If you don't already have these, look for _Nature: Asian Traditions of
thought_ J. Baird Callicott and Roger T. Ames (eds) Sri Satguru
Publications 1989 (SUNY Series in Philosophy and Biology) and _Buddhism
and Ecology_ Mary Tucker and Duncan Williams (eds) 1997. Harvard
University Press. 

Whereas I have a lot of respect for some of these ideas, I am less than
impressed by many of the overall arguments. While "respect for life"
seems to feature prominently, it seems difficult, at least insofar as I
have read, to develop a strong non-anthropocentric ethic out of this.
Basically you have respect for life because it accomplishes the karmic
goal of furthering your own cycle of birth/rebirth. There is also some
aspect of respect for life because it represents other humans and so
forth. It is difficult to see how some of this can be used to develop an
ethical regard for processes and systems. But, as I said, I'm just
starting to read this. 

BTW, I've always been suspicious of Naess for the same reasons. While a
great deal of talk is about systems, it seems to me that Naess still
develops an argument for nature because it is good for humans (actually
I think sometimes he means white, north European humans, but there you
go).

Some other things I have read about eastern religion and nature are,
IMHO, pretty superficial and rely on belief in the super-natural, or at
least belief in mystical connections. I don't dismiss them out of hand,
but never having experienced either, I tend to be skeptical.

Steven

 "Past the seeker as he prayed came the
crippled and the beggar and the beaten. And 
seeing them, he cried, 'Great God, how is it 
that a loving creator can see such things 
and yet do nothing about them?' God said, I 
did do something. I made you."
                           Sufi Teaching



-----Original Message-----
From: Discussion forum for environmental ethics.
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Wayne Butler
Sent: Friday, July 05, 2002 12:48 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Buddhist environmental ethics


----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Bissell" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, July 05, 2002 1:38 PM
Subject: Buddhist environmental ethics


> I've been reading on environmental issues in eastern Religion recently
> and will have something to say sooner or later,

Aha! I'm glad you mentioned this Steven. I'm putting together a
post-grad research thesis at present, roughly on the subject of
intrinsic value theories and their acceptance by people (in England).
Although this a relatively new thing in mainstream Western thought,
clearly this is not the case in the East, so, I'm intending to include a
short section discussing this. Recently, I've been reading some texts by
B.K.S. Iyengar (the yogi) in which, amongst other things, he discusses
the yogi's/hindu's notion of the extended Self, in a manner which Naess
would find familiar. Interesting stuff.
 - I look forward to reading your next posts!
All the best,
Wayne.

“ The story is told that when a Western visitor asked Gandhi what he
thought of Western civilization, Gandhi replied, ‘It would be a good
idea.’”