Buddhist Belief Blog

One of the most basic of Buddhist Beliefs is when Buddha points out that our unhappiness is a direct result of our grasping and craving. He said that to end suffering we need to exercise self-restraint, cut way back on our consumption, do more sharing and practice other compassionate ways when relating to our fellow beings. This idea that we are separate from the rest of the world is an illusion – in fact it is our most troublesome delusion. “We are not a collection of objects – we are a communion of subjects.” So notes eco-theologian, Thomas Berry.

We live in a corporate-dominated world today. This domination has resulted in a culture based on greed, materialism and alienation from nature. This culture is further influenced by our governments which are largely controlled by the same corporations and economic institutions they should be regulating. The government, the corporations and all of us share the same basic view – the view that we need to continue to grow and to acquire more and more no matter what the long-term consequences might be. Here we are today – we’re experiencing record-breaking droughts, floods, snowstorms, wildfires, hurricanes and tornadoes. And yet, we keep repeating the same patterns over and over despite what happens to our ecology. We’re not “getting it!”

Most of us are already aware of the fact that our climate is in trouble. Not everyone believes it’s our fault, though. Many people are still figuring it will all straighten itself out in time – that all these major ecological events are cyclical. However, as a Buddhist, I lean more towards the belief that what is happening with our glaciers, oceans, coral reefs, etc., are the result of our own need to continually satisfy our own selfish needs. Our craving for more energy sources since the 1950s has led to an industrial growth economy whereby we initiated dangerous climatic transformations. As my friend, Bill McKibben, who founded 350.org points out, the safe level of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is 350 parts per million (ppm). With all the emissions from the coal-fired industrialization in China and India, plus the increase in industrial growth throughout the world, plus the increase in the burning of fossil fuels, we’ve pushed the levels of CO2 up over 395 ppm. At the rate we’re increasing our addiction to fossil fuels and coal, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to turn this around in time.

What is difficult to wrap my brain around is the fact that our society has made the choice not to protect itself from the results of climate change. Science has been defeated by power, money, as well as the greed and bureaucracy of our corporations and government. The concept of “becoming more green” was one of the ways we got sold a bill of goods. When we were convinced to become more “green”, we shifted the responsibility away from corporations, which are accountable for most carbon pollution, and from governments which should be restraining the corporations, and onto us, the private consumers. Now it’s up to us to solve the climate crisis. It’s a lot cheaper for the corporations to change public perception of what they do than to actually change what they do. So the marketing has been changed to persuading us that fossil fuels are essential and not dangerous. Just look at all the commercials showing up on television these days about how great “fracking” for natural gas can be. Look at whose commercials these are – they’re paid for by Exxon Mobil. The other bit of cynical marketing has been about “clean coal”. Is that an oxymoron?

The ignorance, fear and greed of our corporations and government have acquired a disastrous momentum, which has, in turn, led to our cultural obedience. However, as a Buddhist, I believe that once we become aware of the truth, we are presented with a choice. We can choose to continue down the same path, or we can choose to share what we know as widely as possible. The “power’s that be” no longer have the same control over us. We know alternatives are out there and they are necessary. We have to find ways to break the cycle of corruption in our governments as the result of money influencing political decisions. We have to get off fossil fuels.

There’s a great example of what I mean taking place in Washington, D.C. right how as I write this. The civil disobedience action in front of the White house to get President Obama to stop the construction of the Keystone XL Tar Sands Oil Pipeline is showing some good results. This is a two-week continuous sit-in happening each day. The people taking part are putting their bodies on the line for their beliefs. Most are being arrested and fined. Yet, each day, more people are showing up. There’s more on this at my other blog at http://www.ronrink.com.

What is true for each of us is also true for our culture. Rumi’s lines at the beginning of this article are so appropriate. We have become drunk on the manipulation of the corporations and the government. We are drunk to the point of not realizing the situation we’re in. We’ve been drinking this liquor for over 50 years and we are now teetering on the edge of the roof. The “tipping point” of our environment is nearly here, if it’s not here already. We need to act now to counteract the forms of ignorance and greed we’ve some to accept. We can’t continue to survive on what has been created.

That’s it for this time. Let me hear your comments on this writing on the environment, especially since I’m writing in a Buddhist Blog.

Metta ….May I be well and happy. My I live in safety. May I be healthy and strong. May I live with ease. May all beings be well and happy. May all beings live in safety. May all beings be healthy and strong. May all beings live with ease.

Namaste — Be in Peace.

Ron Rink
=====================================================

Just click the links that are sort of Grey in color to take you to where you can learn more about each book and how you can purchase a copy for your own library.

Stephanie Kaza — Hooked!: Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume

Stephanie Kaza, an amazing writer and Buddhist teacher I knew from my 36 years living in Vermont, gathers key Buddhist thinkers to reflect upon aspects of consumerism, greed and economics. Certainly, many other authors have examined consumerism from the lens of their religious traditions, but this book’s Buddhist perspective is unusual, and its pairing of consumerist critiques with core Buddhist concepts is generally fruitful. Check this one out! Hooked!

Stephanie Kaza — Mindfully Green: A Personal and Spiritual Guide to Whole Earth Thinking

Another one from my Vermont friend — Stephanie Kaza, a biologist and professor of Environmental Studies at University of Vermont, combines Zen Buddhist practices and teachings with her 40 years as an environmentalist for this guide to enlightened environmentalism, proposing a belief in the interdependence of people and nature as the genuine way to “go green”: “When we come to see ourselves as part of the green web of life… we are naturally drawn to respond with compassion.” A good read for Buddhists or anyone from any religion. Mindfully Green

Anam Thubten — No Self – No Problem

No Self – No Problem
shows how to realize the ultimate meaning of life in each moment by dissolving all notions of ego-identity. It asks that spiritual seekers wake up to their true nature, which is already enlightened. Based on Buddhist wisdom traditions, this easy-to-read book discusses in simple, but profound and inspiring language, how we can live a life full of love, satisfaction, and happiness. No Self – No Problem

Sharon Salzberg — The Kindness Handbook

“It takes boldness, even audacity, to step out of our habitual patterns and experiment with a quality like kindness–to work with it and see just how it might shift and open up our lives. This book is an invitation to do just that. — From The Kindness Handbook