is the act of ridding away from the Self. Individualism and self-identity is the only thing people have to not be categorized into their cultures. Of course, in Buddhism, the way to end one’s suffering is by being detached from the Self. The concept is a stage to reach ultimate consciousness in Buddhism, nevertheless one could wonder how determined the Japanese population is because of the percentage that do not in actuality, identify with Buddhism. In the book, Inner Peace, World Peace: Essays on Buddhism and Nonviolence, Sulak Sivaraksa’s chapter, “Buddhism and Contemporary International Trends,” discusses the fact, “one of the largest obstacles to the implementation of religious principles

In order to let go of suffering, one first needs to be able to recognize the presence of suffering. However, one of the major concerns that contradicts the ideology that there is suffering in all aspects of life, is the problem of happiness. How can one accomplish the feeling or emotion of joy, if it is, in fact, a form of suffering? Buddhism, as a religion, doesn’t reject happiness in the world. Rather, it focuses on the impermanence of the happiness, and this impermanence can be a cause of suffering, dukkha (Sumedho, 1992). Whilst the First Noble Truth is concerned with the way things are in our “selves” and the world and how they ought to be seen, the second Noble Truth focuses on the cause of this First Truth.

On June 11th, 1963, the world watched as the Buddhist monk, Thích Quảng Đức self-immolated in protest of the political oppression of the Diệm government in South Vietnam. In recent years, Buddhists in Tibet have also been engaging in self-immolation in order to protest the Chinese rule. Those who choose to self-immolate do so in an attempt at regaining control over a situation in which the individual or group has little to no power. Due to the extreme nature of this phenomenon, it is imperative to investigate how this violent act of protest corresponds with Buddhist teachings on non-violence. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate that the act of self-immolation is not compatible with Buddhist teachings regarding non-violence. To accomplish this, the teachings of ahimsa will be analyzed, Subsequently, self-immolation will be applied to the four noble truths and the ways in which they contrast will be examined. Following, the way in which self-immolation contradicts the Buddhist teachings regarding the middle way will be explored.