Focus on Arts and Ecology

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AWAKENING TO OUR CLIMATE CRISIS

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09.13.2019

It seems we’re at a crossroads with climate change. The choice before us is either to lean in to the reality of it and take meaningful action or to ignore what we are seeing and feeling around us and go about our lives as though we weren’t hastening our own end. This crossroads isn’t exactly new; after all, we’ve known about global warming for decades. But ever since the IPCC report came out last October stating we need to get things under control by 2030 if we are to have any hope of averting an irreversible climate catastrophe, the world has been placed on notice.

In his address to the United Nations, Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi explains that the Buddha’s diagnosis of climate change would rest with the human heart, and more specifically with the roots of craving and ignorance. He reminds us of the parable of the burning house in the Lotus Sutra, in which the children continue to play with their toys while flames surround them. Today, he points out, we are those foolish children going about our everyday lives while our one and only home — the Earth — literally burns.

Whether it’s the raging fires in the Amazon or the devastating hurricanes and floods that are obliterating entire communities, more and more we are forced to confront the high stakes of climate destabilization. We are also forced to examine our reactions and actions (or inaction) in the face of it all. For those of us who embrace the Buddhist teachings, it’s an interesting test of sorts.

Ahimsa, or non-harming, is a fundamental tenet of Buddhist ethics. It seems straightforward enough on paper, but what does it actually mean to live by this principle when we are witnessing entire species becoming extinct and people dying from heat waves, droughts, and storms brought on by global warming? Who are we harming with our lifestyle choices or with our silence on climate justice? Are we brave enough to ask and see?

What about interdependence, another cornerstone of Buddhism? Do we truly understand how we are interconnected with all other people, birds and animals, the water, air, and land — and appreciate the responsibility that comes with this?

And as we experience the fear and panic that climate crisis brings, are we stepping forth as bodhisattvas to help or are we looking out for number one and shoring up our mental defenses to try to insulate ourselves from others’ pain?

There will be many tests to come, and many opportunities to put the Buddhist teachings to work. If we believe in the Buddha’s awakening and our ability to do the same, we must awaken to the climate crisis as well. And we must act, quickly.

—Tynette Deveaux, editor, Buddhadharma

Check out the upcoming Global Climate Strike, September 20–27

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