Buddhist Spiritual Environmentalism

Preface

Our spiritual world is like the earth. Before it gets destroyed, it needs to be well prevented and protected. After being polluted, it needs to be kept clean and well maintained.

When our mind is pure, our group is pure. When the small group is pure, the bigger environment composed of the small group will be pure. Then each bigger environment (karma) will be pure (harmonious combination). Then the whole world is harmonious.

The education of the Buddha aims to lead different disciples with different characteristics via behavior, speech, and meaning. This is what we mean by “spiritual environmentalism.” Hence, this essay entitled “The Buddhist Spiritual Environmentalism —Harmonious World & Harmonious Combination.”

Meaning of Harmony

Harmony means harmony and compatibility, engaging mutual cooperation and comprise. Put differently, there is no conflict, no opposition, and no discomfort in life. Among the major cultures around the world, traditional Confucianism and Taoism emphasize harmony whereas Buddhism concerns with the mind. The ultimate pursuit of Confucianism is “Making Harmony,” whereas one of most fundamental doctrines of Buddhism denotes, “The ten thousand Karmas are made from the mind alone.”Actions are made with a pure mind. As what Buddhism Sutra indicates: “Form follows the mind,” what one thinks in mind appears in his actions and behaviors.

The harmony of country, society, and world derives from the environmentalism of the individual mind. Harmony starts from a small group. When one possesses an altruistic, grateful, merciful, non-oppositional, and non-conflict mind, there will be no violence in the family, no conflict in society, and no invasion among countries. Then the harmonious circumstance will be steadily expanded to the whole world. Just as the Third Inquiry of the Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch says, “To be merciful is Avalokitesvara (one of the two principal Bodhisattvas of the Pure Land). To take pleasure in almsgiving is Mahasthama (the other Bodhisattva). Competence for a pure life is Sakyamuni (one of the titles of Gautama Buddha). Equality and straightforwardness is Amitabha. If you constantly perform the ten good deeds, paradise will appear to you at once. When you get rid of the idea of a self and that of a being, Mount Meru will topple. When the mind is no longer depraved, the ocean (of existence) will be dried up. When you are free from suffering, billows and waves (of the ocean of existence) will calm down. When wickedness is alien to you, fish and evil dragons will die out.” In other words, the whole universe is in fact harmonious, free of opposition and conflict. The spirit is pure and unpolluted.

If there is opposition and conflict, it turns into a separate and independent world, which departs from the harmonious combination described by Buddhism. Generally speaking, it is composed of harmonious combination, starting from a point, expanding to line, and leading to the whole entity.
Hence, how can we pursue individual harmony and compatibility?

Individual Harmony and Compatibility

The most significance of individual inner harmony and compatibility is to see oneself. To understand one’s inner world is to see oneself first. This is what Buddhism says, “Clear mind sees one’s nature.” This is the highest virtue, which cannot be obtained by everyone. The Platform Sutra of the Sixth Patriarch says, “When evil comes, suffering arrives; when good approaches, suffering disappears.” It indicates that once we get rid of ten evils, our mind becomes clear. When we get rid of eight evils, our mind is then fair. When we abandon all the wrong attitude, evil idea, our mind will then be peaceful. As long as we can perform the three methods of “pure mind, fair mind, and peaceful mind,” we can realize the concept of “clear mind sees one’s nature.”

Big universe is harmonious and our body is a small universe, same as the big universe. Our small universe is as complex as that of the big universe. The medical knowledge tells us that there are six billion cells within one’s body. One cell is like an individual, with many people congregating within this big group.

It is like six senses. After we were born, eyes do not conflict with nose, neither nose with ears. Each sense has individual function to cooperate with one another to excel its own function in natural harmony. This is the universal harmony.

The occurrence of many problems in the world derives from your intrusion of others. This is a wrong concept. Hence, if you are not moved while encountering any good deeds or bad deeds, you are like Buddha. When others have good deeds, you become joyful. When someone commits a bad deed, you have hatred. Either case defiles harmony since you intrude others. Hence, if one can treat everything fairly and calmly, this is wisdom. Only harmony and calmness can foster wisdom.

Buddha in The Diamond Sutra says, “If there is someone who listens to this Sutra and gives rise to a pure mind, then he/she has attained the signs of the Truth.” Truth is wisdom. Hence, if the mind is pure, wisdom is then fostered and mind can control. Mind has no form, not material, nor spirit. Even though it has no form, it exists everywhere and any time. Hence, whenever there is a way in life with opportunities, there is the pure mind.

Japanese scientist Dr. Masaru Emoto proved that water is mineral and material via water experiment. His discovery indicates that water possesses characteristics of sight, smell, sense, and knowing. The molecular structure of water responds to emotional aspects, and it generates different kinds of crystalline forms after viewing all kinds of languages. It also reacts differently to classical music, rock and roll, as well as noise. The experiment is remarkable and so are the pictures. It testifies that material has characteristics of sight, smell, sense, and knowing. Even though it is a material, it has its nature of law. Knowledge of the Middle Way poses concept of “eight not": "[things are] neither generated nor destroyed; neither transient nor permanent; neither one nor many; and neither coming nor going.” The nature of law is purely innate, neither generated nor destroyed, neither transient nor permanent, neither space nor time.

