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)
