Walking the Path of Environmental Buddhism through Compassion and Emptiness

The author, the head of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, His Holiness the 17th Karmapa, begins recalling his origins in a nomadic Tibetan family. Next he discusses the correspondences between the main environmental principles and to the essential Buddhist teachings:  the dedication to alleviate the suffering of all living beings and the understanding that everything is devoid of self nature. After pondering the implications of the effects of climate change on the Tibetan Plateau and its impact in mainland Asia, he argues that it is not sufficient address the political and scientific aspects of the environmental problems, but one we must also address the social and cultural aspects by awakening human values and creating a movement for compassion, so that the very motivation in becoming environmentalists is to benefit other living beings. Finally he proposes five strategic actions to become more environmental coherent, stressing that all religions of the world have the same core messages in relation to nature: live simply, act with compassion, be kind one to another, conserve all life.