Therefore, every cell, hair, or nail all exists for the nature of law. If one gets angry easily without good temperament, all the cells within body become terrible and one gets sick. Hence, illness comes from one’s temperament, deriving from one’s wrong mindset. Hence, if everyone’s mind is free from the three evilness, he or she will then be healthful. This is known as spiritual environmentalism.

If our mind is full of suffering with three evils of greed, hatred, and delusion, it will then influence the molecular structure of water within our body. When the molecular structure appears fragmented, the small universe is not harmonious, leading to illness. This is like water. The water structure is neither right nor wrong. Whenever there is evil mindset, it turns into spoiled, leading to illness. On the contrary, good mindset leads to regular function, fostering good health. Therefore, information and mindset change one’s physical structure. If one is aware of this concept and is often occupied with the kind idea, one will not get sick in his/her life. Consequently, when there is no harmony between one’s body and mind, illness follows. This is a fundamental point. If the individual point isn’t happy neither harmonious, how is the situation in the family? This is not spiritual environmentalism, and our body and mind are polluted.

Family Harmony and Compatibility

It is said, “Create the next generation with ease; create the easy next generation.” The meanings of these two sentences are drastically different. Put differently, how parents incubate their next generation should depend on how they can lead their children with their heart to explore the real wisdom, neither with materials, nor with diplomas. Family harmony starts with stable marriage. In the process of growing up, children are greatly influenced by how their parents behave and speak.

While parents are immersed in heavy workload and great pressure for a long time, they tend to develop anxiety and insecurity, leading to create misunderstanding and conflict among family members. Unfortunately, children become the targets for parents to vent their emotions, leading to incidents such as abusing children, abandoning children, or committing suicides together.

Furthermore, when the couples encounter different opinions, they insist on their own ideas, blame each other, and refuse to compromise. The situation doesn’t help solve the problem, and it eventually creates tension and discomforting atmosphere, leading to divorce or emotional death.

The Hua-yen (Avtamsaka) Sutra writes: “All things are created by the mind alone; all is nothing but the manifestation of consciousness.” Once your mind is troubled, it is like wind blowing the lake, creating billows and waves. Once billows and waves appear, it is not real. It is just like a stream of wind suddenly appears, “creasing a pond of spring water.” Once the billows and waves are getting bigger and distorted, one cannot see the real image. Contemporary people often have disturbing mind, caused by economic crisis, leading to loss of job, family abuse, or rubbery. The mind of the Buddha is often peaceful and calm just as the lake has no billows or waves. Hence, it has clear reflection. Consequently, once one can resume to calmness, this problem can be solved. Therefore, the Chinese often speak of Virtue, which is personality virtue. It is innate, not manmade, neither created nor imagined. Husband and wife are natural; father and son are natural; brothers are natural; friends are natural; and master and servant are natural. These virtues are personality virtues, known as laws and existed in ten dharma worlds. Personality virtues are virtues. Everyone is equipped with it, with no increase or decrease in the realm of sentient beings.

Chinese people follow the golden rules of, “Filial Piety, Brotherly Obedience, Fidelity, Trust, Propriety, Righteousness, Integrity, and Honor.” Buddhism believes that people live within the group, who cannot be separated from the community. Four persons are known as one group. When four persons congregate, they are known as monastic group, the smallest group of four persons. Group isn’t individual. The most important element in Buddhism is “The Six Principles of Reverent Harmony.” Once one can follow the six principles of reverent harmony, one can follow his/her personality and virtue. The Triple Gem takes the form of “I take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha,” indicating that this group is the most respectable. Since this group is harmonious, it wins respect from everyone. Therefore monks and nuns should be harmonious and we should balance our mind and spirit. We should get rid of three evilness—greed, hatred, and delusion, as well as purify our mind and spirit. The monastic group should neither have conflict nor other disharmonious performance.

So is the family. When everyone lives under one roof, he/she should follow the family regulations and virtues as well as the seniority order. Once the rules are performed, everyone can be harmonious and happy. Master Hongyi once said, “Play the role as one assumes,” indicating that one who takes a social role in life should try his/her best to play it. The disharmony of the family virtue often is caused by the parents who ignore the responsibility of disciplining and discipline only for the sake of economic reason. They try their best to provide their children with the best material life so they tend to spoil their kids who eventually turn into societal problems.

If harmony can be achieved in the family, so will an enjoyable society be accomplished. Family education is so important that we can then care about our society.

