Buddhist Defence of Mother Earth

Buddhist Defence of Mother Earth (Gaia)

The Buddhist Spirituality requests a transcultural revolution, by promoting the care of oneself and the other beings that comprise the super organism of the Earth (Gaia). Thus, the Purpose (Dharma) of Maitriyana has a supreme value, since it does not aim to a mere protection of the environment, but rather to the cultural transformation of the world in order to create a Pure Earth or Kingdom of Righteousness in the here and now. As Buddhist Spirituality points out, the Mother Earth (Gaia) is a body that sustains life, so that the peoples should rule in harmony with nature. This means that when it is adopted the mystical position of humility and openness (sunyata) of the True Being it can be understood that Mother Earth (Gaia) is not a property but it is precisely a living being who deserves huge respect and Full Attention (Mindfulness). In fact, the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) have described that nature and humankind are together in the same process of spiritual evolution. However, the capitalist civilization disrespects life, producing a massive extinction of species, water shortages and scarcity of resources, unconscious behaviour and self-destructive contamination. Although the Maitriyana believes that global warming is caused by the Sun, it simultaneously provides an adequate solution based on the ethics of doing-nothing (wu-wei), which is actually the fullness of action, because society is recommended to stop interfering with the self-healing mechanisms that Mother Earth (Gaia) owns as well as all the living beings. Thus, the Buddhist Spirituality makes a call for a global awareness in order to profoundly change the consumerist lifestyle for a harmonious lifestyle which does not accentuate or worsens global warming. Therefore, the development of society must be pacifist, socialist, wise and ecological, by rescuing the values of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as a contribution to the world welfare. Since consumerism and technologicism do not improve the quality of life, the Maitriyana states that only the defence of Human Rights and the Rights of Mother Earth (Gaia) can make a true development of the peoples. When nature is converted into a private resource or a common good, perversions are produced which inevitably threaten the survival of humanity and the rest of the living beings, because there is no awareness that every human being actively participates within an organism much bigger and immense that is the Mother Earth (Gaia). Thus the Buddhist Spirituality states it is not sufficient the mere concern about the environment, being imperative the holistic and integrative conception which shows actions of respect and care for the health of the planet. This is the fundamental reason why the Maitriyana develops a commitment to interexistence, which is the unity of all beings, by transcending all kind of selfishness and dualism. Although the care of the environment is a matter of utmost concern to many people, this does not necessarily imply that it is had a spiritual orientation towards nature, which is evident in the weak ecological reaction that is manifested by the international community subjected to the capitalistic politics, economy and culture. This lack of understanding of what is actually the Mother Earth (Gaia) and the role that humanity occupies within its planetary body, undoubtedly aggravates situations such as pollution and global warming, which require an integrative and spiritual ecology that is capable of understanding the Interexistence between the peoples and nature. Therefore, the Buddhist Spirituality does not promote a mere environmental care, but rather it struggles for the Awakening (Bodhi) of the whole society in order to create a world of peace, justice, knowledge and ecology. This obviously implies a transcultural revolution that denounces the lack of vision and incapacity of the governmental institutions in dealing with the conflicts of the world. Both the States and companies register an excessive level of conducts away from the spiritual laws, so their actions are not dictated by righteousness but by greed, hatred and unconsciousness. Therefore, a people that does not respect the spiritual laws inexorably is also harmful with regard to Mother Earth (Gaia). Ergo, the Maitriyana is clearly guided by the spiritual strengthening of the peoples, despite the fact that at a large extent this is not a matter of concern for the capitalist civilization. However, the spiritual evolution of human being is the most important issue for the present, because in case of not being achieved, there will be no future for the world. The survival of humanity depends on building a better world, full of global peace, social justice, compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) and ecological harmony, so that environmental crises will only be resolved through the Cure (Nirvana) of consciousness. The challenge of Buddhist Spirituality is to protect nature, by uniting the entire humanity under the banner of an integrative and reconciling civilization. Indeed, the only faith of the spiritual master is the hope that he can really contribute to the transformation and Salvation of the world.

