Hinduism and the environment (Green faith)—a concept of sustainable development

Hinduism and the environment (Green faith)—a concept of sustainable development

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs but not every man’s greed—Mahatma Gandhi.

When I was a small boy, my grandma would caution me not to pee or defecate in the river—doing so would invite illness and our parts responsible for peeing and defecating would be infected. Today, as I graduate in Sustainable Development, I realize that our forefathers always have taken the concept of sustainable development seriously—though in a superstition form. In environmental science, peeing and defecating in the river would pollute the water and people downstream would be affected—a public health issue, too, indeed.

We had a spring nearby home where we depended for water for entire year. My grandma would never allow us even to wash our face in it, forget dumping wastes. She would say, “Don’t throw rice or any dirty things into the water, NAAG (Lug will get angry). This was also a strategy for conserving water.

There was a tree at the source of water where she said local deity of water lived there. If we cut and disturbed it, deity would get angry and bring harm on us. Therefore, that tree still remains near the water source to this day. I could understand such belief has played a role in conserving trees which support our life and sequesters carbon.

We consider elephants as god and even pray for them. Whenever elephants raided our paddy, my grandma and parents could be seen chanting prayers and murmuring the name of Ganesh. They would say, “hey bhagwan, koon bato aiyeu tei bato jau” (take the same way you came from). They would never have any intention to harm them. Similarly, tigers and the family of wild cats are considered goddess.

Besides this, everyone back in the village, people grow banana not for consumption but as food for cattle. This practice has also played a big role in sequestering carbon. Pipal tree(Ficus Religiosa) is planted which is considered scared.Even,i have seen people back at my village marrying pipal with another  called Ficus Benghalnensis which is also considered sacred tree.Such are the environment conservation practice in Hinduism.

Perhaps, some says, Hinduism is the oldest surviving religion in the world. However, the first record of practiced religion comes from Egypt as far as 4000BCE (Mark, 2009).Hinduism like Buddhism has many things common in view of protecting environment.

Following are the teachings of Hinduism adopted from Pankaj Jain’s work.

 
The following are teachings of Hinduism on environment:

 Pancha Mahabhutas (The five great elements): The interconnectedness of these elements forms a web between cosmos and human body. Hinduism teaches that the five great elements (space, air, fire, water, and earth) that constitute the environment are all derived from prakriti, the primal energy. Each of these elements has its own life and form; Hinduism recognizes that the human body is composed of and related to these five elements, and connects each of the elements to one of the five senses. The human nose is related to earth, tongue to water, eyes to fire, skin to air, and ears to space. This bond between our senses and the elements is the foundation of our human relationship with the natural world. For Hinduism, nature and the environment are not outside us, not alien or hostile to us. They are an inseparable part of our existence, and they constitute our very bodies.

Protecting the environment is part of Dharma. Dharma, one of the most important Hindu concepts, has been translated into English as duty, virtue, cosmic order, and religion. In Hinduism, protecting the environment is an important expression of dharma. In past centuries, Indian communities – like other traditional communities – did not have an understanding of “the environment” as separate from the other spheres of activity in their lives. These communities carry out these conservation-oriented practices not as“environmental” acts but rather as expressions of dharma.” These traditional Indian groups do not see religion, ecology, and ethics as separate arenas of life. Instead, they understand it to be part of their dharma to treat creation with respect.

Ishavasyam – Divinity is omnipresent and takes infinite forms. Hindu texts such as the

Bhagavad Gita (7.19, 13.13) and the Bhagavad Purana (2.2.41, 2.2.45), contain many references to the omnipresence of the Supreme divinity – including its presence throughout and within nature. Hindus worship and accept the presence of God in nature.

Global Village -- Vasudhaiva Kutumbatam... “If you view everything and everyone as an aspect of Divinity, viewing the entire globe as a village easily follows”. A paraphrase from the Artharva Veda: "Mother Earth supports us with Her abundant endowments and riches; it is She who nourishes us; it is She who provides us with a sustainable environment; and it is She who, when angered by the misdeeds of Her children, punishes them with disasters

Our environmental actions affect our Karma. Karma - a central Hindu teaching - holds that

Each of our actions creates consequences – good and bad – which constitute our karma and determine our future fate, including the place we will assume when we are reincarnated in our next life.

The earth – Devi – is a goddess and our mother and deserves our devotion and protection.

Many Hindu rituals recognize that human beings benefit from the earth, and offer gratitude and Protection in response. Many Hindus touch the floor before getting out of bed every morning and ask Devi to forgive them for trampling on her body.

Hinduism’s tantric and yogic traditions affirm the sacredness of material reality and contain teachings and practices to unite people with divine energy. Hinduism’s Tantric tradition teaches that the entire universe is the manifestation of divine energy. Yoga – derived from the Sanskrit word meaning “to yoke” or “to unite” - refers to a series of mental and physical practices designed to connect the individual with this divine energy.

Hindu teachers have used these teachings to demonstrate the wrongness of the exploitation of the environment, women, and indigenous peoples

Belief in reincarnation supports a sense of interconnectedness of all creation. Hindus believe

in the cycle of rebirth, wherein every being travels through millions of cycles of birth and rebirth in different forms, depending on their karma from previous lives. So, a person may be reincarnated as a person, animal, bird, or another part of the wider community of life.

Through belief in reincarnation, Hinduism teaches that all species and all parts of the earth are part of an extended network of relationships connected over the millennia, with each part of this network deserving respect and reverence.

Sanyasa (Asceticism) represents a path to liberation and is good for the earth. Hinduism teaches that asceticism – restraint in consumption and simplicity in living – represents a pathway towards moksha (liberation) which treats the earth with respect. A well-known Hindu teaching -Tain tyakten bhunjitha – has been translated, “Take what you need for your sustenance without a sense of entitlement or ownership.”

(Acknowledgement: The above paragraphs have been adopted from the work of Pankaj Jain, PhD; Green faith)