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Ecology and Sustainable Development

Sulak Sivaraksa

(The session started with a silent meditation. The meditation aims to overcome and release tensions and stress so as to concentrate deeply into the lecture. From the outset the lecturer allowed the participants understands his approach to Ecology and sustainable development from a Buddhist perspective)

The environmental crisis is evident to anyone who cares to look. There is an overwhelming amount of information detailing the disastrous impact of human activities on the biosphere. Human activities are changing the global climate. Natural resources that have taken hundreds of millions of years to accumulate are being used up in a few centuries and for what purpose? Most of these resources are being used for wasteful, utterly useless ends.

One of the Buddha's most important teachings is Interdependent Co-arising. Nothing is created or exists in isolation and like the Jewel Net of Indra, each individual reflects every other living being infinitely many times. Things do not exist in and out of themselves. This is also the understanding of the science up of independent organisms existing in isolation, but is in fact a complex web of interactions where each organism forms part of a greater web. With a proper understanding of this, one cannot unsustainable exploit the Earth's natural resources or continually pollute the Earth.

Humans and nature are interconnected. However, consumerism and modern development cuts people off from experiencing and understanding nature. While people might he able to see wild life from Africa on their television screens, they probably remain unaware of the wildlife in their own backyards. If people are able to better understand nature then they can live in harmony with it rather than trying to dominate and exploit it.

In recent times capitalism and consumerism have come to dominate the world. Capitalism gives value only to the accumulation of material goods and monetary Profit. It promotes greed and individualism at the expense of sharing and community. People come to see their value as individuals solely in terms of the money they can earn or the products they can buy. Instead of

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seeking to help their neighbours, people try to get ahead of their neighbours and they will employ whatever means necessary to achieve this. The idea of development being merely focus on material progress is at odds with the Buddhist idea of development. The ever-increasing accumulation of money, material goods and power is dependent upon fostering greed and hatred. Instead the idea of development in Buddhism is overcoming the three poisons of the mind: hatred, greed and delusion. So Buddhism offers an alternative view of development. While consumerism nourishes greed and desire, Buddhism promotes the antidotes to these emotions.

I would like to give some examples of how Buddhism can promote development that is truly beneficial and sustainable.In Surin province in the Northeast of Siam an abbot recalled that when he was young the people seemed happier the villages were surrounded by jungle and elephants roamed freely. Although the people were poor they managed to produce enough food for their families and the monks. They had the four essentials of food, clothing, shelter and medicine. The abbot witnessed that over the past forty years there had the constant development and construction, the jungle and the elephants had disappeared and the people were suffering. He saw that local products were going to Bangkok to be exported by multinational corporations.

He asserted that meditation must not be just for personal salvation but for the collective welfare of all. Initially people just listened out of respect. He encouraged the people to try alternative ways and opt for the traditions that supported the community for centuries against the ambitious and competitiveness which had brought them suffering! Development such as Rice banks, Buffalo banks which are innovative and exemplary.

Secondly, The efforts of Thai monks to protect the forests are also noteworthy. For example, Phra Prajak who took the radical action of "ordaining" trees. This challenged people to change their thinking the value of the tress and the forest and out of respect for the Sangha people refused to cut the trees down. Phra Prajak also took time to educate the villagers about the value of the forest and alternative methods of development.

Another example of the effects of material progress is Ladakh, m the north of India Helena Norberg-Hodge, an Englishwoman, lived with the Ladakhi people for more than twenty years. When she first went to Ladakh in the 1970s the people there had had little contact with the outside world. They people were poor but self-sufficient and happy. When the Indian government built roads up there, tourists began to arrive, and Ladakhis tried to imitate their ways of life. Whereas previously the people had been content with their way of life,

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they began to see themselves as poor. Helena Norberg-Hodge wrote a play about some Ladakhis who went to New York and then returned to Ladakh. When they returned people asked what it was like, and they reply that in New York the poor people want to dress fashionably. They eat white bread like the Indians sell the Ladakhis. But the rich people like to eat natural foods like that of our forefathers. They wear cotton clothes, buying a lot of it from this part of the world.

This demonstrates that development is a two-way street. The educated, more enlightened people in the West are beginning to realise that development is not purely material; they reject many of the things promoted by the consumer culture. They feel respect for nature. These things can be found in the traditional culture of centuries like Siam, but many people have been brainwashed by advertising. The most important thing is for us to help people get back in touch with their roots.

