Hinduism has a lot of emphasis on the environmental ethics more than any other religion ever known. According to the holy books, nature is considered as an element which should be protected and taken care of. Examples include Mahabharata, Ramayan, Bhagavad and Upanishads which lay emphasis on respecting the natural habitat. Nature is made of all animals and plants and the relationships between them must always be respected since all things that are manifested are said to be a shadow of the spiritual. There is divinity in everything that is created and that is why human beings are urged not to destroy the environment. There are quite a number of principles and teachings in Hinduism that promote the harmonious co-existence of humanity and nature. The ancient Hinduism texts uphold and pay tribute to ecological awareness. This has made Hinduism as a religion to be classified as environmental friendly (Weeramantry Para. 12).
For instance, it is reported that ecological activists have gotten much inspiration from a number of such texts. They have then used them as a basis to help more people comprehend the need for environmental protection. The examples below are a demonstration of the Hindu teachings on Mother Nature:
"Do not cut trees, because they remove pollution." (Rig Veda, 6:48:17)
"Do not disturb the sky and do not pollute the atmosphere." (Yajur Veda,5:43)
Destruction of forests is taken as destruction of the state, and reforestation an act of rebuilding the state and advancing its welfare. Protection of animals is considered a sacred duty. (Charak Sanhita) (Weeramantry Para. 20).
These and more examples of teachings can be found in these books that elaborate how important the conservation of the mother Earth and its unique geographical aspects is for the society. Furthermore, the present generation can get inspired from the ancient historical events recorded in Hindu books concerning the environment. Most of the Hindu communities have held to the teachings and in so doing, helped in reducing environmental pollution. One of such communities is the Bishnois which lives in the state of Rajasthan. According to their belief, conservation of the environment is part of their religious duties that they should practice daily (Weeramantry Para. 22).
It is reported that, Guru Maharaj who lived in the fifteenth century held a belief that the protection of trees resulted in sustenance of animal life. Consequently, his community would be able to survive. He therefore came up with twenty nine injunctions that opposed the cutting of trees and killing of animals and birds. The Bishnois community held into this believes and practiced them as a religious duty all their lives. It is even indicated that in 1730, three hundred and sixty three people of Bishnois community were killed by the men of king Maharaja who had invaded their forest in order to cut wood for the construction of his palace. They resisted and opposed these men against tree felling. It is widely known as the Maharaja massacre in the Hindu society but also one of the greatest motivational events on environmental conservation (Hindu Wisdom Para. 3).
The Hindu religion views everything that surrounds them as a divine presence. The rivers, lakes, mountains, the mineral world, flora, animals including the planets and the stars are a divine reality which is present as Prana/Shakti energy. This energy is readily available in every electron, particle and cell. With this perception, nature and the Earth and all that is in it should never be misused or destroyed in any manner (Hindu Wisdom Para. 5).
Buddhism is another religion that upholds the teaching of environmental conservation and the protection of the geographical aspects on planet Earth. Buddhism teaches that every human being should be responsible in the manner with which his or her duties impact on society. “The noble eight fold path consists of right vision, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right efforts, right mindfulness and right concentration. Treatises could be written on the relevance of each of these to the human future.” (Weeramantry Para. 12). The act rightness in this religion is to warn people or kings who manipulate the natural resources for personal gains. Cakkavattisihanada who is one the pillars of Buddhism pointed out that an ideal king should by all means provide protection not only to men but also to animals as well (Weeramantry Para. 10).
Conclusion
In essence, most of the religions in the world support to a greater extent the conservation of the natural habitat. Christianity puts man in a position of dominion over all creation which is an indication that any destruction of nature holds him responsible. It therefore remains the duty of man to take good care of its environment. The rest of the religions equate the divinity held to man to that of nature and advocates for mutual co-existence hence conservation. All people are required to respect God’s creation and actively participate in perpetuating its existence. It therefore remains the duty of the leaders and teachers in those religions to spread the messages of environmental conservation to their followers so as to improve on its implementation.
Works Cited
Hindu Worship. Nature Worship, 2006. Web. 13 Jul 2012.
Weeramantry, C. G. “Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and the Environment.” Energybulletin.net. Asian Tribune, 17 Jul 2007. Web. 13 Jul 2012.
