A Buddhiste cology movementsd evelopingi n Thailanda nd otherB uddhistn ations,
addressesl ocal and nationalp roblemso f deforestationa nd ecological destruction.
While this is only one aspect of growing environmentalismin Thailand( Hirsch
1996), the Buddhists involved in this movement see their religion as critical for
providing practical as well as moral guidelines for ecological conservation. This
articlef ocuses on how Buddhistse, speciallym onks,p utt heirc onceptso f Buddhism
ande cology into action,a ndt he consequenrt einterpretationosf boths ets of concepts
thatr esultf rom such behavior.A s Buddhismis increasinglyu sed to promotes ocial
activism such as conservation, its role in Thai society is also being implicitly
challengeda ndr eworked.W hilet he exact-changetsh atw ill occura re unknown,t he
Buddhiset cologym ovement'sp otentiadl irectionm ayb e glimpsedb y examiningh ow
rituals, particularly ordaining treess promote the ecology movement, lending it
economic, political, social, and moral force.