The mainstream educational system encourages cleverness but it does not teach people to think holistically. It promotes monocultures of the mind and indoctrinates people with the values of consumerism. There is a real need to encourage and promote alternative forms of education. Education that develops the mind and the heart and is holistic rather than compartmentalised.

I would like to talk about the work of the Spirit in Education Movement (SEM) in Siam and how it seeks to counter the culture of consumerism and instead educate people to be compassionate, productive members of society.

The Children's Village School in Siam is an alternative education community for children who have been orphaned or come from very poor family, some of which are abusive. The founders of the school believe that each child can thrive and blossom when given enough love, attention, freedom, and the assurance that their basic needs will he met. Instead of a narrow focus on intellectual reason and skills for employment, alternative education engages the whole child, including will, heart and mind. The capacity for intellectual reason is only meaningful within the context of understanding and compassion for one's community and the environment. The children at the school learn about self-government and environmental education through hands-on activities. The self-government system allows them to settle their own disputes, to propose, amend or annul rules and to decide on everyday matters of living together. Through natural and organic farming they learn about the balance of nature independent of any attempts to control and mismanage nature. The teachers at the Children's Village School live work and play with the students in a co-operative environment.

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Another activity of SEM is the Grassroots Leadership Training (GLT) courses. These courses aim to empower communities to be self-reliant, to maintain their cultural integrity and protect their environment. They aim to give community leaders from marginalised communities the skills and knowledge to help their communities resist the negative effects of globalisation. Few of these community leaders would otherwise have the opportunity to obtain a higher education- The GLT courses offer appropriate in-depth education, with substantial follow up and community support.

The top-down model of development is a form of violence. It destroys both the environment and the community. It is only really interested in maximising economic growth and it externalises social and environment costs. In no way is it sustainable. Instead it is necessary to promote a bottom-up model of development. Such a model of development is non-violent and promotes harmony, both socially and environmentally. Working at the grassroots and local level communities can be empowered to find appropriate forms of development and resist the impacts of consumerism and globalisation. Education is a very important part of this process. We need people who can think in alternative ways to the Western paradigm and also have confidence in their own traditions.

We need a vision for the future that is spiritual and ecological not just economic. If we can develop in this way the future will be bright.

Discussions:

Q: How would you perceive the interdependence in people of other faiths, cultures from Buddhist perspective?

External friendship is the one, who tells you what you want to hear, which is less attachment to ego. Internally, critical self-analysis is essential to have inner peace of mind.

Q: People are accusing Christians for the emergence of capitalism, ecological destruction what is your view?

Cross-become swords when there is no love .If you think you are the first and important in every way you will be the first for downfall.

Q: How would you as a Buddhist., active in different movements or how you are different from other Buddhist?

Loyalty keeps me remains decent. I am proud to be a Royal Thai but I will challenge if it does not according to my conscious. Thailand came about as a land of Thai people in fact, the westerners throw away Thai cultures imparting their cultural values without considering the inherent good values of life. Unless it is the issues of Justice and peace there is

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suffering.

To be a Buddhist is a religion in itself. What moved me is when I confront the issue of socials structure that enslaves human into poor condition. Development is the keyword, Multi National Corporations are stating that self-sufficient / communities are under-developed countries. As a result big dams are constructing consequently resulting in destruction of livelihood. Nike Products, Coca- cola, uprooting the cultures and dominates the economy which promotes monoculture.

My conviction is to educate the youngsters of our generation to promote life. Social change is not possible unless you do not suffer with the poor.

Q: In Sri Lanka the Buddhist government are purchasing lots of arms which is contradicting to the Buddhist beliefs. What is your opinion?

If you lost your essence of what you belief, it is dangerous! The essential teaching is non-violent but leadership promotes violence, which is practice by those who lost essence.

Q: To achieve alternative development which is not top-bottom model, is it the goal us or not?

Ultimately we need to change the whole structure. Do not do it for your ego. Do with compassion because things will not change drastically, but will be good in the long run. Technology and scientific approach may gave some benefit but not holistic. Whatever you do relate it to nature. Seek some wisdom and implement it. Interconnectedness is the main aspect.

Q: Please tell us something more about Education in SEM

Education is not the book curriculum or intellectual but the nature, communication through love. Challenge scientific negative knowledge, media influences us but it had its limitations too. Technology sought everything both god or bad. But it controls everything. People are conditioned to worship money and technology. Those who have a heart to think that miracle will happen by technology should educate in the right way..

At last, Sulak advised young people to learn patience, thought we see that problem is increasing with a rapid process whereas our approach is very slow.