Buddhism, Virtue and Environment

Cooper, David E.; James, Simon P.

Abstract

Buddhism, one increasingly hears, is an 'eco-friendly' religion. It is often said that this is because it promotes an 'ecological' view of things, one stressing the essential unity of human beings and the natural world. This book presents a different view. While agreeing that Buddhism is, in many important respects, in tune with environmental concerns, Cooper and James argue that what makes it 'green' is its view of human life. The true connection between the religion and environmental thought is to be found in Buddhist accounts of the virtues, those traits, such as compassion, equanimity and humility, that characterise the life of a spiritually enlightened individual. Central chapters of this book examine these virtues and their implications for environmental attitudes and practice. Buddhism, Virtue and Environment will be of interest not only to students and teachers of Buddhism and environmental ethics, but to those more generally engaged with moral philosophy. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book presents an original conception of Buddhist environmental thought. The authors also contribute to the wider debate on the place of ethics in Buddhist teachings and practices, and to debates within 'virtue ethics' on the relations between human well-being and environmental concern.

Citation

Cooper, D. E., & James, S. P. (2005). Buddhism, Virtue and Environment. Ashgate Publishing

• Book Type: Authored Book
• Publication Date: 2005-02
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2009
• Series Title: Ashgate world philosophies series
• ISBN: 07546390961
• Keywords: Buddhism, Virtue ethics, Environment.
• Publisher URL: https://www.ashgate.com/isbn/0754639096
• Additional Information: The two co-authors contributed equally to the research for and the writing of this book