Buddhism and Ecology: The Interconnection of Dharma and Deeds
Buddhism and Ecology: The Interconnection of Dharma and Deeds
edited by Mary Evelyn Tucker and Duncan Ryūken Williams contributions by Kenneth Kraft, Lewis Lancaster, John Daido Loori, Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel, Steve Odin, Graham Parkes, Steven C. Rockefeller, Alan Sponberg, Leslie E. Sponsel, Donald K. Swearer, Jeff Yamauchi, David Landis Barnhill, Christopher Key Chapple, Malcolm David Eckel, Ruben L. F. Habito, Ian Harris, Paul O. Ingram and Stephanie Kaza
Harvard University Press, 1997 Cloth: 978-0-945454-13-7 | Paper: 978-0-945454-14-4 Library of Congress Classification BQ4570.E23B83 1997 Dewey Decimal Classification 294.3378362
ABOUT THIS BOOK | REVIEWS
ABOUT THIS BOOK
Given the challenges of the environmental crisis, Buddhism's teaching of the interrelatedness of all life forms may be critical to the recovery of human reciprocity with nature. In this new work, twenty religionists and environmentalists examine Buddhism's understanding of the intricate web of life. In noting the cultural diversity of Buddhism, they highlight aspects of the tradition which may help formulate an effective environmental ethics, citing examples from both Asia and the United States of socially engaged Buddhist projects to protect the environment. The authors explore theoretical and methodological issues and analyze the prospects and problems of using Buddhism as an environmental resource in both theory and practice. This groundbreaking volume inaugurates a larger series examining the religions of the world and their ecological implications which will shape a new field of study involving religious issues, contemporary environmental ethics, and public policy concerns.
REVIEWS
What a significant advance these articles represent for the study of religion and ecology. The potential contribution to the new field of religious ecology is immense. These papers will help to create a coherent field for the study of Buddhism and ecology. What is even more important, though this is not the precise task of scholarship: these papers will help define the modern Buddhist response to ecological ethics.
-- John Berthrong, Associate Dean for Academic and Administrative Affairs, Boston University School of Theology, and Director, Institute for Dialogue among Religions
A volume of this kind is an important step in engaging scholarship to address critical issues of our time. The potential of religious traditions offering resources for rethinking our relation to the earth is one of the most exciting themes to emerge from scholarship in many years. This volume will be a first important step to the full understanding of the contribution humankind’s perceptions of the sacred can make to the way we care for our earth.
-- Rodney L. Taylor, Professor of Religious Studies and Associate Dean of the Graduate School, University of Colorado