The Maitriyana defends Mother Earth (Gaia) by transmitting a message of righteousness and hope for the coming generations that is based on all the teachings of the spiritual masters. Therefore, the Buddhist Spirituality goes far beyond the mere environmental care, explicitly seeking to save humankind from its self-destruction through a universal exhortation that transforms mind, vision and behaviour of the peoples. This universal call to protect nature is a critique in order that adequate solutions to the conflicts in the world are implemented, confronting dangers such as global warming through consensual forms as direct democracy, Human Rights and the Rights of Mother Earth (Gaia). In this way, the exhortation of Maitriyana is based on solid ethical and spiritual principles. Yet there is a realistic proposal sustained by humanist scientific bases provided by the contemplative technique. The Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) convenes to defend nature, which is the true origin of humankind. This attitude has the Purpose (Dharma) to save humanity and Mother Earth (Gaia), guiding them toward the Liberation and Awakening (Bodhi). In fact, this planet is not a place but a super organism. Therefore the Buddhist Spirituality is proposed to save both humanity and the very nature from suffering. Indeed, the spiritual master establishes novel criteria that allow society to be able to make the best decisions possible, criticizing the capitalist economic development for being selfish, self-destructive and catastrophic, as demonstrated by the process of pollution that worsens the global warming caused by the Sun. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to make ethical, socially responsible and committed decisions to solve world problems as the uncontrolled pollution, by promoting radical solutions that defy the Industrial status quo. One of these solutions to global warming implies a remarkable simplicity: stop consuming beef, since cattle production is one of the main responsible of greenhouse gases. Moreover, the Maitriyana does not hesitate to define the state of the contemporary world as transitional, because it has not yet reached the stage of an awakened and evolved society. This goal must be achieved in the near future because otherwise humankind is in danger of self-destruction, so that global agreements contributing with responsibility, equity and solidarity to the Cure (Nirvana) of the planet are necessary. The Buddhist Spirituality during 2600 years has produced a masterwork directed to adequately resolve the world problems, within which global warming occupies a preponderant place for endangering billions of human beings. This ethical calling is the present incarnation of the perennial knowledge that has been present in all the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas), becoming the critical basis for a new economy, politics and culture based on libertarian socialist values of solidarity and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna). Thus, if humanity takes the decision of not destroying itself with technological development and capitalist consumerism, then the peoples should adopt the teachings and warnings of the spiritual master. Definitively, the political leaders of the world do not represent in any way the interests of welfare and Liberation of society, being definitely ignorant of the transition process in which humankind is in its Path of spiritual evolution. Understanding this is the key to the survival of human being and the Mother Earth (Gaia), taking the next evolutionary leap in the history of life.

The Maitriyana teachings produce an impact on status quo for having three main aspects: a metapsychological, a metaphilosophical and a metapolitical one. These aspects form the Analytical-Existential-Libertarian Discourse (Buddha-Dharma-Sangha) of the Buddhist Spirituality, whose most specific field is the transformation of the inner and outer world. This implies abandoning attachment, greed and thirst for domain, by developing the spiritual nature of the True Being as a space of Freedom, Equality and Fraternity. Therefore, the consequences of the lifestyle based on Detachment are the de-identification from Ego, the overcoming of dualism and the abandonment of the conquest of environmental nature. In this way what the Free and Enlightened Being (Arhat-Bodhisattva) teaches is a new relationship with existence that is based on pacifism, redistributionism, pedagogism and ecologism. In this perspective, the human being respects the living planet with the rank of Mother Earth (Gaia), while simultaneously assumes for himself the upper range of protector of nature, which is genuinely the lost paradise of the peoples and not a mere thing, possession, instrumental resource or common good. This is what the Free and Enlightened Beings (Arhats-Bodhisattvas) as Francis of Assisi have found whose sensitivity and love for all living beings is a symbol of fraternity, which implies respect and compassionate wisdom (karuna-prajna) towards the Mother Earth (Gaia). This solidarity and fraternal relationship with nature is a bond of Interexistence and ecological harmony, which implies that humanity and living planet must take care of each other and mutually serve each other. This defence of Mother Earth (Gaia) implies a detachment from the economic, political and cultural system of capitalist civilization, at the same time it proposes eradicate consumer habits in order to protect the fellow beings and nature. The Buddhist Spirituality not only criticizes the capitalist or communist materialism, obsessed with private property or with strengthening of the State, because the Middle Way of Maitriyana is also a rational planning to build a new libertarian and solidary civilization.