Societal Harmony and Compatibility

Bringing world destruction is very troublesome. In the West, people are more individualistic and fail to take into consideration of others. Those who really love peace should respect others’ culture, traditions, and different kinds of living style. For example, those who love sweets cannot force everyone to eat sweets. Eating choice is personal preference so please respect others’ choice with joy. This is then real harmony and compatibility which bring rise to mutual cooperation and harmonious society. Confucius says in Analects, "Gentlemen are harmonious and not clannish. Petty men are clannish and not harmonious." Put differently, this world is shared, not divided.

“Ho (harmony) gives rise to new things; Tung (uniformity) will lead to stagnation. To balance one thing with another is called “ho” which will lead to enrichment. To add to the same thing yet more of the same will ruin the whole. Monotone is dull, uniformity produces no culture, single taste is poor, and sameness makes no value.” In this multi-diversified society, if there only exists one single plant or animal, it will soon die out. Due to the fact that “To add to the same thing yet more of the same will ruin the whole,” one single thing cannot continue sustainability. We have six senses in our body, with five organs and six senses in a multi-diversified culture. There are many different cultures with various responsibilities, composed of multi-diversified cultures to form a coexisted space.

All is relative, not absolute. So if you treat others with kindness, they will return with joy and cooperation. For instance, if there are ants in the newly built house, most people will try every method to kill them or scare them away with pesticide. However, if you treat them with great kindness and take good care of them, I believe that they will leave you. Once people are equipped with kindness, we can live peacefully and harmoniously with the universe and everything. Hence, the society will become very peaceful. Small animals are aware of good and bad. Human beings march into bright avenues; whereas small beasts follow the dark paths with no intervention. Both human beings and beasts belong to the world called six ways. Hence, we should accept beasts with kindness. We should not kill them but live harmoniously with them.

Harmony and Compatibility of Mind

The continuum from self cultivation, regulating the family, governing the state, to bringing peace and harmony to the world is based on the cultural education. Culture is the root of human beings and culture is its spirit. Through education, one can understand culture and cherish cultural inheritance. Chinese saying argues: “The kings of the ancient established their states and led their citizens by taking teaching into the first consideration.” Teaching is not only teaching books but more importantly teaching people. Realizing harmony starts from our own mind and spirit. Hence, the Buddha promotes education from our mind. Self cultivation begins in cultivating our mind since mind controls everything.

Every human being is an individual entity, lead by his/her own karma to come to the world. Yet, the world is an inseparable composed entity. Everyone has his/her own opinion and the discrepancy of mindsets fosters different opinions. Accordingly, it gives rise to discomfort, and people cannot live harmoniously. This is the main cause of disharmony and the result why people cannot respect each other. For instance, each organ of our body is born naturally. If the organ on the face has concerns about legs and feet, the organs on the face are later transplanted to legs and feet and vice. It will not be natural. Hence, we should respect one another and compromise to enrich one another.

A story employs a pair of three feet long chopsticks to highlight the differences between heaven and hell. Those who live in the hell use chopsticks to pick up food and cannot eat it since the neighbors grab the food before reaching mouth. Hence, there are lots of complaints. However, those who live in the heaven also use the same three feet long chopsticks to eat but they feed each other after picking up the food. Since they respect each other and help each other, the heaven is always full of harmony and joy. “Great kindness to the known and unknown, and great compassion for all” indicates that the harmony and compatibility of mind should include respect and consideration. When there is no respect, one cannot cooperate with one another. When one doesn’t let go his or her feelings, he or she will often suspect others’ criticism. Hence, suspicion and jealousy will often lead to losing kind karmas. Having faith on others and trusting others can lead to good friendship and healthy relationship. When the mind and spirit are purified, there will be free of evilness.


Conclusion

The world is a big composed entity with hundred thousands of differences. To find an identical self is impossible. One’s happiness is subject to one’s mindset. One kind idea fosters kindness; one evil idea gives rise to evilness. Within this harmonious combination of space and time, everyone, every family, every society, and every country should have a peaceful and happy body and mind. Only “letting the mind transform the circumstance” can the world become harmonious and can people live comfortably.

This is Buddhist spiritual environmentalism. When our mind is purified, our world is harmonious.
I wish everyone a healthy body and mind. Let us help each other, complement each other, and embrace each other with humble mind. May everyone live happily ever after.
Let us sing the song “So long, Farewell”

Being together in the universe is karma;
With unlimited hope, we fly in the cloudy sky.
Being together in the universe is karma;
With unlimited dedication, we express lovely shine.
We slowly and steadily realize our own dream;
We slowly and steadily accomplish our wishes for others.
We only have one grand wish—everyone lives happily.
We only have one grand wish—everyone lives happily.
Our heart is full of happiness.
My life gets better with your wishes.
When we say farewell, please don’t forget to make the world better with our
wishes.
When we say farewell, please encourage each other to accomplish our dream—may everyone live happily.

Our heartfelt thanks go to the host organization. We are also very grateful for Master Hsing Yun who has dedicated to promote the harmonious coexistence of Buddhism across the Strait.