Abstract:
This paper takes an unorthodox approach to examine conventional environmental
legislation and explore how Buddhist ethics on environmental conservation could be
incorporated to solve contemporary development issues. Fundamentally, this paper
illustrates the strength of the Buddhist notion of the environment and demonstrates the
inter-disciplinary nature of Buddhism and law as a possible method for environmental
conservation. Two research hypotheses are considered: 1. Legal interventions made
by the state are not adequate to solve issues in disaster risk management; 2. Buddhist
philosophy is based on observed laws of nature which galvanize the relationship
between human beings and the environment. The paper takes an inter-disciplinary
approach to study the interconnectedness of Buddhism and law. However, it does not
overlook the salient differences of the two disciplines in their approach to the
environment. For example, the law attempts to deter people from violating
environmental rules. However, Buddhism mainly focuses on the punishment that
comes from nature itself if it is violated, while reiterating the need of spiritual
development to conserve the environment. In order to achieve the research objective
of determining a nexus between Buddhism and law to support environmental
protection, primary data has been collected from original Buddhist discourses in the
Tripitaka and from environmental legislation. Apart from the primary sources, this
paper traces many secondary sources from both legal and Buddhist literature. The
study concludes by demonstrating how the use of Buddhist environmental ethics can
generate a new mechanism which could lead to a sustainable solution to address the
burning environmental problems faced by today’s society.
