Ecological Culture is a human culture. According to the social shape, human has gone through the slave culture,the feudal culture,the capitalist culture and the socialist culture. According to the shape of production,human has gone through the primitive culture, the agricultural culture and the industrial culture. The primary aim of these Cultures is to raise the capacity of production and in order to improve human material life, and put the pursue of Material Life in the first position.
Driving by greedy, anger and ignorance, the so called three poisons, human beings avariciously take from nature. Industrial Culture had made serious pollutions to the environment, as a result, city illness had rapidly expanded all over the world. Humen more and more feel that they can’t always take from nature in order to raise material life and ignoring spiritual life therefore to protect ecological balance is important.
Ecological civilization is nothing but relationships between man and man,man and nature,and man and society which are harmoniousely interdepend one and the other.
Buddhist Theory includes profound thoughts of ecological culture. Philosophical basis of Buddhist ecological view is the theory of ParatĪtyasamutpāda. As āgamasūtra said, there exists because here exists, here none-exists because there none-exists. Everything in phenomenal world is nothing but products of pratĪtyasamutpāda, The world is inseparable as a whole.
Ecological View of Buddhism consists of two meanings: first, to protect Life, second, to protect environment.
Ahimsā is one of pañcaśila, which is regarded as supreme and absolute meaning of it. Himsa is one of daśākusalakarma which is strongly rejected and abolished by Buddhists. Buddhism strongly regect suicide or lead others to suicide. According to Buddhism, if one violates this śila, he will certainly fall into the hell. Even if they live in human world, they certainly suffer retribution of short-life and constantly illness and etc.
Mahāyāna Buddhism advocates vegetarian food in order to abide by śila ahimsā, and to train the spirit of mercy in everyday life.
Buddhism also advocates to set free captive fish and birds and so on,and release them to river and mountain, let them to return to the nature and enjoy freedom again. There are ponds for seting free captive animals in all Buddhist temples, and they frequently hold dharma-meeting for setting free captive animals.
The wars certainly destroy lives of both human and animals, and it is certaintly wrecks seriously enviroment in which human lives. So Buddhism strongly opposes wars and advocates peace. Sākyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, prevented many wars when he lived in the world.
Suddhodana, father of Sākyamuni Buddha, belongs to śākya nationality, and his mother Māyā belongs to Koliya nationality. These two nationalities used water of the same river to irrigate fields. Drought happened one year,, so these two nationalities had strived for using the water, because of this, a sharp contradiction and conflict between them which will lead a war fighting for water.
Sākyamuni Buddha using his magical power and seating in the middle of the river , and said to śākya:“you belong to the nationality of my father.” then he turns to koliya and said:“you belong to nationnality of my mother.”he said further:“it is no rain this year,everyman experienced that the water is valuable, what is more valuable than water is nothing but blood, so blood is more valuable than water, then how can you fight for water shed blood with one and the other? in order of using water and avoiding a war negotiation is necessary. After listening to what the Buddha said, both śākya and koliya had set a peaceful negociation on how to using the water. Because of the Buddha, the bloody war was avoided and negotiation held between them and livies of both nationalities were saved.
King Ajātaśatru once had planed to set a war fighting with Vrji Country, at the meantime he sent an officer Varsakara to Sākyamuni Buddha in order to find out the real situation. Then Buddha said to ānanda:“the political situation of Vrji country is quite free and equal, The people of Vrji country united as one. They are well cultured to respect their presents, where neighborhood are peacefully living together. They also respect teachers and stress on morality. They present elders and have a pity to the poor. they believe in Buddnism and respect śramana. They observe pañcaśila and live in peace and well-being. So the country is prosperous and the people live in peace. So such a country can’t be defeated by any others.”
After lisening to the words, VarsaKāra returned to his country and adviced Ajātaśatru to give up a war to Vrji country. Again Sākyamuni prevent war by clever method.
Ajātaśatru had many wars with prasenajit, after taking Buddha’s instruction, he made a peace between two nations.
Buddhism not only respects lives of those sentient beings but also respects lives of those non sentient beings. The ninth Patriarch of Tiantai School (天台宗) Master Zhan Ran (湛然) of China had advocated the theory of those non sentient beings what deserve also buddhagotra. San Lun School(三论宗)also firmly believeed that the non sentient beings deserve buddhagotra. Master Ji Zang(吉藏), the founder of SanLun School(三论宗), considered that even grass and tree also deserve buddhagotra. Therefore, their lives should be respected by humans. Pure Land school(净土宗)regards the western paradise as an idealist Kingdom where a beautiful ecological environment is good for human society.
The Sixth Patrirch’s Dharma Jewel Platform Sūtra,in its second chapter prajñā where it is said:“take for example the rain water,it does not come from the sky. The truth is that the dragons cause it to fall in order to all those sentient and non sentient beings, all grass and tree,may receive its moisture. In a hundred streams it flows into the great sea and there they unit in one substance. so as the wisdom of prajñā of the original nature of living beings acts the same way.”
Ecological Culture starts from our human heart. To realise the importance of ecological culture is, what is to say, a firm stand of Buddhism on ecological culture.