Environmental Ethics in Buddhism: A Virtues Approach

by Pragati Sahni

Overview

Environmental Ethics in Buddhism presents a logical and thorough examination of the metaphysical and ethical dimensions of early Buddhist literature. The author determines the meaning of nature in the early Buddhist context from general Buddhist teachings on dhamma, paticcasamuppada, samsara and the cosmogony of the Agganna Sutta. Consequently, the author shows that early Buddhism can be understood as an environmental virtue ethics. To illustrate this dimension, the Jatakas are used as a source. These are a collection of over five hundred folk tales, which also belong to early Buddhist literature. This work gives an innovative approach to the subject, which puts forward a distinctly Buddhist environmental ethics that is in harmony with traditional teachings as well as adaptable and flexible in addressing environmental problems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781134154524
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	09/12/2007
Series:	ISSN
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	224
File size:	338 KB

About the Author

Pragati Sahni is currently Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy, Delhi University. Her current research interests include Environmental Philosophy, Applied Ethics and Early Buddhist Philosophy. She has published some articles and has been a recipient of the Commonwealth Scholarship.

Table of Contents

1. Towards an Environmental Ethics in Buddhism 2. Nature: A "Conservationist" Analysis 3. Nature: A "Cosmological" Approach 4. Environmental Virtue Ethics in Early Buddhism 5. The Environmental Virtues of Early Buddhism 6. Environmental Virtue Ethics in the Jatakas. Conclusion

Editorial Reviews

"I urge Buddhist students and teachers to take up this environmental ethics discourse as a prime arena for examining the Buddha's teachings. We need to take our place at the table with Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, scientists, poets, politicians, and economists. In this regard, we can thank Sahni and other Buddhist environmental thinkers for offering us thoughtful springboards for reflection and action." — Stephanie Kaza, Buddharma, Spring 2008

"The refreshing quality of this book lies largely in its creating a suitable methodology for the subject itself in the absence of any available theory or approach by which Buddhist environmental ethics can be meaningfully understood. The approach here goes beyond the limits of contemporary Western methodologies by virtue of a many-layered discussion that attends to various implications of passages from the Pāli Canon most relevant to Buddhist ethics. The bibliography and notes are impressive, and give full support to the author’s thesis. It is certainly a "must read" for anyone seriously interested in environmental issues as well as the significance of Buddhism in today’s world." — Deepa Nag Haksar, Journal of Buddhist Ethics, Volume 18, 2011

From the Publisher