Buddhism teaches that each person contains many different “seeds” that represent every possible human emotions or potentiality such as love, anger

, sadness, greed or compassion. Which of these seeds ultimately blossoms depends on how the individual’s life is lived. There is no doubt that selection is an individual's decision, nor is there any doubt that the decision has impact on the rest of the world. Perhaps most importantly, Buddhism is a questioning process. In his Editor's Introduction to Sivaraksa's Seeds of Peace, Tom Ginsburg sums up the philosophy in words that could easily fit Emerson's "Self-Reliance" or Nature: "Question everything, look deeply, and then act from that insight" . Sivarksa shows that this maxim applies to mankind’s responsibility to the environment. The religion of “consumerism” erodes spiritual strength and ultimately is what most damages the environment. Consumerisim leads to air and water pollution, depletion of species, destructive forestry and poor land management practices. The environmental crisis is not merely a symbol of the spiritual decay but as a direct result of it.

Schorsch notes that the Talmud and the Hebrew Bible both frequently "regulate a Jew's relationship to the natural world" and especially speak to the curbing of "man's unlimited use of his environment." In fact, the laws are called "halakha, a word that etymologically connotes boundary." Consumerism has diluted the impact of such rules for living but the answer to "how much is enough" must "not be determined solely by commercial interests" (31). The history of man, according the Genesis of the Bible is directly related to the fact there are two “beginnings” to man’s earthly existence. The first two chapter’s of Genesis differ in that in the second, man’s creation from clay is emphasized, but not his resemblance to God. Furthermore, man’s mission on earth to rule is not emphasized but moreso to be a good caretaker of the Garden, which he failed and was exiled from Heaven. Clearly this decree in the Bible preaches taking care of God’s Garden which now can be interepreted as Earth.

Buddhism is an offspring of Hinduism and magnifies traditional Asian cu

Some topics in this essay:
Nature Question, Earth Scorsch, , Sabbath Genesis, Buddhism Judaism, Sikvaraksa's Buddhist, Dalai Lama, Hebrew Bible, Jewish Perspective, God Furthermore, environmental crisis, religious beliefs, infliction pain animals, laws prohibiting infliction, dalai lama, consumer culture, live vegetarians, culture self-restraint, decay environment, human life, prohibiting infliction pain, meat consumption forbidden, animals forbidden, laws prohibiting, consumption forbidden restricted,