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FACE TO FACE | EASTERN HORIZON 27

Yes, deforestation is a big problem, has been traditional to offer meat Any other advice on how
and trees are the lungs of the and fish to the monastics as these Buddhists can see nature as an
world, we cannot survive without are seen as the best quality food effective teacher of Dhamma?
them. Trees are breathing in to offer. Some monastics are now
carbon dioxide during the day educating their lay supporters When we pay attention to nature,
and breathing out oxygen, we are to offer vegetarian food instead we see the three characteristics of
literally breathing together. Forests and the supporters are very existence, anicca (impermanence),
are essential to our lives and the happy to do so. Education is the dukkha (unsatisfactoriness) and
lives of all breathing beings. key element in changing people’s anattā (voidness or not-self) :
behavior in regard to the causes We see anicca in the cycles of the
Forest monasteries protect of deforestation. Experiencing the seasons, in the process of a bud
hundreds of acres of forest from beauty and majesty of a forest can becoming a flower, becoming a fruit
being cut down and increasingly, also motivate us to protect forests developing seeds for new growth.
those forests are managed to and their ecosystems. We see dukkha in the vulnerability
reduce the risk of wildfires and to of creatures needing to eat, and
encourage old growth. In Thailand, I would encourage Buddhist avoid being eaten. We see anattā as
I have heard of monks ordaining communities to get involved in we recognize the interdependence
trees so as to protect them from supporting the “Rights of Nature” of all things. Nothing stands
being cut down by local people. movement or “Earth Rights”. alone, everything depends upon
A huge cause of deforestation There is now a “United Nations everything else. Perhaps you could
is raising animals for meat and of Nature” working to protect the try sitting with a mountain or a
dairy products, so giving up eating natural world, and many smaller tree or a river with a mind open to
meat and/or dairy helps reduce grass roots organizations working learning the Dhamma and see what
deforestation for agricultural land. locally to protect and enhance the they teach you. EH
In many Theravada monasteries it environment.

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