Finding the Middle Way through Various “Centrism”

Buddhism is neither human-centred nor eco-centred religion. It is a wisdom-centred one, it is an intelligence-wisdom-centred religion. What is refuted in Buddhism is not human-centeredness, but ego-centeredness. One’s self cherishing ego is viewed as the true cause of all unhappiness (internal and external). I believe the focus of other environmental ethics, animal rights movement and environmentalism is generally narrow and limited to a personal point of view. These philosophies always have a tendency to divide between humans and animals etc. They tend to make conflicts among environmental groups; they tend to produce debates, not actions.

But the core difference to Buddhism is that it brings everyone together to become happy. In its approach Buddhism has an altruistic one, to support every sentient being (including humans) to realise their own natural wisdom, wellbeing and happiness. Since everyone, as their final aim, wants to be happy Buddhism believes every effort one makes to discovering ones final true value leads towards true happiness (short term and long term). Each sentient being that discovers the marvel of its own wisdom and intelligence is bound to naturally (as cause and effect) arrive at its true potential and end in a less-suffering, ultimately happy state known as Nirvana.

As deep ecology and other philosophies believe all beings are connected in a deeper level, Buddhism also believes that in this universal ecosystem (Samsara) we are all bound to each other not only by one means, but on many levels. We are bound as biological family, or species, we are connected as a universal ecosystem (Samsara), we are connected through cause and effect (Hetu phala), we are for ever bound to each other by our own action (Karma Vipaka), and we are all bound on a deeper level by our collective consciousness (Vignaana Dhatu).

In Buddhist Abhidamma teachings it is said that Nirvana all beings are said to be bound to one taste (Sunnya), without separation (Animitta), without any imperfections (Appanihita), as all river waters end in the great ocean and become one taste and one entity, inseparable from each other (Hoiberg, Dale H., ed. 2010).

The methodology of Sentient Being Liberation (as opposed to animal liberationist theory) in Buddhism is more humanistic than animalistic. All environmental ethics movements seem to have taken a non-anthropocentric point of view, because I believe the western world needs a revolutionary idea that eases its egocentric and anthropocentric ways of living. But I believe in order to make changes in the world we should (and must) use our virtuous human qualities, moral human behaviours, and wise human intelligence in an anthropocentric manner to benefit other sentient beings. What we need to give up is the self-cherishing mentality (ego-centeredness). Therefore I would say, Buddhism is an ego-free anthropocentric ethic, with regards to human beings as agents of care and nurture, and Buddhism has a non-anthropocentric ethic as well because it values all beings as equal. It is the union of these two extreme views.

How do we unite these two views in to a middle way? Practically, the Buddhist practice of generating loving-kindness (Maitrī; Pāli mettā) and compassion (Karuṇā) towards all sentient beings is recommended as the preliminary essential practice for bringing a change to the social and environmental problems. Buddhaghosa, the fifth-century commentator on the Pāli Canon, characterizes loving kindness as ”devotion to the aspect of [others‘] welfare”, and claims, ”It has the function of offering welfare”

(Vism. ix.93; cited in Aronson 1980, 63). Similarly, compassion is concerned with removing the suffering of others, and ”has the function of not enduring others‘ suffering”

To value a being, in Buddhism, it can be described in terms of love and compassion; they are intentional acts which involve an attitude adopted towards a being, for the sake of benefiting that being (benefit can be temporary or ultimate), and these wishes of benefiting has no other attached intensions towards oneself. This love and kindness is independent of any intrinsic properties and values that being might have as well. We are not admiring a being, we are universally creating the emotion of altruism. The act itself loosens up the ego-centeredness and in the long run the loosened ego-centeredness makes a person more relaxed about all Samsaric phenomena. We are happy because others, as well as we, are happy and we are slowly developing ourselves in to our ultimate value (as a caterpillar is developing to a butterfly). This again contrasts the way animal liberationist or bio-centrist love nature.

Deep ecology is criticised for being an impractical, social insensitive, Global South deductive ethic. For a Buddhist love and valuing does not mean caring for the supporting party and partially hating the opposing party. This altruistic empathy towards all feeling persons and beings naturally will create more environmentally aware citizens.

This ego-free altruistic love will make Climate Change Agreements easy and emission cut downs easy to practice. Loving kindness and compassion will alleviate the inequality and poverty of the world.

Buddhist ethical behaviour practices, known as moral discipline vows (Sila) is a spiritual practice by itself. People willingly take these discipline vows upon themselves, because firstly these practices spiritually cleanse their consciousness negative habits and non-virtuous imprints, secondly they benefit to the society and nature through its disciplinary aspect, thirdly it acts as a direct method and means to reach the Nirvana that lies within oneself. Buddhism teaches that immoral conducts not only harm the outsiders, but also oneself. Each act (with body, speech and mind) one conducts is said

to create a spiritual force called Karma. The more moral and virtuous the acts are, the more positive and benefiting Karma force is created to oneself and to others. And the more negative and ill benefiting the acts are, the more negative and harmful the created Karma force will be to oneself and others. Karma is said to be creator of all what we have experienced, are experiencing and will experience (in Buddhism Karma is the creator of all conventional phenomena, not GOD).