Buddhist Response to Environmental Degradation with Reference to Bījagāmabhūtagāma in the Buddhist Canon

Abstract

The terms bījagāma (seeds to be grown) and bhūtagāma (grown seeds) are very significant as those fundamentally talk on the environment. They reflect upon a kind of philosophical teaching and are explained from the perspective of environment in the Canon. The places where the term bījagāmabhūtagāma occurs in the Tipiṭaka include as a single form not separate one. The term altogether also means that it is an interdependent idea. In this study, five of those ‘bījagāmabhūtagāma’ references in the Canon are referred to. All those references can be divided into two categories. One, is the reference that is based on environmental ethics attached to the way of life of saints: The Brahmajālasutta (D I.5) explains one of eminent practices of a recluse to refrain from violating ‘bījagāmabhūtagāma’, a practice of the Tathāgata that came to be praised in contemporary India, Pācittiya XI (Vin IV.35) which emphasizes destruction of vegetable growth as an offence of expiation for the saṅgha, and Chabbisodhana-sutta (M III.34) denotes that this is one of the qualities of an of Arahant that is not to harm the Environment on his way to Nibbāna. Two, is the teachings related to the natural environment. The Bīja-sutta (S V.46) the success of monkhood is based on morality (sīla). The Bīja-sutta (S III.54) illustrates a firm connection of the five groups of plants (pañcabījajātāni) with kamma-viññāṇa (the growth of consciousness) as they are interdependent on each other. All these references reveal the significance of the environment and provide an answer to the environmental crises with reference to the Canon. The methodology of the study is based on references to the Canon, and some commentaries are used as necessary. The tentative conclusion points to the appreciation of earth-friendly ways of life and solution for modern environmental crises based on ethics found in Buddhist teachings.